4/5 The evolution of a character
  by Anyechka (Rensselaer, NY United States)
This two-disc set contains four one-reelers, two two-reelers, and four three-reelers, dating from 1918 to 1921. While I've always preferred Harold's later features and three-reelers because they have more polish, sophistication, maturity, and development than his earlier one- and two-reelers, I have to admit that his early films from the Teens have a special charm and sweetness to them. They might not have as much plot and character development as his later works, but it's always fascinating to see how a comedian such as Harold developed, both as a performer and character-wise. And there is a marked difference between the first few one-reelers and the final three-reelers, showing a lot of growth in just those few years. It's also great to see the very natural interplay between Harold and his original leading lady Bebe Daniels, who were romantically involved in real life at the time. They were really one of the great screen couples of early film. 'Captain Kidd's Kids' even has a kind of bittersweet feel to it, knowing that this was his last time with Bebe as his leading lady. (The six shorts on the first disc are also notable for dating from before the accident that almost claimed his life, and to be able to see him with two full hands instead of wearing a prosthetic glove over his right hand.)

With the four three-reelers on the second disc ('High and Dizzy,' 'Never Weaken,' 'Now or Never,' and 'Among Those Present'), there's more time to develop a full story and to explore Harold's screen persona, instead of having to wrap everything up in only a reel or two. We start to see more mature stories and plots, and, since they have longer running times, a lot more gags. 'High and Dizzy' and 'Never Weaken' are also among his first thrill comedies, harbingers of what was to come in 'Safety Last!' Once Harold really hit his stride and fully came into his own, he just got better and better, and never really made a bad film, just ones that weren't as top-notch as others.

As wonderful as the films on here are, both entertainment-wise and for historical reasons, however, I do have to agree that the timing of this release was rather poorly-planned. It was released only two months before the seven-disc boxed set containing all of Harold's silent features, his best talkies, all of his three-reelers, and a number of his earlier shorts. Hence, there is partial overlap between the two sets; the only films on this set which aren't included on the boxed set are the five early shorts, 'Two-Gun Gussie,' 'The City Slicker,' 'The Non-Stop Kid,' 'Ring Up the Curtain,' and 'Captain Kidd's Kids.' Given the choice between the two, it seems obvious that the average person will be more likely to go for the boxed set instead of the two-disc collection. Perhaps if half of the material hadn't been duplicated, fans would be more likely to want both.

5/5 Treasure Trove of Wonderful Visual Humor
  by Robert Morris (San Francisco)
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.

5/5 More Harold Lloyd, at last!
  by Barbara Burkowsky (Manly, NSW Australia)
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.




4/5 From slapstick to comedy
  by Francois Massarelli (La Roche Sur Yon, France)
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.

5/5 Great old films with brand-new music
  by Donald Sosin (Lakeville, CT USA)
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.