Customer Reviews

Smiles & Spectacles - The Harold Lloyd Treasury

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Since 2005, the films of Harold Lloyd have been available on DVD. This new release offers five titles not available on any prior DVD release. They are ALL ABOARD (1917), A SAMMY IN SIBERIA (1919), DON'T SHOVE (1919), DOG'S OF WAR (1923), and CHARACTER STUDIES (1927). The print quality here is good. The only quibble is the constant use of the same music of an anonymous source throughout all five discs. The comedy, joy, and heart of these films, as well as the craftsmanship of the filmmaking easily overcomes the weakness of the score. The chance to see Harold in the five features mentioned above is the best reason to add this to any Harold Lloyd collection. Watching the previously released films,along with these new ones, is still a joyous experience. I would love to find out if Harold is the inspiration for classic animation like the Roadrunner cartoon character. Watch his entrance in NOW OR NEVER and you may see what I mean. And his pounding heart in the same film reminds me of an early Mickey Mouse cartoon. This set increases my interest and admiration for this long lost master of comedy. The range of comedic situations and the range of characters he finds to play in his horn-rimmed glasses is dazzling. I look forward to more releases of his early films nnd DVD releases of WELCOME DANGER, PROFESSOR BEWARE, and a hopefully restored THE SIN OF HAROLD DIDDLEBOCK. I hope the spotlight returns to shine on Harold with more releases and much more scholarly appreciation of the work of a very original and gifted actor.

Those who are unfamiliar with the prodigious physical talents of Harold Lloyd are heartily advised to buy this low-priced treasure trove of genuinely hilarious slapstick comedy. I won't duplicate the efforts of others who have reviewed this set by listing the contents, I'll just give you my feel on things.

Harold Lloyd's characters are always likable, gentlemanly and physically quite durable. Perhaps he was the prototype for the nerdy guy who gets the girl but almost gets maimed or crippled in the process (actually Harold is probably the only guy who could pull off such a character and not look ridiculous.)

Now, having said that... This anthology is terrific. The selection of films includes many shorts not available on the recently released Harold Lloyd Comedy collections and these films will leave you dumbfounded (How did the man who did all these stunts live make it to old age?!)

Fans of Mr. Lloyd already know that he blew off his right thumb and index finger in a photo-shoot mishap in 1919, which was before his career "took off". I am still amazed at all Harold accomplished with such a handicap. One of the early shorts shows him at odds with a typewriter while another has him playing a piano; later he would use "doubles" for hand scenes. Since Harold wore a flesh-coloured glove afterwards to hide his injury, I had never seen him with two whole hands until purchasing this 5 DVD set.

I bought this set 'new' on Amazon for under $14 so it is an inexpensive introduction to superlative slapstick comedy. I laughed out loud at some of the gags which were likely already old in 1919 but, THEY ARE STILL FUNNY TODAY.

Trust me; I'm not a politician.

I couldn't wait to get this set. I think Harold Lloyd is a true genius and this set provides you with the chance to view some rare & early Harold Lloyd films. Some great stuff with Bebe Daniels and Snub Pollard and later with Mildred Harris. My favorite so far is: Are Crooks Dishonest? (1918).

If you're looking for an inexpensive way to view some early shorts, this is it. Passport has some nice quality prints here but my one minor complaint is a persistent logo in the bottom right hand corner of the screen saying "Smiles & Spectacles - The Harold Lloyd Treasury". It's a very faded/pale logo and is really only noticeable when the screen shows black or dark areas. A small price to pay for viewing some great early HL shorts. I would definitely recommend this set as a supplement to the 2 Kino Harold Lloyd DVDs and the Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection.

Worth the price!

The price is great! But if you already own the two Kino DVDs
The Harold Lloyd Collection, Vol. 1 (Slapstick Symposium)
The Harold Lloyd Collection, Vol. 2 (Slapstick Symposium)
and the three New Line DVDs
The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection Vols. 1-3
(nicely restored I might say), and the Our Gang DVDs with DOGS OF WAR,
The Little Rascals - Bear Shooters / Waldo's Last Stand / Dogs of War!
The Little Rascals 4 Pack DVD Set (Bears Shooters/Waldo's Lst Stand/Dogs of War/The Pooch,/Arbor Day/Derby Day/Little Papa/Dogs is Dogs/Sprucin' Up/Hook and Ladder/Hi Neighbor/Sundown Ltd.)
And the Sin of Harold Diddlebock DVDs:
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
Sin of Harold Diddlebock
The Sin of Harold Diddlebook

then there are only three reasons to buy this set:

ALL ABOARD (1917)
A SAMMY IN SIBERIA (1919)
DON'T SHOVE (1919)

The other 20 films have already appeared on DVD, most have been restored.

With only a handful of feature films available on both video and DVD in my country(Japan)AI envy US Harold Lloyd(HL) fans who can enjoy the
access to many more of HL films,shorts or long ones.

I recommend this product for below reasons:
This collection,as the other reviewers have already metioned, is reasonably priced and what's more, contains some bonus features that were not presented by the trust's comedy collection.
The image quality is in general good.

I can say this collection is a must for HL fans, however, I can't possibly give 5 stars to this for below reasons:
With the trust's comedy collection already on my shelf, most of the films that this collection features are already available on the one I mentioned at the beginning and only a handful of the features entertained me refreshingly.
While trust's version has commissioned the two noted composers to produce music for each feature, this collection uses the same piano-played music for different shorts and the piano music is not played to fit each scenes so sounds very monotonous.

In conclusion, the existence of the trust's comedy collection makes its competitors at present seem inferior.
However even if you are already the owner of it, this collection as I mentioned is still worth buying for the several features that it exclusively presents.

I wish to finish my review with one request as a HL fan: I'd really love to see a DVD box that includes HL's first talkie WELCOME DANGER and PROFESSOR BEWARE, the last film in the period where Harold worked at the regular intervals: one film every two years(In the 30s).

I bought this set because it was cheaper. What a great deal getting 10 hrs of pure fun for $15!!. Harold Lloyd grew on me overnight. Of course you must see "Safety First" but supplement that by renting it from Netflix. Good clean fun for all ages and nationalities. It is relaxing not listening to voice and focusing on body language. I like Harold better than Chaplain and Keaton because he is always such the consummate gentleman.

I love silent comedies and Harold Lloyd is one i've yet to watch. I got this set cheap and was very pleased with the picture quality. The Sin of Harold Diddlebock is probably the funniest film i've seen in a very long time, espeically love when he takes his first drink. I honestly didnt know the name of the set appears in the lower corner if I didnt read a reviewer say it. Actually, it doesnt appear on discs 2 or 3. A must have set for comedy lovers.

I like Harold Lloyd, and this DVD has some very good material. However, the cover shows a scene from Safety Last (where he is hanging from the clock) and that movie is not part of this 5-DVD set.

this set is fair;it gives you someone other than chaplin to enjoy/hate.chaplin is still the king of the silent film comedy era.that's not to say lloyd isn't good;he is.it's just that chaplin had a different approach/style that translated better into laughs.