O Milionário Gaiato

This is one of Harold Lloyd's least-known films and, consequently, perhaps his most underrated feature; I was first made aware of this factor by Leonard Maltin's awarding it the full **** rating in his Film Guide and, ever since that time, I've been pining to catch up with it!

Now that I've watched it for myself, I can say that the film is an undoubted classic (certainly among Lloyd's best work) and the only reason that I didn't quite go all the way with my own rating is the fact that, even for its brief 58-minute running-time, the plot line is somewhat thin:

Harold is a millionaire who becomes the unwitting benefactor of a modest mission; believing himself to have been conned into such a position, he determines to put a stop to it - that is, until he meets and falls for pretty missionary's daughter Jobyna Ralston. Then, he resolves to attract customers to the joint - which, considering that the neighborhood is filled with tough guys and gangsters, this will take considerable resource on his part. Nevertheless, he succeeds and the men eventually become fond of him so that, when Lloyd's impending marriage to Ralston is announced in the papers and his rich society-pals decide to 'save' him from such a fate, the gang take action to bring the couple back together again.

While clearly reminiscent of what is perhaps Charlie Chaplin's greatest short, EASY STREET (1917), the film's level of gags and the star's typical ingenuity is extremely high - with only the gangsters' drunken havoc during its last third overstaying its welcome; this section, however, leads to one of Lloyd's most hair-raising stunts - actually inspired by similar scenes in both GET OUT AND GET UNDER (1920) and GIRL SHY (1924) - as a double-decker bus (with atop it the star and his 'flock') races driverless along busy city streets on its way to Harold's wedding. Other hilarious highlights include: the early destruction of two cars owned by our reckless hero - the first happens because of a crate of cat food in the middle of the street, which the black chauffeur mistakes for the real thing and tries to avoid but ends up slamming straight into another car, while the second contrives to run out of gas on a railway track and is summarily scuttled by an oncoming train; as well as another re-used (this time from GRANDMA'S BOY [1922]) but undeniably irresistible routine involving the indigestible 'cakes' which Lloyd is made to eat by his beloved at the mission.

"For Heaven's Sake" was double-billed with "Grandma's Boy" on Turner Classic Movies' Silent Sunday, 12 July 2015, and it was a glorious pairing.

Harold Lloyd was working with Hal Roach for "GB" and was independent "For Heaven's Sake."

The first was, and was intended to be, more of a character study, as the alleged experts call it, while the second was more of a purely gag-filled romp.

"Sake" also had Lloyd's loveliest -- in my opinion -- co-star in the Tennessee girl, Jobyna Ralston, of South Pittsburg. (Some of her family is still there. I've tried, unsuccessfully, to talk the lifeless chamber of commerce into having a Jobyna Ralston film festival. It's a sad town but in a beautiful part of the country, not too far from Chattanooga. South Pittsburg is the home of the Cornbread Festival, featuring the Lodge iron skillets.)

"For Heaven's Sake" also has some wonderful stunts, with Lloyd's frequent foil Noah Young performing yeoman work, as do several excellent stunt performers.

It is, after all, Harold Lloyd, so you know there will be athletic performances and great sight gags, but the directing is quite an eye-opener, too, with that moving camera referred to in this review's title.

Both these films intrigued and delighted me with the moving camera, visually quite fascinating and very inventive and clever.

There is more story here than some supposed experts and even some reviewers here admit to and, combined with the sight humor, they make this a great movie, one I highly recommend.

I saw this film at the Silent Movie Theater when I was in Los Angeles last summer. It was my first Lloyd. Three quarters of the film was as funny as any Buster Keaton film I've ever seen, and funnier than any Chaplin. I tend to be more of a smiler than a laugh-out-louder, but the first chase scene in this film gave me abdominal cramps. It brought the house down. I don't think I've ever heard such raucous laughter in a movie theater before. It was a great, great chase scene. And it was a great experience being in a theater packed with people, even little kids, fully enjoying a 75+ year old film.

I've since seen two more Lloyd features, Hot Water and Speedy, but For Heaven's Sake is my favorite so far. If it weren't for a long and kinda unfunny sequence toward the late middle of the film, with Harold herding a pack of drunks, it would probably be my favorite silent comedy, period--my current favorite is Keaton's The Cameraman, incidentally.

The announcer guy at the theater claimed the print of For Heaven's Sake they were screening was the only one in existence. I don't know if it was an original nitrate print or what. I think I remember that it looked fairly pristine. I hope the film makes it to DVD soon, lest something unfortunate happen to the print, especially if they're going to take chances screening it publicly.

Callous millionaire playboy Harold Manners (Harold Lloyd) mistakenly burns down street preacher Brother Paul's coffee cart for the poor. He overpays a $1000 cheque and Paul builds a mission in his name. Harold's horrified to find his name associated with the do-gooder and intends to take down his name. Instead he falls for Paul's daughter Downtown Girl Hope and works to win her heart by creating a thriving mission. When their marriage is announced, his rich friends from the old days kidnap him for his own good.

The train running over his car is hilarious. Lloyd's unflinching deadpan delivery absolutely sells it. There are great comedy bits throughout. The romance isn't that bad either although it's pretty straight forward. There are a few big stunts but nothing as iconic as his building climb. The bus ride during the climax is impressive at times. This is good fun.

This lesser-known Harold Lloyd silent gem takes a very slight story and uses it as the basis for some entertaining and resourceful comedy. Noah Young also has a good role that gives him a more interesting character than he usually gets to play, and he gets some good moments of his own. The plot is fluffier than usual for a Lloyd feature, but the script is quite creative in using it for some sequences of classic Lloyd-style slapstick.

The setup has Lloyd as the kind of lackadaisical millionaire that he portrayed so well. His character accidentally donates the money to set up an inner-city mission, and becomes involved with the mission and with Jobyna Ralston, whose father runs it. There are a few slow stretches that are needed to advance the plot, but the story doesn't really ever try to carry the movie, leaving that instead to the imaginative comedy sequences.

This has the kind of madcap finale that characterized so many of Lloyd's movies, an interesting and entertaining variant on the race-against-time idea. But the best part of the movie actually comes earlier, when Lloyd's character sets out to round up the neighborhood roughnecks, followed by the scene of them suddenly finding themselves in the mission, and then Young, as the biggest of the bullies, confronting Lloyd. Three very funny sequences in a row, and they are pieced together with barely a pause.

Even by Lloyd's standards, this feature has some very good material. It's almost as good as the likes of "Safety Last", "The Kid Brother", and the rest of his very best movies.