Why Worry?

Directed by Sam Taylor, this 1923 silent comedy is among Harold Lloyd's strangest films. A wealthy hypochondriac takes a holiday on a tropical island for the fresh air and finds himself in the middle of a revolution. The joke is simple and works perfectly: the man never notices that everything around him is a conflict, mistaking gunfire and explosions for symptoms of his own ailments. Its most memorable element is the giant played by John Aasen, standing well over two metres; the size difference between him and Lloyd turns silent comedy's physical humour to its most productive. That Lloyd pulls his ordinary bespectacled type toward the wealthy and spoiled shows how flexible the character was. The depiction of the revolution rests on Latin American stereotypes, which sits badly now. Who it's for: viewers interested in silent comedy classics and Harold Lloyd's work. Who it's not for: anyone troubled by the period's clichés about Latin America, or unfamiliar with the pacing of silent film.