For Heaven's Sake

Sam Taylor's 1926 silent comedy is among Harold Lloyd's fastest films. An irresponsible young millionaire changes when he falls for the daughter of a preacher in a poor part of the city, and starts running through the streets with a crowd of vagrants at his heels to fill the mission. The chase covers the whole of the final section. Lloyd's physical comedy here rests on dangerous stunts: on top of a double-decker bus, on rooftops, in traffic. He performed most of them himself, and did so missing two fingers on one hand, lost in an accident on a set, using a prosthetic glove. The film's approach to class is shallow, but the choreography of the chase ranks with the best in the genre. Who it's for: viewers who like silent comedy classics and Harold Lloyd's work. Who it's not for: anyone wanting narrative depth, or unfamiliar with the rhythm of silent film.