There were three great geniuses in the early days of silent comedy. You probably know, and have seen, something from each. The first is the little tramp, Charlie Chaplin, who was one of the definers of early cinematic language. It is said he is one of the five universally known characters throughout the world (the other four are Superman, Sherlock Holmes, Mickey Mouse and Tarzan in case you were curious). The second was Old Stoneface Buster Keaton. The third, while you may not know his name, you definitely have seen his most famous picture:
His name was Harold Lloyd, and most people have largely forgotten him. This is unfortunate, because unlike Chaplin and Keaton, whose characters were essentially a dancer and acrobat respectively, they really aren't like anybody you knew. The were archetypes and fairly unrelatable. Funny, no doubt, but not real in the conventional sense. Indeed, Lloyd started his career as a Chaplin rip-off called Lonesome Luke in several two-reellers:
But once he put on the glasses, boater hat and suit, he became The Boy, a Joe Everybody, and that suited him perfectly, and was probably a better transition.
Much better, don't you think? With this new look, his character became a normal person, and with the character, he was less over the top as Chaplin and Keaton were, so it come off much more endearing and believable. Now this is not to knock Keaton and Chaplin at all. Far from it. They were geniuses in their own right. But Lloyd was a new type of comedian for a new type of age; one that didn't ham it up (as much), and therefore makes me like him more. He reacts how I think I would react in the situations he's in from talking to a woman to hanging 10 stories above from a clock.
So, Safety Last!, like most silents, is pretty simple. Lloyd plays a small town guy who moves to the big city to seek his fortune so he can marry his girl. He works as a clerk, but has lied to his girl that he is a big manager, so she decides to surprise him with a visit. Lloyd arranges a publicity stunt to win a $5000 prize his manager has put up to bring in new shoppers. His roommate, a consturuction worker, will climb the outside of the 12-story building. Unfortunately, a cop is looking for him, so he is constantly dodging the cop and tells Lloyd to climb the building himself to the first floor, go in a window, and he will put on Lloyd's coat and hat and finish. Unfortunately, he can't dodge the cop so he tells Lloyd to keep climbing floor by floor. Hilarity ensues.
Lloyd did several thrilling movies like this, and while he was never in any real danger, they look fantastic. See setup below.
It's an in-lens camera trick with a forced perspective. Yes kids, this is what they did before green screen, and it was revolutionary. Lloyd is at his charming best in this film, utterly irresistible to watch, and yet very funny. Not knockabout comedy in the conventional sense, but very funny nonetheless. If you have never watched silents before, absolutely start with Chaplin in Modern Times or The Gold Rush. But take some time and catch this gem, too. It is a hoot and great fun.
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