Luke
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CibbuanoThe great comedian, Harold Lloyd
January 1st 2007 01:08
Harold Lloyd clip - click to watch.
Along with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd is considered one of the greatest comics of the silent era. With his trademark boater and spectacles, he comes across a somewhat more wacky version of Buster Keaton.
In the five minute film clip above you'll see a brief documentary that talks about his genius and derring-do. To most, Harold Lloyd will be recognisable as the man in the iconic silent era film-sequence that shows a man hanging from a clock face high above a busy city. It's a shot that's been referenced and paid homage to in many films, including one of two of those starring Jackie Chan, and the film is called 'Saftey Last' (1923).
Lloyd wasn't as relentlessly daring as Buster Keaton, but for a few of his films he achieved some amazing and fearless stuntwork that would be near impossible to match in the more safety-conscious world of films today.
Lloyd started work as a film extra in 1913, and initially created and played a Charlie Chaplin-Tramp knock off character called 'Lonesome Luke'. In 1917 he discarded this character for the bespectacled image he is now always associated with, and this style lasted him until the end of the silent era.
The advent of talkies didn't bode well for Lloyd's broad and physically-dependent comedy, and by the late 30s his film career was all but over. In 1947 he had one last hurrah with 'The Sin of Harry Diddleback', but the slapstick was wasted on an audience who now considered themselves too sophisticated for such humour. Lloyd pursued his interests in photography when his film career waned, and he received an honorary Oscar in 1953.
Whilst not as famous as Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton, Lloyd remains hugely respected by the film industry and it's critics, and along with these two aforementioned peers he is often considered as one of the three great silent era comedians.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I am alway surprised this comedy pioneer isnt recognized more in the public eye.
I admire the salutes and stunt recreations Jackie Chan has done to the legend in his films.
happy new year netbuddy.
Comment by Luke
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
and
happy new year johndoe!