This is yet another fine Kino Video production of a deluxe 2-disc edition featuring more silent comedy by one of the era's foremost comedians, Harold Lloyd. It follows the first excellent Kino Video DVD, "The Harold Lloyd Collection" (Vol 1) which features the one-hour "Grandma's Boy" and seven shorter comedies. In this second volume there is even more to enjoy, with six short pre-1920 comedies on the first disc, and four longer films on the second disc from 1920-21 which show Lloyd's quick development in a few short years; each film being different in its own way, and showcasing the versatility and wide range of themes Lloyd offered his audiences. Although ranked alongside Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, it was Harold Lloyd who attracted the biggest audiences and box office successes in the early 1920s, and it's high time, therefore, that his films are finally seeing the light of day again.
For those who don't already know: Harold Lloyd is pretty much an ordinary guy - unlike Chaplin whose trademark was his clown-like Tramp image, for instance, and his style is less slapstick than Chaplin and Arbuckle, but like Keaton and other silent film comedians, his strength also lies in athletic and even acrobatic ability. Being silent films, early comedies relied heavily on physical action and gags, and Harold Lloyd set a pace to rival Keaton and others, especially in the action-packed films on disc 2 like "High and Dizzy" and "Never Weaken". Some of the scenes taking place on high-rise ledges and scaffolding kept me on the edge of my seat holding my breath, while at the same time admiring the skills required to do such thrilling scenes in the early 1920s. There are many other thrills and surprises, and I particularly appreciate Kino Video's choice of films, presenting great variety on each disc: from barroom action in a Western ("Two Gun Gussie") to backstage antics in "Ring Up the Curtain" and adventures on the high seas on an all-girl pirate ship in "Captain Kidd's Kids". All of these films have the classic silent comedy formula of a boy, (Lloyd) a girl (Bebe Daniels in the early films, then Mildred Davis) and a third person; either a rival or a bad guy, and while this format is usually predictable, the rest of the plot is always a surprise. All these films are a real pleasure to watch all these decades later, especially due to very good picture quality and outstanding original piano score by Donald Sosin, whose silent film accompaniment is always a cut above the rest.
From slapstick to comedy
Indeed, why bother buying this release when 28 films by the late Harold Lloyd are just about to be released, complete with seal of approval by Suzanne Lloyd? Well, the antics of the somewhat dated duet Pollard/lloyd are certainly not up to standard with the tightly-scripted, gorgeously-photographed and carefully-preserved features New Line is about to provide us as part of their impressive 7-DVD set, yet this massive offering was obviously conceived as a tribute to the stellar aspect of the comedian career, and the crude beginnings of his bespectacled persona have been carefully ignored. This Kino release shows us how Lloyd evolved from the madness of his post-sennettian style to the more subtle touch of his first three- and four-reelers; as such, and while it is admitted that the box set is indeed indispensable, this is a slice of history, not tampered with, for better and for worse.
Great old films with brand-new music
OK, I'm prejudiced. I wrote the piano music for this Kino release. It's all in the style of the late teens and early 20's and I am told it's fun to listen to by itself. So let your ears be your guide as well as your eyes when you enjoy this wonderful set of early Harold Lloyd shorts, including the zany action of TWO GUN GUSSIE, HIGH AND DIZZY, and THE NON STOP KID.
I am sure the New Line set coming in November will be fascinating, but I wouldn't let that stop you from purchasing this one with all new music composed specifically for the films, not just mono needle drops from old 78 transfers.
Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplain, Laurel & Hardy, and the 3 Stooges are the undisputed kings of comedy no matter what anyone says. Harold Lloyd, like a few of his peers of the day, was an absolute genius. They really ought to build an altar in his honor. Just watch these films and see for yourself the talent at work. Damn shame they don't make films like this anymore. 5 stars to the Lloyd Trust for finally deciding to release these precious gems on DVD. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Harold Lloyd DVD Release Date: 15 November 2005
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Silent films and silent-film personnel always have an uphill fight when it comes to breaking through to modern-day audiences. Even in the best of circumstances, legend often gets in the way of direct experience. Roscoe Arbuckle presents perhaps the most extreme case. Few people now alive have seen him at work on screen. However, the most casual browser of film history knows that "Fatty" Arbuckle figured in one of the movies' early scandals: a 1921 wild party that resulted in the death of a bit player named Virginia Rappé, whom the famously oversized comedian is alleged to have raped (her very name reinforces the legend). Tried for murder, Arbuckle was acquitted; the jury even apologized to him for the ordeal he'd been subjected to by the overzealous prosecution and news media. Yet... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Roscoe Arbuckle DVD Release Date: Released the 24 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This collection of vintage Harold Lloyd comedies is worth the price just for Grandma's Boy, a splendid hourlong feature from 1922. Lloyd plays a small-town fellow who lives with his frisky grandmother; convinced of his own cowardice, he yearns to compete for the hand of a pretty girl. His courtly call to the girl's home is the occasion for battle with a ridiculous "formal" suit, mothballs, and a litter of kittens attracted by the goose grease on his shoes. There's also a long (and quite funny) flashback to Lloyd's ancestor, tangled in a Civil War fracas. Lloyd, whose aquiline features were rounded off by horn-rimmed glasses, was more handsome and less clownish than many of his slapstick brethren, which made his acrobatic outbursts all the more surprising. That talent is... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Harold Lloyd - Mildred Davis Director(s): Hal Roach DVD Release Date: Released the 03 August 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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