English
FrançaisThe Kid Brother
- Production : USA, 1927
- Length : 84 min
- Orchestration : 1st violin, 2nd violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Clarinet, Bassoon, French Horn, Piano, 2nd French Horn, Flute, Percussion
Scenario :
The most important family in Hickoryville is (naturally enough) the Hickorys, with sheriff Jim and his tough, manly sons, Leo and Olin. The timid youngest son, Harold (Harold Lloyd) doesn’t have the muscles to match up to them so he has to use his wits to win the respect of his father. Harold is smitten by Mary (Jobyna Ralston), travelling with her late father’s medicine show. When the show burns down, Harold invites her to stay at his house with his father and brothers. The towns money is stolen by thugs from the medicine show but Harold’s father is accused. With encouragement from Mary, Harold sets out to find the real crooks.
Today The Kid Brother is recognised as a cinematic masterpiece combining drama with comedy gags and important characters. Harold Lloyd was always ahead of his time in terms of the modernism of the storyline and filmmaking techniques and The Kid Brother is a terrific example of how great Harold Lloyd really was.
The Prodigy :
Harold Lloyd
For once, let us concentrate rather on the personality of the star of this movie : Harold Lloyd.
Harold Lloyd (1893-1971) : «« The King of Daredevil Comedy, » Harold Lloyd is best remembered today as the young man dangling desperately from a clock tower in the 1923 classic Safety Last. At the height of his career, Lloyd was one of the most popular and highest-paid stars of his time. While his achievements have been overshadowed by the work of contemporaries Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, he made more films than the two of them combined. With hits like his 1922 film Grandma’s Boy, Lloyd became a strong force in bringing about the advent of the “feature-length” film.
The Composer :
Antonio Coppola
During the last 25 years, Antonio Coppola has written numerous scores for silent movies. Today, he is considered to be one of the most knowledgeable and experienced musicians in this very specialised field.
Born in Rome in 1956, he studied piano, composition and conducting at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory. In 1973, he started work as a pianist for theatrical productions and contemporary dance. When in 1975 he accompanied a silent movie on the piano for the first time, he immediately decided to cease his other musical activities and devote himself to this. Since 1975, he has been invited to play at hundreds of silent movie projections in hundreds of cinemas throughout Italy, France, Germany, the USA, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Greece and England.
He has given courses on the musical accompaniment of silent movies in numerous universities in Europe and throughout the world.
