SAFETY LAST is Harold Lloyd's first complete masterpiece and one that made him world-famous as the timid ‘boy’, a bespectacled, straw-hatted and aspiring young man, who is always inadvertently getting involved in dangerous stunts. The film is excellently constructed with a clear, strong story line that moves the action along at a rapid pace. It is optimistic, funny, thrilling and well acted, with great physical comedy. Combining the heart of Chaplin and the physical dexterity and daring of Keaton, it holds up and crosses all generations.
In addition SAFETY LAST inheres the most famous image of silent comedy: Harold Lloyd hanging from the hands of a clock, 12 stories above the streets of Los Angeles. This sequence represents not only one of the great moments of film history, it is also the most brilliantly sustained comic climax.
The orchestration of Davis’ score is based on the line-up of the Paul Whiteman Band and is inspired by popular music of the 1920s.
Harold is a poor country boy who comes to the city to make good – in hopes of eventually marrying his hometown sweetheart. Although he works as a department store clerk, he sends his girl optimistic letters that lead her to believe he is well on his way to success. So, on her mother's advice, she packs her bags and goes to join him. When she arrives, he is forced to convince her that he is doing well. One day, Harold arranges to stage a publicity stunt for his store, offering $1000 to anyone who would climb the town's tallest building. Even though Harold arranges for a friend, a "human fly," to scale the building, when the stunt man doesn't show, Harold is forced to make the climb himself.
Carl Davis
1989| small orchestra | |||
stafflist 1/pic.0.1/ssax/asax+1/asax+1/bcl/tsax/barsax.0 - 2.2.2/btrb.1 - tmp.2perc - pno/cel - bjo/gtr – strings |
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Duration 74 |
sync fps 20-22 |
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