Search - The Harold Lloyd Collection, Vol. 2 (Slapstick Symposium) on DVD

Treasure Trove of Wonderful Visual Humor

Robert Morris | San Francisco | 01/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This two volume collection of Harold Lloyd shorts and "short features" (made between 1918 and 1921, just prior to his shift to full feature length movies) illustrates the emergence of the comedian as a highly original and major creative force, equaling, if not surpassing, the skills of Chaplin and Keaton. Indeed many of the gags or situations in these films suggest those that would later be used by the other two. There was no doubt a great deal of mutual cross-fertilization among the 3 comic greats during this period, as each refines and builds upon the gags introduced by the others. Still, one cannot escape the impression that it was Lloyd that during this period was the most prolific creator of new comic ideas. In From Hand to Mouth (1921), for example, there are scenes that suggest Chaplin's The Kid (Homeless Harold befriends an equally homeless waif) and Keaton's Cops (Harold is chased by a large numbers of cops).

None of the films in the collection stand out among the others as being far superior in quality; they all are consistently entertaining, fun to watch and instructive to fans of Lloyd's more mature features of the later 1920s, insofar as they show the hard work that went into refining and perfecting the stories, the "glasses" character, and the visual timing of the gags. The earlier character, as illustrated in the one-reeler The City Slicker (1918) tends to be more outwardly brash and self-confident, as his character sets out to modernize a rural hotel whose lobby is occupied mostly by elderly locals. He flirts with Bebe Daniels, his love interest, by snuggling up next to her on the front desk as she is registering. There are many amusing sight gags (also suggesting Keaton) including an push-buttoned hotel room.

By 1921, in High and Dizzy and Never Weaken, Lloyd starts to develop the daredevil-based humor that was to be perfected in Safety Last. His glasses character also starts to become more complex, less self-confident, more shy and full of personal frailties that need to be overcome by his stubborn determination in order to win his beloved Mildred. The visual gags also are less slapstick-based and more purely visual -- for example, the disguises Harold the doctor dons in High and Dizzy to convince his lone patient that he is successful are absurdly funny. By the time of Among Those Present (1921) the visual humor has been refined to social satire, as Harold's character demonstrates that the clueless upper crust can be easily conned by a clever impostor. The main highlight is Harold's telling of increasing absurd hunting stories, involving foxes, bears and lions, as he becomes increasingly drunk on the host's wine. By the time of Now or Never, the latest film in the collection, Harold has clearly graduated to feature length stories that develop plot and character.

This collection is a treasure trove of wonderful visual humor, and a glimpse into the comedy laboratory in which Harold Lloyd refined his genius."