Speedy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		5.0

Speedy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 21, 2015

Ted Wilde's "Speedy" (1928) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include new audio commentary with Bruce Goldstein, director of repertory programming at New York's Film Forum, and Scott McGee, director of program production at Turner Classic Movies; selection of rare archival footage of baseball legend Babe Ruth; the documentary "In the Footsteps of Speedy"; and a lot more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring Phillip Lopate's essay "The Comic Figure of the Average Man". Region-A "locked".

One legend to another: "If I ever want to commit suicide I'll call you"

Harold Lloyd’s final silent film, Speedy, may well be one of the greatest silent action comedies. This isn’t an exaggeration. The chase sequences from the film’s final act have to be seen to be believed.

Lloyd plays the title character who can’t figure out a way to keep a job -- no matter how much he tries to please the people who hire him he always disappoints them and they promptly fire him. Nevertheless, he takes good care of his beautiful girlfriend, Jane (Ann Christy), whom he intends to marry.

Speedy’s life is dramatically altered when a shady businessman attempts to buy out Jane’s grandfather, Pop (Bert Woodruff), who is the owner of the last horse car in New York. When Pop refuses to sell it, the businessman gathers a few local bullies and vows to destroy him. But Speedy intervenes and much to the delight of his girlfriend makes sure that Pop gets a big fat check which would allow him to retire as a wealthy man.

Directed by Ted Wilde in 1928, Speedy is a film with seemingly endless energy. It literally never slows down. Almost immediately after Lloyd’s “Glasses Character” appears in front of the camera the film switches into hyper-drive mode and stays that way until the finale where the ecstatic crowds surround the badly damaged horse cart.

Lloyd is undoubtedly the biggest star in the film -- but not the only one. During the second act there is a hilarious episode featuring Babe Ruth, arguably the most celebrated player in American baseball history. After he gives signed baseballs to some of his young fans at the City Orphan Asylum on First Avenue, the legend gets into Speedy’s taxi and asks that he drives him to Yankee Stadium. The two barely get there alive – not surprising considering the hellish traffic and Speedy’s terrible driving skills – but the Babe still invites Speedy to get in with him and see the afternoon game.

The other big star is New York City itself. Indeed, despite the fact that different parts of the film were actually shot in LA -- though as Bruce Goldstein, director of repertory programming at New York's Film Forum and founder of Rialto Pictures, mentions in a new featurette included on this release only a few seasoned New Yorkers would likely be able to tell -- the film offers a truly fascinating glimpse into the heart of this magnificent place. Especially during the final act there are all sorts of excellent panoramic shots that truly seem to capture what must have been the energy and rhythm of life in the city during the early 1920s.

Wilde shot the film with Lloyd’s long-time cinematographer Walter Lundin (Safety Last!, The Freshman). He used Kodak's Panchromatic film stock which allowed him to better capture shiftiness in light and a wider range of nuances.

The new 4K restoration of the film is presented with a music score by Carl Davis which was completed in 1992. The score was also restored and synchronized under Davis’ supervision.

Speedy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 and granted a 1080p transfer, Ted Wilde's Speedy arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Scanity film scanner from a safety fine-grain master positive deposited at the UCLA Film & Television Archive by the Harold Lloyd estate; certain insert segments were scanned in 4K from the archive's preservation negative. The film was restored at Digital Film in Burbank, California.

Transfer supervisors: Russell Smith, Richard Correll.
Colorist: Sheri Eisenberg/Colorworks, Culver City, CA.
4K scanning: Colorworks; Modern VideoFilm, Burbank, CA.
Digital restoration: Digital Film Restore: Burbank."

There are some minor density fluctuations but depth ranges from very good to excellent, while clarity is as good as one could expect it to be for given the elements that were available to scan. In fact, plenty of the panoramic footage reveals makes it rather easy to identity small but crucial details that reveal exactly where various sequences were shot. (While the film is set in New York City, different parts were actually shot in LA). Generally speaking, contrast levels remain stable. Even the inserts appear wonderfully balanced and there are no distracting shifts in quality. Grain is visible throughout the entire film and well resolved. There are a few uneven transitions here and there, but various stabilization enhancements have been performed to make sure that the film looks as stable as possible. Damage and other age-related imperfections have been minimized as best as possible. Lastly, there are no purely transfer-specific anomalies to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Speedy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Music LPCM 2.0. Obviously, there are English intertitles that are part of the film.

Speedy is presented with a music score by Carl Davis from 1992 which was synchronized and restored under his supervision. Depth is rather modest, but this should not be expected considering the fact that the music basically retains the type of chamber qualities that when these early early films were screened during the years. Clarity and balance are excellent. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in our review.

Speedy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this brand new audio commentary, Bruce Goldstein, director of repertory programming at New York's Film Forum, and Scott McGee, director of program production at Turner Classic Movies, discuss in great detail New York's landscape at the time when Speedy was shot, how the city evolved (or did not) during the years after the film was released, the casting process and important bits from the lives and careers of the principal actors, Harold Lloyd's image (and some of the famous directors that admired his work, such as Yasujiro Ozu and Preston Sturges), the editing of the film (parts of different sequences were shot in completely different locations), some of the advantages of Kodak's Panchromatic film stocks which cinematographer Walter Lundin used, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2015.

• In the Footsteps of "Speedy" - in this incredibly informative new documentary, Bruce Goldstein, director of repertory programming at New York's Film Forum and founder of Rialto Pictures, reveals where many of the most memorable sequences from Speedy were shot. (Visual comparisons and detailed analysis are included). The documentary was created exclusively for Criterion in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (32 min, 1080p).

• Babe Ruth - in this new featurette, David Filipi, director of film and video at Wexner Center for the Arts at the Ohio State University, discusses Babe Ruth's appearance in Speedy and his popularity after he joined the Yankees, and presents a selection of rare Hearst Metrotone newsreel footage featuring the star from the UCLA Film & Television Archive. In English, not subtitled. (41 min, 1080p).

• Narrated Stills: Deleted Scenes - presented here is a collection of deleted scenes with a narration by Bruce Goldstein. (Some production stills are also included). In English, not subtitled. (5 min, 1080p).

• Home Movies - Harold Lloyd's granddaughter, Suzane Lloyd, narrates a selection of footage shot around the time that Speedy was made. The footage comes from Harold Lloyd's big archive of home movies. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080i).

• Bumping Into Broadway - this newly restored short was completed in 1919. It is the only title other than Speedy in Harold Lloyd's filmography that is set in New York City, though it was shot entirely in LA. It is presented with score by Robert Israel which was completed in 2004. (26 min, 1080i).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring Phillip Lopate's essay "The Comic Figure of the Average Man". (The author directs the nonfiction program at Columbia University).

Speedy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Speedy is a tremendous film. Some of the stunts in it are truly extraordinary and the editing is amongst the best done for a silent film. I was hugely impressed with Safety Last! and thought that it will remain my favorite Lloyd film, but I think that I am going to change my mind. Criterion's new 4K restoration of Speedy is lovely. The Blu-ray release also contains a number of very informative new supplemental features. Bruce Goldstein's comments about the various locations where different sequences were shot are especially interesting. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.