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THE HAROLD LLOYD COLLECTION

A SAILOR-MADE MAN – 1921 – 47 mins.
GRANDMA’S BOY – 1922 56 mins.
DOCTOR JACK – 1922 – 60 mins.
SAFETY LAST – 1923 – 73 mins.
WHY WORRY? – 1923 63 mins.
GIRL SHY – 1924 – 80 mins
HOT WATER – 1924 – 60 mins.
THE FRESHMAN – 1925 – 76 mins.
FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE – 1926 – 58 mins.
THE KID BROTHER – 1927 – 82 mins.
SPEEDY – 1928 – 86 mins
FEET FIRST – 1930 – 91 mins.
MOVIE CRAZY – 1932 – 96 mins.
THE CAT’S PAW – 1934 102 mins.
THE MILKY WAY – 1936 88 mins.
+ several of the shorts, including: AN EASTERN WESTERNER – 24 MINS;
ASK FATHER – 13 MINS; FROM HAND TO MOUTH – 22 MINS;
BUMPING INTO BROADWAY – 26 MINS; BILLY BLAZES, ESQ – 13 MINS;
NOW OR NEVER – 36 MINS; HIGH AND DIZZY – 26 MINS;
NEVER WEAKEN – 29 MINS; HAUNTED SPOOKS – 25 MINS;
GET OUT AND GET UNDER – 25 MINS; NUMBER PLEASE? – 25 MINS;
AMONG THOSE PRESENT – 35 MINS; I DO – 25 MINS

Commentary tracks on SAFETY LAST!, THE FRESHMAN, THE KID BROTHER, SPEEDY AND HAUNTED SPOOKS.
Featurettes, production galleries, tributes and interviews with peers and other celebs, vintage Harold Lloyd interviews and home movies, Lloyd’s Academy Award speech, 3-D photos shot by Lloyd (glasses provided in box).

There has been some Lloyd material out from Kino (and weirdly, little of it – a collection mainly of shorts – is duplicated here). Now, suddenly, there comes a deluge, and practically his entire feature career is yours in a four volume, seven disc collection, an absolute must if you have any love of silent films, or any love of film comedy. It is one of the great DVD presentations of the year, and although it isn’t presented chronologically, it’s easy enough to view the films in their proper order. (I’ve provided it for you above.) Following are appraisals of several of the features contained herein:

A SAILOR MADE MAN (’21) comes with a lush, at times Chaplinesque score by Robert Israel. It’s a charming film, with everyone being cutely directed. Lloyd’s tough sailor pal has a well-drawn, sympathetic character. His future wife (Mildred Davis) is adorable. Most of the gags are clever, logical, and athletic. The print, while not perfect, is in remarkable condition: apparently Chaplin wasn’t the only one to protect his elements. If you start with this one, you start on the right footing for wading through the upcoming good and less good.

DOCTOR JACK (’22) is a better idea than it is a film. Kind of the PATCH ADAMS of it’s day. It has a sweet first act, as local sawbones Harold uses psychology to improve his patients’ conditions, after which he falls for a girl who’s being mistreated by a pompous, bearded quack. The second half is more pleasant than powerful, and along, athletic gag involving a lunatic-on-the-loose, doesn’t seem properly motivated. A monkey and a dog join in on the fun. And there’s a nice score by Israel.

SAFETY LAST (’23) Carl David is with the orchestra here, and has a more classical approach than Israel’s scores. There is a commentary track by Leonard Malten and Richard Correll, Lloyd’s film curator. Lloyd transferred his films from nitrate to safety stock in the early 50s, and again, from the origninal nitrates, when Corell got involved in the 70s. Despite all this care, it was too late for many of the shorts, the negatives of which were destroyed in a fire in ’43.

‘Limpy’ Bill, a real human fly, inspired Lloyd to create the memorable third act, which was shot first. Wonder why? Did they figure if he fell and killed himself, they’d be out less dough? The climactic sequence shot for two months…and Lloyd was afraid of heights! By the time they were done, he’d gotten used to it. (It was his third film with building climbing.)

The father of film previews, Lloyd began the process at least in 1919, possibly earlier.

11minutes in, on a streetcar, a guy drives up in a car = it’s Fred Newmeyer, one of the film’s directors.

A bonus thrill is the beautiful look we get at Los Angeles in the 20’s, and of rural Culver City.

The scenes in the department store were filmed at night, the way George Romero worked the Monroeville Mall in DAWN OF THE DEAD.

The film is weirdly reflexive: the protagonist is called Harold Lloyd on his paycheck.

It was after this film that Lloyd married Mildred Davis. And just to make sure that no harm came to her in her final film appearance with her future-hub, she had two prop-men holding her ankles during the scene when Lloyd reaches the roof.

WHY WORRY? (’23) has a lively Robert Israel score that borrows from classical music as well as slipping in not only little Chaplinesque quotes, but other little quotes that suggest he is a lover of filmusic in general. I think I even detected a hint of THE GREAT ESCAPE in there somewhere. This film is strangely quiescent, though after the first act it begins to build a reservoir of surrealistic episodes and, in the second half, finally piles on the athletics and fast-moving thrills. Stand-out is a violent giant (Johan Aasen) who gloms onto Lloyd and keeps trying to help him out. The big guy delivers a likeable physical performance, as does Lloyd’s new female costar – Jobyna Ralston – who took over for Mildred Davis after Lloyd married her.

GIRL SHY (’24) Tinted, with a lovely title graphic, and ‘Passed by the National Board of Review’. Although on this film you are offered it, who would want an alternate organ score when you’ve got Robert Israel?!

This is Lloyd’s longest feature yet, at 80 mins. Owned by him from the get-go, not Hal Roach, the quality is a light-year leap forward – so sharp one might think Peter Jackson decided to recreate the silent film look, but missed and made it appear as if it were shot today. The sharpness and rich tones help the story immeasurably. For the first half it’s a casual, clever Lloyd comedy. Then, suddenly, something miraculous happens – it becomes a drama, both actors (Lloyd and Ralston) hit some profoundly effective emotional notes, and Lloyd’s work reaches its zenith – where it would stay for several years. Jobyna Ralston is a delightful leading lady, adorable, unique-looking, good at physical business. I actually found myself watching her at times as much or more than I was keeping track of Lloyd.

The third act has been likened to the ending of THE GRADUATE. I think there’s a valid case here, with Dustin Hoffman’s post-college nerd making the end-run sprint to prevent his true love from marrying the other guy. Lloyd’s dash is far more inventive, far more athletic, and hilarious.

A seventh DVD contains a copious amount of well-ordered ancillary materials. Leonard Maltin is your host, and he instructs you how to navigate around the DVD. There are still galleries, home movies, bios, and also a collection of 3D photographs taken by Lloyd in the 50s (a pair of glasses come with the collection). I’ve seen a book of his 3D work before, and it contained nudes as I recall. There are no nudes here, but there are shots of Marilyn Monroe, as well as sights like the Grand Canyon.

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