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The Snowbird
(1916)

This feature drama, directed by Edwin Carewe, stars Mabel Taliaferro and Edwin Carewe, with James Cruze, Warren Cook, Arthur Evers, Walter Hitchcock, Kitty Stevens and John Melody.

Kino Classics
2022 Blu-ray Disc edition

Cinema’s First Nasty Women (1898-1926), black & white and color-toned black & white, 875 minutes total, not rated, including The Snowbird (1916), black & white, 82 minutes, not rated.

Kino Lorber, K25901, UPC 7-38329-25901-3.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc (four BDs in the set); 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) 24 fps progressive scan image encoded in SDR AVC format at 22.6 Mbps average video bit rate; LPCM 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 1.5 Mbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, optional French and Spanish language subtitles; no chapter stops; 114-page insert booklet; four plastic disc trays on cardboard wrap in cardboard slipcase; $79.95.
Release date: 20 December 2022.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 9 / audio: 8 / additional content: 8 / overall: 8.

This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered from a 2K high-definition scan of a 28mm reduction print (despite what is stated in a title at the beginning of the presentation) held by George Eastman Museum. As is sometimes the case, an original 28mm print can look better than a third-generation 35mm print. The source material here is not an exception. The greyscale range is balanced with controlled highlights and shadows. Picture details are sharp, rivaling that of original 35mm prints. There is a constant parade of moderate dust, speckling, schmutz, long vertical scratches to the print (white) and the source negative (black), visible splices, processing imperfections, occasional mild cupping and frame jitters, and other minor print flaws. As should be expected, these flaws appear larger in the picture than in 35mm prints but, ultimately, do not distract too much from enjoyment of the film’s detailed image. Surprisingly, there are no chapter stops within the film.

The film is accompanied by a music score composed by Dana Reason.

Among the supplemental materials are film and program introductions by Liza Black, T.J. Cuthand, Jane M. Gaines, Maggie Hennefeld, Laura Horak, Dana Reason, Elif Rongen-Kaynakçi, Arigon Starr, Susan Stryker and Kyla Wazana Tompkins. Film commentaries are provided by Jennifer Bean (University of Washington), Liza Black, Enrique Moreno Ceballos (Festival Internacional de Cine Silente México), Liz Clarke (Brock University), Bryony Dixon (British Film Institute), Jane Gaines (Columbia University), Rosa María Licea Garibay (Festival Internacional de Cine Silente México), Joanna Hearne (University of Oklahoma), Maggie Hennefeld (University of Minnesota), Laura Horak (Carleton University), Pamela Hutchinson (Silent London), Elif Rongen-Kaynakçi (Eye Filmmuseum), Mariann Lewinsky (Cineteca di Bologna), Katharina Loew (University of Massachusetts Boston), Cecilia Ramírez Morales (Festival Internacional de Cine Silente México), Ana Belén Recoder (Festival Internacional de Cine Silente México), Lluvia Soto Rodríguez (Festival Internacional de Cine Silente México), Aurore Spiers (University of Chicago), Shelley Stamp (University of California, Santa Cruz), Alejandra Calleja Toxqui (Festival Internacional de Cine Silente México), Kristen Anderson Wagner (University of Southern California), Laetitia Vigneron (Festival Internacional de Cine Silente México), and Yiman Wang (University of California, Santa Cruz). The Blu-ray Disc edition includes a 114-page booklet with program notes. A QR code is provided for online access to an open PDF version of the booklet with essays, interviews, photos, and detailed film notes.

This is our recommended home video edition of the film.

This Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc edition is available directly from . . .

Kino Classics
2022 DVD edition

Cinema’s First Nasty Women (1898-1926), black & white and color-toned black & white, 875 minutes total, not rated, including The Snowbird (1916), black & white, 82 minutes, not rated.

Kino Lorber, K25925, UPC 7-38329-25925-9.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc (four DVDs in the set); 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, optional French and Spanish language subtitles; chapter stops; four-disc DVD keepcase; $39.95.
Release date: 20 December 2022.
Country of origin: USA

This DVD edition has been mastered from a 2K high-definition scan of a 28mm reduction print held by George Eastman Museum.

The film is accompanied by a music score composed by Dana Reason.

Sight unseen, this is our recommended DVD home video edition of the film.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued
and is . . .

Loving the Classics
2025 DVD edition

The Snowbird (1916), black & white, 50 minutes, not rated.

Loving the Classics,
no catalog number, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $14.99.
Release date: 12 March 2025
Country of origin: USA

This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm reduction print. Note the significantly shorter running time of this disc compared to that of the Kino Lorber editions listed above.

The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting music recordings.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .