- Knowing in advance only that Harold Lloyd's Safety Last! contained one of the great stunt setpieces of the silent film era, I wasn't sure what to expect from the remainder of its 70 minute runtime. I am pleased to report that the film filled out that time quite memorably. The story follows "The Boy" (Lloyd) to the big city, where he plans to earn money enough that "The Girl" (Mildred Davis) can join him. We soon learn, however, that there is a striking incongruity between the diamond-studded contents of Lloyd's letters home and the reality of his financial situation. To hear Lloyd tell it, he's raking in the dough as a young business manager with plenty of responsibility. In truth, he and "The Pal" (Bill Strother) hide in their coats to avoid the landlady (even when those coats are still on the rack!).
- Lloyd eventually lands what is in his eyes a menial job as a cloth salesman, but it doesn't take him long to encounter trouble. On his first day, he somehow manages to get stuck in a delivery truck driven by a deaf septuagenarian in exactly the wrong direction. Soon, he's hiding in mannequins and hopping around on the floor, much to the chagrin of his humorless supervisor (Westcott Clarke). In one of the film's best scenes, Lloyd gives the impression of a soldier engaged in trench warfare as he is swarmed by a flood of shopping housewives. Just when it seems that things couldn't get any worse, The Girl drops by to check up on her beau. Now Lloyd must simultaneously pretend to his boss' throne while thinking up a way to earn some fast cash.
- Naturally, Lloyd's moneymaking scheme involves having The Pal scale the outside of his building as a publicity stunt. The good news is that The Pal has already established himself as a gifted climber while running from "The Law" (Noah Young). The bad news, of course, is that The Law anticipates his quarry and plants himself at the base of the tower. Thus it happens that Lloyd is substituted for The Pal in the film's climactic climbing sequence. And what a sequence it is! The film is very creative in setting up obstacles for Lloyd, my favorites of which include a flock of curious pigeons, a surreal cowboy photography session, and the film's most famous scene in which Lloyd dangles from a progressively deteriorating clock. And all the while, The Pal keeps yelling "Just one more flight, til I ditch this cop!"
- Based on this single example, I find it odd that Lloyd, easily the most obscure of the big three silent film comedians, isn't more popular today. The climbing sequence alone is enough to make Safety Last! a great film, and Lloyd's unsubtle style of humor has aged much better than that of Chaplin, in my opinion. Furthermore, the camera work in Safety Last! is really very impressive, from the film's initial "noose shot" to the clever outdoor setup that gives the distinct impression of real danger to the climber. This reviewer must confess that even his legs tensed up a bit when Lloyd reached some of the higher floors. Although Lloyd's reputation in the modern era may not match his level of stardom in the 20's and 30's, Safety Last! has convinced me that it will only be a matter of time.
- Apparently the climbing sequence was staged on top of a tall building, although the stability of the net below Lloyd is a matter of some debate.
