I first saw Harold Lloyd‘s Safety Last! back in 2009. I’d made a list of the current IMDb Top 250 Films and it was the only one I had not yet seen. Problem was, at the time, it wasn’t on Netflix and was only available as part of an $80+ boxset of Lloyd films. Fast forward four years later and you can buy a pristine, restored, feature-filled Blu-ray edition of the 1923 silent classic from Criterion and it’s worth every penny.
For those that read the site on a regular basis, I wrote up some brief thoughts on the film after seeing it for the first time four years ago in what was then only the his July 3, 2005 “Great Movie” post.
Even Ebert, who admits to “having been through most of Charlie Chaplin and virtually everything by Buster Keaton“, hadn’t seen a single Harold Lloyd film until 2005, 38 years after he became a film critic. Despite the fact Lloyd’s output topped both Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, the latter of which he more than doubled, Lloyd maintained control of his filmography and it wasn’t until Richard Correll came along and began to help him archive and keep track of his catalog that his films started to see the light of day more frequently.
Yet, even today, Lloyd’s films aren’t available in the same way Chaplin and Keaton’s are, but with Criterion’s new release of Safety Last! you not only get the main feature, which hopefully many of you will have realized the influence it had on Martin Scorsese‘s Hugo before I mentioned it, but also three restored Lloyd shorts along with a slew of extras.
As for the film, in today’s terms I guess you’d classify it as a romantic-comedy, but that’s to discount its harrowing third act as Lloyd comes up with a publicity stunt that would involve his friend (Bill Strother) climbing the the side of a department store. Unfortunately, his friend becomes preoccupied with a police officer and Lloyd is forced to make the climb himself where he’ll need to overcome an endless slew of obstacles along the way. Comedy and tension ensue.
What’s most interesting about watching Lloyd is how much he reminds me of both Chaplin and Keaton and then neither all at the same time. A few of his mannerisms and movements you can’t help but compare to Chaplin, which were probably learned, in large part, while he played a Chaplin-esque character named Lonesome Luke from 1915-17. Add to that his stuntwork, which draws great comparison to Keaton. Lloyd, however, doesn’t have the instant draw you get from Chaplin with his iconic Little Tramp mustache and cane or Keaton’s steely gaze and straw hat. For Lloyd he is something of an everyman, but he gave himself a look with his now-iconic, frameless glasses.
Safety Last! opens with the trademarked image you see to the right, telling you right off what’s in store, and I can only hope Criterion will do as they’ve done for Chaplin and as Kino has done for Keaton and bring more individual Lloyd releases to us in the future. Because what they’ve done here is excellent.
Beginning with the film itself, it’s almost a little jarring at first to see how crisp the image looks (see screen captures here). There are still some specks and scratches here and there, but they are only noticeable if you can somehow manage to stop being entertained by Lloyd’s antics and start looking for flaws. As with the video I had a similar experience with the audio. Carl Davis‘ 1989 score is the default audio track and it is bright and boisterous as the film begins and maybe I just wasn’t ready for such clarity from a 1923 film, though when I switched over to Gaylord Carter‘s 1960 organ score I quickly bounced back to Davis’.
Accompanying the feature film is an audio commentary with film critic Leonard Maltin and the aforementioned Lloyd archivist Richard Corell. Maltin and Correll’s conversation is just as easy to listen to as the film is to watch. Both have a love for Lloyd’s work and it plays like a couple of friends speaking on something they only recently found a shared interest in. I wouldn’t say it’s altogether informative, but a fun listen.
Those looking for more information on Lloyd will find it in the 108-minute 1980 documentary “Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius”. Broken into two parts and narrated by Lindsay Anderson (If…) as part of the “American Masters” series, this doc covers it all. It doesn’t go too in-depth, but serves as a great introduction to the silent filmmaker up to and including Hollywood’s shift to sound, which anyone who has now seen The Artist should, at the very least, have some form of mild understanding of the effect the introduction of sound had on silent film stars.
I’ve already mentioned the three short films included — Take a Chance (1918), Young Mr. Jazz (1919) and His Royal Slyness (1920) — all of which also include commentary from Corell and film writer John Bengtston, both adding nuggets of information here and there to give you a greater understanding of not only the short you’re watching, but the players involved.
Finally there’s an interview with Davis and a great look at the revolutionary visual effects in the film, giving you a better understanding of how they created some of the death-defying scenes without putting the star in too much danger.
When it comes to silent films I’d say there are a few I would consider must owns and Safety Last! is one of them and this Criterion release puts it near the top of the list. When it comes to other silent comedies, Kino’s Blu-ray for Buster Keaton’s The General (read my thoughts on it here, all of which I heavily endorse… Battleship Potemkin indeed!
Silent film can be hard to get into if you’re not open to it, but trust me when I say if you start with the right films you will be rewarded with a wealth of entertainment and a greater understanding of where film started, to what it has become today.
To pick up Safety Last! on Blu-ray, you can [amazon asin=”B00BX49C3S” text=”click here right here”] and enjoy. As for that $80+ boxset I mentioned at the outset, it’s [amazon asin=”B000B5XORA” text=”still available”], only the price has dropped to $69.90, but if you click here and look at the screen capture comparisons I’m sure you’ll join me in hoping Criterion gets its hands on more Lloyd films as there really is no comparison in quality.
SIDE NOTE: If you’re a registered member at RopeofSilicon.com you can edit your profile to show the custom, black-and-white Harold Lloyd skin I created for the site based on this film which features Lloyd hanging from the “N” in the site logo, just as he’s hanging from the clock on the Criterion box art.
