Review of Speedy (1928) by Ryan V — 03 Jun 2015

I've never loved Harold Lloyd the way I love Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. I've tried, but his are just missing that certain spark that makes me cry when the Little Tramp is betrayed in The Gold Rush or laugh hysterically when Buster gets caught in a gang fight in The Cameraman.

Still, he's made some great movies, and Speedy is one of them. To start, you can't talk about this movie without mentioned Harold's true partner, New York City. Speedy works just as well as a look back in time as it does a comedy, and anyone who is curious about the big apple during the 20's should put this on their watchlist as soon as possible.

Witnessing Luna Park at night and the stands at Yankee stadium as they really were is worth the price of admission themselves, but my personal favorite part of this time capsule is the Coney Island rides.

Those things were dangerous! Makes you wonder how many were injured riding them, but also at the same time it's hard to not want to ride some. Also we get a true guest appearance, Babe Ruth as himself, who learns that when you tell a cab to go fast, they go fast the hard way.

All of this would make Speedy fun to watch even if it wasn't funny, but thankfully it's that too. Instead of a straight forward plot Speedy has basically a series of two reel shorts, and with that helps bring out Harold Lloyd's best straight up comedy to the surface.

There's plenty of great moments here, from the previously mentioned Babe Ruth cab ride to a battle between gangs and ex-Civil War soldiers, there's never a dull moment. Also Speedy is thankfully lacking in the "thinks other are laughing with him, but are actually laughing at him" gags that bring down some other Harold Lloyd films, especially The Freshman.

These jokes can be funny, but usually make you feel bad for whoever is at the end of them, so the absence of them here is welcome, as there's no doubt they would slow down the laughter. In the end, while it's not like one of Chaplin's or Keaton's masterpieces, Speedy is still a silent film that's worthy of the praise, and the dual role of historical piece and comedy make it a unique classic that shouldn't be missed.