Simply A Masterpiece

Awesome Movie

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Although usually I'm not a fan of silent films, I found Girl Shy to be funny and a good romance story. Even though the beginning started out a little slow, by the end I couldn't stop watching! A classic everyone should watch in my opinion.

I haven't been in the silent films for long but after I fell in love with Charlie Chaplin I knew I had to expand my Horizon pass just the Tramp. That is when I saw Harold Lloyd in girl shy. What's great about his character is that he represents a lot of men and his character traits are still very much seen even in 2017. Throughout the scenes I felt very similar to him and almost felt bad at the same time because I knew how he felt. When watching this film I couldn't help but make comparisons to my first silent film the circus. But even with this in my mind I still thought it was a good piece of silent film history but not completely the best in my opinion.

Many black and white silent movies have gone by the way side. As far as appreciation goes in this day and age they deserve a whole lot more than we give them credit for. Mostly because these movies require a lot more effort into consideration of the plot and witty humor. They are so simple at their core though... like this movie for example is so beautifully done because its so innocent. No pretentious special effects or made up stars just a pure scene unedited and raw, giving it a lot of organic texture and feel. The scene where Harold Meadows is writing his book and begins his flashback with the "vampire" woman is absolutely adorable, such delicate lighthearted humor is a breath of fresh air in an entertainment industry beginning to rely on shock value, ratings and financial success. Harold Lloyd is an underrated silent film actor for sure, silent movies would not be complete without the star to make them even more endearing than before and Lloyd certainly articulates his charming warmth and melodramatic expressions to an audience young and old in a way that we can all understand how the character is feeling.

Harold Lloyd ranks as one of the three greatest silent comedians next to Chaplin and Keaton. He combines great comic timing with crisp editing and physical daring-do that wows audiences. Girl Shy, written by Lloyd and the first film he produced, tells the story of a sweet-natured, stuttering bonehead who can not approach the girls. The irony is he has been secretly readying a book on how to be romantic with girls while working his day job as a tailor's assistant, back when a guy could still be a tailor's assistant. He takes a shine to Jobyna Ralston, his co-star in his best films, but then he's embarrassed by his publisher making fun of his book. The publisher decides to publish it as a joke to make the public laugh, and then Harold must spring into action quickly to save Jobyna from marrying a caddish two-timer. Did someone put a gun to her head though? Never mind, it's all in good fun and a set-up to the magnificent thrill comedy Lloyd was known for at the time. He employs just about every item of transportation known at the time to arrive to break up the wedding on time. It's all the more thrilling when you realize these are actual hands-on stunts Lloyd performs without a stuntman. Some of them are obviously quite dangerous upon viewing them. The large estate appearing near the end was Lloyd's own property. It's a terrific piece of good old-fashioned entertainment. *** of 4 stars.