Synopsis
You're Going to Explode With "Safety Laughs" when You see This Fun Bomb.
When a store clerk organizes a contest to climb the outside of a tall building, circumstances force him to make the perilous climb himself.
1923 Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor
When a store clerk organizes a contest to climb the outside of a tall building, circumstances force him to make the perilous climb himself.
Harold Lloyd Mildred Davis Bill Strother Noah Young Westcott Clarke Roy Brooks Mickey Daniels Richard Daniels Ray Erlenborn William Gillespie Helen Gilmore Wallace Howe James T. Kelley Billie Latimer Gus Leonard Sam Lufkin Earl Mohan Marie Mosquini Fred C. Newmeyer Charles Stevenson Anna Townsend Patrick Youch
Preferisco l'ascensore, Monte là-dessus!, O Homem Mosca, Ausgerechnet Wolkenkratzer, Sicherheit spielt keine Rolle, På Vej til den syvende Himmel, El hombre mosca, Harold iskukunnossa, Aki mer, az nyer, Наконец в безопасности!, Upp genom luften, Resitev v zadnjem trenutku, 안전불감증, 最后安全!, 安全ラスト!, Безпека в останню чергу!, 마침내 안전!, 안전은 뒷전!, 안전 불감증, Preferisco l'ascensore!, Ausgerechnet Wolkenkratzer!, Monte là-dessus !, 安全至下, Felhőkarcoló szerelem, Siguranța la urmă!, בטיחות בסוף!, Güvenlik Sonra Gelir!, O Homem-Mosca, 最後安全!, Μωρέ, Κουράγιο!, Jeszcze wyżej
Harold Lloyd, often referred to as “The Third Genius” of silent cinema in deference to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, is seldom mentioned in the same breath as his seemingly immortal contemporaries despite the fact that he out-earned The Tramp and The Great Stone Face during their heydays, and made more films than the two of them combined. Revisiting Lloyd’s fourth feature / his masterpiece, 1922’s “Safety Last!”, it seems that Lloyd may not be remembered as one of the silent era’s greatest screen comedians in part because he may not have been a comedian at all.
When discussing the fundamental core of their collaboration, Hal Roach, the producer on “Safety Last!” and the brunt of Lloyd’s greatest successes, said…
For over a century (and likely many centuries to come) man's true enemy has been the forces pushing us into a literal economic climb for our life... and the dastardly pigeon.
Harold Lloyd was a treasure and this movie is an absolute delight. Nice to see that retail life hasn’t changed much in 98 years.
Harold Lloyd is often considered the third great silent comedian behind Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton but whereas Caplin was a sentimental clown and Keaton was a deadpan surrealist Lloyd's angle was that he was just a guy who kept almost dying. This shocked audiences in the 20s for whom dying had fallen out of fashion. Nowadays the Jackass boys fill the cultural niche left by Lloyd's death in 1971 from being struck by lightning as he cleaned the top of the Chrysler Building. And if I'm being honest, they do it a lot better due in no small part to their ability to speak. Who said there's no such thing as progress?
I’m starting to notice the unhinged pattern in 1920’s comedians; it’s to do risky comedy or just die trying. A bunch of maniacs, if you ask me. Roger Eberts denotes it best when he says in his review: “I accept without question that there were times in Safety Last when Harold Lloyd could have fallen to his death. The question becomes: Is that funny?” No, Roger Ebert, that was absolutely nail-biting.
Yet, the sheer determination for Harold Lloyd’s career becomes strangely commendable. Hence, it’s why he’s hailed as the “third genius” of silent comedies. The humor in this is incredible too, though one or two may feel politically outdated. I’m not sure what else to say about this except that it’s outstanding, but I’ll be right back — soon as I ditch this cop.
me during the last twenty minutes:
palms: sweaty
knees: weak
arms: heavy
mom’s: spaghetti
do you think Tom Cruise watched this when he was like seven where it shaped his entire life
Buster Keaton is the calm amidst the storm. Harold Lloyd, by contrast, is scared.
Criterion Collection Spine #662
(Silent film)
If you're going to build a movie around a big stunt ... this is the way to do it.
"Make this next floor faster. I'm having a little difficulty in ditching the cop."
I have finally seen a film from the third king of silent comedy, Harold Lloyd and it did not disappoint. It is a simple story of a guy moving to the big city to make some money to start a life for him and his gal. Along the way we get plenty of funny moments of him trying to get to work, staying out of trouble with the cops, and the madness of working at a fabric store. I think the…
I feel somewhat secure enjoying my La-Z-Boy recliner, Redhorse beer and my Harold Lloyd movies.
Heaven.