Win A DVD Of “Behind The Door” (1919), The Most Disturbing Silent Film You’ve Never Seen!

UPDATE 4/12/17: The winner of the drawing is Kevin S., randomly selected by Flicker Alley from the many entries for this exciting DVD giveaway. Congrats, Kevin! 

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We will (finally) return to the last few Méliès Month posts this Friday. I didn’t want you guys to miss out on a chance to own a free copy of this rare, and distinctly unsettling, early horror film! 

Last October I reviewed one of the most disturbing silent films I’d ever beheld: Behind the Door (1919) starring Hobart Bosworth, a film that starts out like your standard 1910s drama and ends up like a murderer’s fever dream. It was a slightly awkward review to write since I knew it had never been put on DVD, was only playing at select film festivals, and that few people would ever get to see it.

That is…until now. The fabulous Flicker Alley, creator and distributor of top-quality silent film restorations, is releasing the first ever Blu-ray/DVD of Behind the Door on April 4, 2017! And you can sign up to win a copy right here on Silent-ology…details below!

(I’ve never done anything quite like this before–the closest would be the little drawings I hold for Buster blogathon participants. Silent-ology’s moving up! *wink*)

Here’s a summary of the plot, from Flicker Alley’s page for Behind the Door (where you can also pre-order the Blu-ray/DVD if you like):

Hobart Bosworth stars as Oscar Krug, a working-class American, who is persecuted for his German ancestry after war is declared. Driven by patriotism, Krug enlists and goes to sea. However, tragedy strikes when his wife (Jane Novak) sneaks aboard his ship and is captured following a German U-boat attack. Krug’s single-minded quest for vengeance against the sadistic German submarine commander (played with villainous fervor by Wallace Beery) leads to the film’s shocking and brutal climax.

This newly restored edition represents the most complete version of the film available since 1919, thanks to the collaboration of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, the Library of Congress, and Gosfilmofond of Russia.

Sourced from the only two known remaining prints and referencing a copy of Willat’s original continuity script, this edition recreates the original color tinting scheme and features a new score composed and performed by Stephen Horne. Flicker Alley is honored to present Behind the Door on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time ever.

So if sadistic German submarine commanders and shocking brutality weren’t enough for you, there’s also plenty of bonus materials, which include:

• Russian version of Behind the Door: The re-edited and re-titled version of the film that was distributed in Russia, with musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne
• Outtakes from Behind the Door: Featuring music composed and performed by Stephen Horne
• “Restoring Irvin Willat’s Behind the Door”: A behind-the-scenes look at the restoration
• “Kevin Brownlow, Remembering Irvin Willat”: An in-depth interview with renowned historian and honorary Academy Award® winner Kevin Brownlow on the career of director Irvin Willat
• Slideshow gallery of stills and promotional material from Behind the Door
• Souvenir Booklet: Featuring rare photographs and essays by film historian Jay Weissburg, film restorer Robert Byrne, and composer Stephen Horne

Here is the tantalizing trailer:

This giveaway is hosted by Flicker Alley and is cohosted by me and several other classic film blogger friends and sites:

Nitrateville
Silent Era
Toronto Film Society
Spellbound By Movies
A Classic Movie Blog
Once Upon a Screen
Ferdy on Films
Caren’s Classic Cinema
Second Sight Cinema
Sister Celluloid
Cinematic Catharsis
Classic Movie Man
Old Hollywood Films
Thrilling Days of Yesteryear
True Classics

To enter, simply leave a comment, and then fill out the entry form below! One lucky winner will receive a copy of Behind the Door on Dual-Format Blu-ray/DVD from Flicker Alley. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S./Canada and ends on April 12, 2017. And as far as the comments go, maybe you can share what you think is the most interesting/intriguing moment from the trailer?

–> ENTRY FORM <–

Good luck, everyone!

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