Safety Last (1923)

Directed by: Fred C Newmeyer & Sam Taylor
Written by: Hal Roach, Sam Taylor
Starring: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Bill Strother

In my writing on Buster Keaton's movies, I mentioned how the stunts are so thrilling because of the single shot camera, and apparent lack of safety. In modern cinema, it is highly impressive that Tom Cruise pulls off all these death defying stunts for the Mission: Impossible franchise, but we do know that there are wires that are edited out, and other mechanisms keeping him safe. The stunts are still exhilarating, but there's a bit of a disconnect.

I felt the opposite when Harold Lloyd starts to climb the department store building in the featured set-piece of Safety Last. I think part of it is that even though his character has no skill whatsoever in such a feat, I know the actor is famous for his stunts, and so watching him climb clear handholds floor after floor left me a bit cold.

I started feeling differently during the infamous clock scene. Lloyd is hanging from the minute hand of a giant storefront clock as it has opened up. He's dangling floors up from the ground. It's spectacular.

After reaching the top of the building Lloyd is hit on the head and drunkenly staggers on the ledge of the roof. I held my breath. Obviously such acting would be meticulously worked out and rehearsed, but the actual performance raised my blood pressure. Only one thing needs to go wrong. Perhaps there's a safety net, perhaps the roof is actually a set built on a studio lot not far from the ground, but these thoughts did not cross my mind. We watched Lloyd struggle through climbing each floor of the building and he's built up the goodwill that this rooftop is legitimate.

That's not even the final stunt. Lloyd wraps his foot up in a flagpole rope and when he finally does topple over the edge, he's swinging from the roof of the building. This is the catharsis point. I burst out laughing and breathed a sigh of relief. Lloyd is reunited with his sweetheart and all is well.

The film is full of clever sight gags and moments of tension (the sequence where Lloyd is lying to Mildred about his position at the department store had me cringing. My feeling is that after all that lying and the feelings of inadequacy that caused it, the building climb is the redemption arc of Harold Lloyd. Not only because he receives $1000 for his stunt (I do wonder how much he'll give his friend seeing all the friend did during the whole feat was unsuccessfully try to ditch one policeman), but because he overcame a great struggle. They have the money to get married. At least in the time we spend with these two characters, we don't get to see the repercussions of Mildred finding out she was lied to.

Personal enjoyment: ★★★