Harold Lloyd

One of the good things in living in Weimar is that Richard Siedhoff is living there, too. He is a local silent film pianist and organises often film experiences, where he plays the piano for the soundtrack. I especially love the silent comedies of Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, but they are very seldom showed in any movie theater.

My first memories of Harold Lloyd are from the mid-80s. My uncle had taped the Time-Life series of Lloyd's comedies on VHSs and we always watched them while visiting him. I still remember well the funny narrator and breath-taking scenes of running, climbing, chasing, etc. etc. I loved those video cassettes, but unfortunately my uncle lost them when he moved to another place. They are not available anywhere, especially not with the Finnish narrator voice. :(

Still, I jumped to the chance to see Harold Lloyd film in a movie theater, so of course I was there, when Siedhoff played "The Kid Brother" last Sunday. It was awesome. Before, I also saw Buster Keaton's short films in the same way played by him. Such a nice experience, especially since the films are not digitalised, meaning that the experience is perfect with the sounds of the analogue projector humming in the background. Absolutely lovely. (I also changed my handy ringtone into the "Hooray for Harold Lloyd" version of the intro from those Time-Life series. Now I always need to smile when it rings.)