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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

HOT WATER (1924)

Received wisdom on Harold Lloyd, the third great silent film comedian, holds that his ambitious, ‘Good American’ character is too far removed from modern tastes for his work to hold the appeal it once had. A more likely explanation is the emphasis on his famous ‘thrill’ comedies (especially SAFETY LAST) which use too much of their running time setting up a narrative contrivance to put Harold in harm’s way. If only films as finely built & characterized as THE KID BROTHER, as nutty as WHY WORRY? or a dyspeptically funny & refreshingly mean-spirited as this minor gem were equally celebrated, Lloyd might be given all due props. HOT WATER is really three two-reelers lined up to play as a single domestic sit-com: #1 - Harold takes a trolley home with the groceries; #2 - Harold takes the family out in his brand new car; #3 - Harold thinks he’s poisoned his mother-in-law. Part one is a particular glory and it’s a lot of fun to see Lloyd handle a character role you’d have thought more suited for W. C. Fields or John Cleese.

NOTE: Look for the officially approved Lloyd Family Estate DVD edition (originally on New Line) for the best picture source, score and remastering.

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