Accidentally Preserved: Volume 5 contains three feature films – a jungle adventure, a melodrama, and a western – plus a rare comedy short with a Technicolor sequence, all of which do not survive in film archives. The phrase “accidentally preserved” was coined by Undercrank Productions’ founder Ben Model referring to silent films that exist only because copies were made on 16mm safety film in the 1920s and 1930s for the home movie rental market..

In Lorraine of the Lions (1925), Patsy Ruth Miller is a female Tarzan in a tale that anticipates King Kong; in Hoofbeats of Vengeance (1928) equine star Rex, King of Wild Horses is out for retribution over his owner’s murder; in The Fourth Commandment (1927) Belle Bennett is caught in a power struggle with her mother-in-law when she moves in with the couple and their son, and the antics in Love at First Flight (1928) find comedian Lige Conley in trouble in a plane and on the beach. Each of the films on this set has been scanned in 2K by the Library of Congress from the only surviving copies, vintage 16mm prints from the collection of Jon C. MIrsalis, who also scored the films.

For thoughts on Accidentally Preserved: Volume 5, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

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Video Quality

Accidentally Preserved: Volume 5 makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Undercrank Productions featuring three features and one short across two discs preserved from the only surviving 16mm prints that have been scanned in 2K by the Library of Congress. We feel grateful to have these works of art presented in high definition and looking as good as they do. While some scenes look particularly rough, it is impressive how well some of these look given their vintage. Most importantly, all of the films preserve their natural filmic quality with no scrubbing away of the texture in the film grain.

These films come with a mixture of black-and-white and tinted photography, and both hold up with a strong handling of their aesthetic intentions. The contrast is decently defined but the source does show a bit of flicker and damage to the print. There are stretches where the source is in particularly bad shape, but Undercrank Productions has done everything in its power to make sure these look as good as possible. There are moments when you can appreciate the texture in some of the outfits and production design. Black levels avoid crush and compression artifacts even if they are contending with damage from the source. Undercrank Productions continues to do important work in the silent film space.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents these films with a Dolby Digital 2.0 lossy audio track that sounds really swell despite not being of lossless quality. New musical scores have been created for each film by Jon C. Mirsalis which accompany the material exceedingly well. The music is the only element to contend with in this track, and it comes through with unwavering fidelity and no signs of damage or age-related anomalies. Silent film fans have been treated well with the sound quality of the tracks. A lossless audio track may have bumped things up ever so slightly, but this works well.

Special Features

There are no special features provided on this disc.

Final Thoughts

Accidentally Preserved: Volume 5 is a unique set of films that show the great works that can be lost without us even realizing it. Thankfully, the stars have aligned to keep these films alive in some form as we get everything from a thrilling adventure to a charming romance (and even a horse-starring tale of revenge). It is a well-rounded collection that has a little something for everyone. Undercrank Productions has released a Blu-Ray with a pretty good A/V presentation but no supplemental features. If you are a fan of silent films, this is a worthwhile addition to your collection. Recommended

Accidentally Preserved: Volume 5 will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on April 9, 2024.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Undercrank Productions has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.