Harold Lloyd: The Definitive Collection [DVD]

If you mention silent film comedians today, most people will immediately think of Charlie Chaplin, closely followed by Buster Keaton. But in the 1920's there was a third big name who was commercially more successful than either - the wonderful Harold Lloyd. Unfortunately Lloyd kept a very tight reign on the distribution rights for his films, fearing that improper useage would impair his reputation. This meant that whilst Keaton and Chaplin films were freely available long after their filmmaking days had ended, keeping their names alive in the public conscious, the initially successful Harold Lloyd started to drop right off the radar. Which is a shame as he was wonderfully talented and made some absolutely hilarious films with his brand of physical and visual comedy. Not as depressing as Chaplin, or slapstick as Keaton he had a style all of his own which had more of a classy, intelligent feel to it. Like most other people here I discovered Lloyd through a television series in the late `80s, during my school holidays. They were a revelation, and I wanted to see more. But they were never repeated, and there were no video releases that I could find. There have been some sporadic DVD releases, but never anything that has done the man and his art justice. They often had odd music, bad restoration, incorrect running speeds and cropping that really made Lloyds fears about poor representation of his work seem justified. Now, finally, this magnificent set has been produced. Overseen by Suzanne Lloyd, Harold's granddaughter, it is a marvel. It contains, I think, all of Lloyd's surviving silent films (sadly many were lost in a fire at his house in 1943) and five of his seven talkies. The films are listed in other reviews which I will not repeat. The restoration on each is a wonder to behold. The image on some seems so sharp and clear it looks as though it was filmed yesterday. The usual annoying jumps, jerks and blemishes have been taken out, and the films run at their correct speed. Added to this are the sympathetic scores from Carl Davis and Robert Israel. Much care has been taken with each score to match the mood and pace of the action on screen, and these really do add immeasurably to the viewing enjoyment. The 29 films are presented on 9 discs in slimline cases, all held in a sturdy card slipcase. There is a wealth of extras on the discs, commentaries, documentaries and the like which I have not had a chance to view yet. An added bonus is in the case of disc one - 6 prints of photos of Marilyn Monroe taken by Lloyd, who was a keen photographer. This is an excellent set, and one that finally does the great man justice. 5 stars, no hesitation.

When I was a kid there used to be 20 minute compilations of Harold LLoyd movies...on BBC2 I think. I remember them cropping up during school holidays. Maybe you remember them too? "Hooray for Harold Lloyd!" went the memorable theme tune. Although looking back, I don't think I had a proper appreciation of the talent on show, I really do remember enjoying these short programmes of clips. So much so, that Lloyd's name and image stayed with me from those days (20+ years ago). From time to time over more recent years I have logged into Amazon and other sites on the off-chance of finding his material on DVD. Having read the rave reviews of the American release of this collection I looked forward to the British release. In the meantime I bought Jeffrey Vance's book (which is outstandingly good). My appetite well and truly whetted, I pre-ordered this collection. Imagine my frustration when the release was put back from May to July! Anyway, it was worth the wait! Having already accumulated knowledge about Harold Lloyd (through the afformentioned book) I have begun to properly discover the immense talent within this fascinating man. The films contained in this collection are not all great, but all are enjoyable. The Freshman, Speedy, Girl Shy, Grandma's Boy, Safety Last, The Kid Brother, Dr. Jack...I could go on but his best features stand comparison with anything produced then or since. The sight gags and visual humour are absolutley timeless in my opinion and you will laugh out-loud, believe me. The shorts move at a generally quicker pace and contain some wonderful sequences. The features appear to me to have been very carefully crafted and many allow space for Lloyd to develop character elements very satisfyingly. Lloyd was a good actor and arguably more versatile than his contemporaries; his "glasses" character allowed him great freedom and his characters appear natural within their stroylines. Having now read lots about Lloyd I think it is fair to say he was not a "funny man" as such. I think his contribution transcended a particular role or function; everything was agreed and approved by him; ownership of the films was his; the risks were his own, as were the rewards. The extra features in this collection are all worthwhile...some of the home movies are delightful. Harold Lloyd emerges, in my opinion, as a great and interesting man, clearly loved by those that knew him. Technically, the films here are somewhat variable; picture quality is never anything less than acceptable and is often exteremely good. The music works very well indeed and complements the images rather than distracting from them. I cannot recommend this collection highly enough. I think informed opinion now places him amongst the ranks of the very best film-makers. To understand why, buy this box-set! Thanks for reading.

Harold Lloyd war das dritte Genie der Stummfilm-Ära. Er muss in einem Atemzug mit Charlie Chaplin und Buster Keaton genannt werden. Die Generation Ü30 wird sich erinnern, wie anfangs der 80er Jahre einige Harold Lloyd-Klassiker im Fernsehen liefen. Wer ihn einmal sah, muss ihn in sein Herz geschlossen haben. Leider war der Großteil seiner Spielfilme bis jetzt nicht auf DVD, geschweige denn VHS erhältlich. Diese Lücke schließt nun endlich (!) diese Kollektion als 9 DVD-Boxset. Sie lässt das Herz eines jeden Harold Lloyd- und Stummfilm-Fans höher schlagen. Im wahrsten Sinne, denn man vermisst nicht Lloyds Atem-beraubende Hochhaus-Klassiker, die ihm Unsterblichkeit verliehen, allen voran Safety Last!, worin Lloyd an der Uhr hängt. Des Weiteren sind die Schwindel-erregenden Klassiker Feet First (Tonfilm, 1930, in der langen, 90-minütigen Version), High and Dizzy (Kurzfilm, 1920) und Never weaken (Kurzfilm, 1921) enthalten. Einfach herrlich wie Lloyd nach dem Blick in die Tiefe die Haare zu Berge stehen. Lloyd war ein ausgereifter und vielseitiger Slapstick-Komiker mit ganz vielen Facetten und Einfällen, wovon die weiteren langen Stummfilme zeugen: A sailor made man (1921), Grandmas boy (1922), Dr. Jack (1922), Why worry (1923), Girl shy (1924), Hot water (1924), The freshman (1925), For heavens sake (1926), The kid brother (1927) und Speedy (1928). Nicht weniger innovativ agierte Lloyd in seinen Tonfilmen, wie dem hier zum ersten Mal erhältlichen Welcome danger (1929). Weitere Tonfilme im englischen Original sind Movie crazy (1932), The cats paw (1934) und The milky way (1936). Folgende kurzen Stummfilme runden die Zusammenstellung ab: From hand to mouth (1919), Billy Blazes, Esq. (1919), Ask father (1919), Bumping into Broadway (1919), An eastern westerner (1920), Get out and get under (1920), Haunted spooks (1920), Number please? (1920), Among those present (1921), I do (1921) und Now or never (1921). Diese 29 Filme, davon also 16 der 18 abendfüllenden Filme Lloyds (bis auf die beiden letzten weniger erfolgreichen Tonfilme), werden ergänzt durch viele Special Features (Programmzugaben) wie z.B. Audiokommentar während fünf Stummfilmen (Safety Last!, The kid brother, The freshman, Speedy, Haunted spooks), Kurzfilme aus Lloyds Privat- und Familienleben, ausführliche Biographie Lloyds, Kurzbiographien von Schauspielkollegen, Regisseuren etc. und vieles, vieles mehr. Alles in allem handelt es sich bei diesen mehr als 1700 Minuten (über 29 Stunden) um eine Wahnsinns-Zusammenstellung und zu Recht um DIE Definitive Collection in exzellenter Ton- und Bildqualität bei allerbestem Preis/Leistungsverhältnis!! Man kann, einmal durchgeschaut, gerade wieder von vorne anfangen. Besser und in spannenderer Erwartung habe ich DVDs noch nicht gekauft!!! - Danke und Respekt den Machern und Herausgebern, Danke Harold Lloyd.

Le coffret comporte les films les plus connus et les plus drôles de Harold LLOYD, impossible de s'ennuyer, rires garantis!