When people think about silent comedies of the 20’s and 30’s, three names instantly spring to mind; Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd. Although Harold Lloyd may be an afterthought in some people’s minds behind Charlie and Buster, you can’t deny that he was one of the main staples of the comedy genre during the silent era. Known mostly because of Safety Last and the clock scene, Lloyd did star in many other classic, although mostly forgotten movies such as College Days and The Kid Brother which I definitely recommend to fans of silent cinema. So now that the backstory is out of the way, lets get on with it. Here’s my review of Safety Last…

The story follows Lloyd, a salesman at a department store who is offered a large sum of money to think of an idea to promote the store. He offers a friend half of the money to climb the building itself. After a series of mishaps, Lloyd himself is forced to climb the building after his friend.

It’s definitely a crazy story, especially for a film of this age but it most certainly works. I think that it wouldn’t be half as good if someone other than Lloyd did it. I don’t feel that the film would be as funny or as entertaining with Keaton or Chaplin in the lead role. Harold Lloyd definitely makes this film. Aside from the main comedic plot, the film also features a romantic subplot where Lloyd leaves his countryside lifestyle so that he can make enough money to marry his sweetheart back home. One of the funniest moment in the film was when his bride to be (Mildred Davis) arrives unannounced to see how Lloyd is doing at his new job in the city. Problem is, Lloyd told her that he is the manager of the store when he’s actually just a regular worker. After she arrives, he has to pretend that he’s the manager to keep up the story he’s told his soon to be wife.

I think what makes the film as good as it is is Lloyd’s style of comedy. It’s much different to Keaton and Chaplin style; kind of minimalist in a way. Lloyd takes a small situation and can turn in into a massive problem so easily which is evident in Safety Last. What goes from his friend climbing a building as a publicity stunt turns into Lloyd himself climbing the tower to escape the authorities, resulting in him dangling from the clock at the top.

Speaking of the clock, that scene is what Safety Last will always be remembered for. One of the most famous scenes in cinema history, everything about it is perfect. From the timing to the absurdity of the situation to how Lloyd conducts himself with his facial expressions in the life or death situation that tells a story in itself, I feel as if the scene couldn’t have been done any better. I’ve only seen Safety Last a couple of times but I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve watched the clock scene. It provides me with a huge amount of enjoyment everything I see it. To anyone who hasn’t already seen Safety Last, I recommend watching it just for the clock scene.

Of course, Harold Lloyd wasn’t the only performer in Safety Last. Mildred Davis was also very good in her role as Lloyd’s bride to be and was also the reason behind some of the most amusing scenes in the film. I haven’t seen much of her before but after watching her performance here, I’ll be certain to look up some of her other films.

So what’s my final verdict on Safety Last? I think it’s a very good movie personally. Is it in the same league as Keanton’s The General or Chaplin’s City Lights? I’d say no but it’s still a very entertaining piece. I think the problem is it’ll always be known for the clock scene and not much else. Saying that though, I think it’s the same for most of Harold Lloyd’s pictures. Most people consider him a distant third after Keaton and Chaplin and that’s a shame. Harold Lloyd is a fine actor and a fine comedian and his work should be appreciated a lot more then it is. Safety Last is a fine picture but you just can’t help but compare it to more famous comedic pictures of the 20’s.

Rating: 8/10