Harold Lloyd (2005)

''It's not fair to watch these films alone,'' says Leonard Maltin in a commentary track for Safety Last!, pointing out how contemporary audiences still collapse in paroxysms of laughter and screams during the brilliant skyscraper-climbing sequence where Lloyd iconically hangs from that high-rise Timex. But some fans of these riotous silents have passed away waiting for them to debut on DVD. At least now that the deal is done, the estate isn't wasting any time with a slow rollout: The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection is a seven-disc set including 15 features and 13 shorts, plus an additional four-plus hours of archival and documentary footage. Lloyd's can-do, Everyman approach — shy guy rises to occasion and gets girl, following a climactic half hour or so of breathtaking stunt work — has long stood in the shadow of the more melancholy Chaplin or Keaton. But we promise you won't miss the pathos: His best films, all here, are as joyous as any secular experience gets.

EXTRAS Just call this spectacular set Brevity Last! The fun includes commentaries and alternate scores for a few features, old home movies, speeches Lloyd gave at the Oscars and USC, video bios of every major costar, and a pair of glasses — not replicas of Lloyd's own lensless specs, but red-and-blue ones, for appreciating his offscreen hobby, 3-D photography.

You Might Also Like

• Review Slapstick Figures | Chris Willman
• News + Notes The Deal Report | Gregory Kirschling
• Pop Culture News CLONE ENCOUNTERS
• DVD Review Be Kind Rewind (Jun 17, 2008) | Kerrie Mitchell
• DVD Review In Bruges (Jun 24, 2008) | Clark Collis