It's wonderful to see that Kino Video is providing us with more great comedy from the silent era, especially of stars most of us might not be too familiar with. I was pleasantly surprised by this DVD right from the start: each of the six comedy shorts (averaging around 20 minutes in length) has very high production and picture quality, and I especially enjoyed the clever gags and ideas. Although this Kino Video series is called "Slapstick Symposium", I would rate Charley Chase's comedy as somewhat more 'high brow' than the everyday slapstick most of us are familiar with such as Keystone, early Chaplin and Arbuckle, for instance. So if you are no great fan of these silent comedians, then perhaps Charley Chase would be more to your taste. Personally, I got a lot more genuine good chuckles and plenty of smiles out of all 6 Chase shorts on this DVD than most Chaplin or Arbuckle. Not only are the gags quite original and clever, the overall editing and acting by Chase also add quality to these comedies. Unlike Chaplin, Arbuckle and others who played a clown-like character, Charley Chase is just a normal guy - much like Harold Lloyd - who finds himself in hilarious situations. His acting style is not excessive in any way, nor does he stand out, but the end product is always a satisfying and entertaining little comedy. Chase was more than just a comedian, however; he was also involved in writing, directing and of course, thinking up his own funny gags, and this DVD has a nice selection of good quality ones. My favourites are "Dog Shy" and "His Wooden Wedding" (in the latter he is misled into thinking his fiancee has a wooden leg) but Chase's appearance as Romeo in "Bromo and Juliet" as he pads his tights because his legs appeared too thin is also worth a couple of laughs. All up, this is about 2 hours of really good entertainment - perhaps nothing extraordinarily hilarious or unusual, but overall enjoyable. I was just a bit disappointed that the special feature biography on Charley Chase is only 8 minutes long, as I'm sure he deserves a much longer and thorough bio. Good fun for silent comedy fans, especially those who prefer the likes of Harold Lloyd.