Film Forum Celebrates Harold Lloyd: Saint of Silent Slapstick

Details

Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Monday, 20 August 2012 14:41

Written by Renzo Adler

Ah, the silent era. A time in cinema when a total disregard for personal safety meant that you were trying to pull off a really good gag, and not starve yourself so you’ll look good in tight clothes. August 27 to November 5, 2012 the Film Forum (209 W Houston Street, between 6th Avenue & Varick) will pay tribute to that era with a film festival featuring the bespectacled savant of slapstick, Harold Lloyd.  A weekly festival, each Monday (and select Sundays) a different film starring the “third genius” of silet comedy (after Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton) will be screened along with live piano accompaniment by Steve Sterner and shown on gorgeous 35mm.

There will also be several guest speakers and special screenings. On August 27, Harold’s granddaughter, Suzanne Lloyd, will introduce the festival’s opening night film, Hot Water. On October 21 and 22, author of Silent Visions, John Bengston, will introduce screenings of the 1928 film, Speedy, which was shot on location in New York City and crams in everything from a chase through the Washington Sq. Arch to a guest appearance by Babe Ruth. Bengston will explain how Lloyd’s film inadvertently became a time capsule for a bygone New York.

The films being shown are:

• Hot Water (1924) 
• Movie Crazy (1932) 
• Safety Last (1923) 
• Grandma's Boy (1922) 
• Why Worry? (1923) 
• For Heaven's Sake (1926) 
• Safety Last (1923) 
• The Freshman (1925) 
• Dr. Jack (1922) 
• Speedy (1924) 
• The Kid Brother (1927) 
• Girl Shy (1924) 

A sublime fusion of comedic chaos and impeccable timing, Harold Lloyd’s films represent a truly unique era in American cinema history with repercussions felt in every pie-in-the-face, pratfall, car chase, and farce committed to celluloid since.

To learn more, go to http://www.filmforum.org/

Harold Lloyd Festival
August 27 – November 5, 2012

The Film Forum
209 W Houston St.
New York, NY 11220

• < Prev
• Next >