The Kid Brother Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Kid Brother Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 12, 2019

Ted Wilde's "The Kid Brother" (1927) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage content with Harold Lloyd; new video program with film archivist Dino Everett; vintage audio commentary; large collection of production stills; new program with film and television composer Nathan Barr and organist Mark Herman; and a lot more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Carrie Rickey's essay "Mettle is Stronger Than Muscle" and technical credits. Presented with multiple music scores and English intyertitles. Reigon-A "locked".

Goodbye, Mary!

It is an indisputable fact that their unique personalities were a big part of their brilliance because they provided a structure to everything that they did in front of the camera. But the personalities would have been meaningless without the remarkable precision of their work. How they tripped over, hit themselves in awkward ways, fell and got stuck in unusual positions, or simply ran away to avoid trouble was neither spontaneous nor accidental. They made it look that way, but it wasn’t. Everything they did was mastered to perfection, and this is why their films continue to amaze today. Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Roscoe Arbuckle, and Harold Lloyd, they were all special performers whose brilliance was defined by a single quality: precision.

In Ted Wilde’s The Kid Brother Lloyd plays the youngest son of sheriff Jim Hickory (Walter James), who has the final word on just about everything that happens in the tiny town of Hickoryville. Naturally, at home Harold is always expected to follow his father’s orders, just as his older and ‘smarter’ brothers, Leo (Leo Willis) and Olin (Olin Francis), do.

When a traveling troupe arrives in town, however, Harold meets the charming Mary Powers (Jobyna Ralston) and she instantly turns his world upside down. Sensing that Mary is the special girl that a guy like him deserves, Harold invites her to visit his home, but her arrival also inspires his brothers to purse her and this leads to a very heated competition. In the midst of it, Harold also accidentally discovers that a big sum of money has gone missing, and that someone might have framed his father to emerge as a thief. So, while doing his best to win Mary’s heart, Harold also goes to work to expose the real bad guy that wants his father removed from his post.

Next to masterpieces like Safety Last! and Speedy this film certainly does not look as impressive, but this is only because the structure and scale of its visuals are different. The synchronization work for instance is of the same high-quality, which is precisely the reason why its gags continue to impress. Also, it is important to underscore that in this film the supporting cast is engaged differently, so plenty of the mass scenes actually require a new type of precision. For example, the action that leads up to the climax in that legendary sequence from Safety Last! where Lloyd is seen climbing the building is essentially a one-man gig -- he manages its tempo and tone, and of course positions himself for the right angles that make it look spectacular. There is very little in this film where Lloyd has this type of luxury, if one can call it that. Some of the most unique visuals here are group interactions where Lloyd only responds to actions that are already underway, and elsewhere he is actually required to step out so that the camera can continue moving with the natural flow of the action.

The high energy of the film is predictable because it is an integral element of Lloyd’s style. The velocity of the action is truly relentless and most of the time it looks as if the camera was just lucky to be at the right place and time to capture the extraordinary amount of activities.

Criterion’s new release of The Kid Brother features two different scores: one composed and conducted by Carl Davis in 1989 and performed by the Luxembourg Radio Symphony Orchestra, and a second recorded in the late 1960s with Lloyd’s favorite organist, Gaylord Carter.

Also included with this release are two early Lloyd shorts: Over the Fence (1917) and That's Him (1918), both presented with music that was arranged and performed by Mark Herman.

The Kid Brother Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Kid Brother arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution at the Packard Humanities Institute in Santa Clarita, California, on a Scanity film scanner from Harold Lloyd Entertainment's 35mm fine-grain struck from the original camera negative and preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. The image was then restored by L'Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy.

Transfer supervisors: Richard Correll, Suzanne Lloyd.
Colorist: Gregg Garvin/Roundabout Entertainment, Burbank, CA."

The screencaptures that are included with our review appear in the following order:

Screencaptures #1-19: The Kid Brother
Screencaptures#21-23: Over the Fence
Screencaptures#24-26: That's Him

The Kid Brother looks terrific in high-definition. Clarity and depth for instance are very good, and during the darker indoor footage the visuals have the type of nuances that these older silent films can reveal only if they have been properly restored. In fact, I intentionally took screencapture #14 to point out that even the darkest shadows have wonderful organic nuances. Delineation is great and plenty of close-ups reveal terrific details (see screencaptiure #3). Furthermore, the existing elements must have been in fairly good condition because density levels remain consistent as well. The grading is convincing -- the primaries are solid and look healthy, plus the overall balance is stable. Large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, and blemishes have been removed as best as possible. (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).

The Kid Brother Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Criterion's new release of The Kid Brother features two different scores: one composed and conducted by Carl Davis in 1989 and performed by the Luxembourg Radio Symphony Orchestra, and a second recorded in the late 1960s witH Harold Lloyd's favorite organist, Gaylord Carter. Both are presented as LPCM 2.0 tracks.

I viewed the film with Carl Davis' score and only tested a few segments with the second score. To be honest, the second score does appear to have a more authentic period quality, but I prefer the first score. Obviously, both scores have what I would refer to as 'studio quality', which basically means that the lossless tracks reproduce the native qualities of the original recordings. Somewhat predictably, the first score has a better range of dynamic nuances; depth and even balance are superior as well. The second score has chamber qualities, so expect slightly more prominent dynamic fluctuations and a limited range of nuances.

The two short films that are included on this release, Over the Fence (1917) and That's Him (1918), come with music that was arranged and performed by Mark Herman. Both feature Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks.

The Kid Brother Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Short Films - presented here are two short Harold Lloyd short films, with music that was arranged and performed by Mark Herman.
  
  1. Over the Fence (1917). Dolby Digital 5.1. (6 min, 1080i).
  2.That's Him (1918). Dolby Digital 5.1. (12 min, 1080i).

• Preserving Harold - in this new video program, archivist Dino Everett highlights some of the challenges he faced while transferring the two early Harold Lloyd short films that are listed above. There are detailed descriptions of their formats (28mm and 9.5mm). In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• The Wurlitzer: Nathan Barr and Mark Herman - in this new video program, film and television composer Nathan Barr and organist Mark Herman discuss the history and unique qualities of the vintage Twentieth Century Fox Studios organ that was used to score various classic films. The two scores that are included with the shorts that are listed above were recorded with this instrument. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080p).

• Harold's Leading Ladies - in this filmed conversation, author Cari Beauchamp and Harold Lloyd's granddaughter Suzanne Lloyd discuss the three leading actresses that the legendary actor/director worked with over the years: Bebe Daniels, Mildred Davis, and Jobyna Ralston. The conversation was filmed exclusively for Criterion in October 2018. In English, not subtitled. (30 min, 1080p).

• Anatomy of a Gag: Monkeyshoes - in this new program, critic David Cairns examines the mechanics of the gags that Harold Lloyd employed in his films. There are specific comments about the gags that are seen in The Kid Brother. The program was created exclusively for Criterion in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080p).

• Behind the Scenes Stills - presented here is a collection of stills which was curated by Harold Lloyd's archivist Richard Simonton Jr. in 2018. The stills highlight the production of The Kid Brother and also included alternate gags, deleted scenes, and outtakes. (1080p).

• Greenacres - this featurette takes a closer look at Harold Lloyd's estate in Los Angeles. The faturette combines archival footage and clips from an interview with Suzanne Lloyd. It was produced in 2005. (15 min, 1080i).

• Harold Lloyd - presented here is an archival interview with Harold Lloyd which was conducted on December 14, 1962, and broadcast on Dutch public television. The actor discusses his transition from Lonesome Luke to his classic characters with the glasses, his relationship with Hal Roach, the ownership of his work, some of his notorious stunts, etc. In Dutch, with optional English subtitles. (17 min, 1080i).

• Commentary - this vintage audio commentary features filmmaker and Harold Lloyd archivist Richard Correll, author Annette D'Agostino Lloyd, and Harold Lloyd's granddaughter Suzanne Lloyd. It was recorded for New Line Home Entertainment's DVD release of The Kid Brother in 2005.

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Carrie Rickey's essay "Mettle is Stronger Than Muscle" and technical credits.

The Kid Brother Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The precision of the work that Harold Lloyd did in his films is quite simply extraordinary, and as far as I am concerned it is where their brilliance comes from. Take a closer look at the big fight on the old ship between Lloyd's character and the baddie in The Kid Brother and you will quickly begin to realize that it is actually a giant piece of marvelously synchronized stunts and gags. Of course, all of this work is done with such brilliant casualty -- how's this for acting -- that while it lasts it actually looks totally organic. This is acting talent that digital trickery can't and never will be able to replicate, folks. Criterion's new release of The Kid Brother is sourced from a great 4K restoration of the film and features an outstanding selection of bonus features. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.