Criterion Collection: Safety Last! | Blu-ray Review

The timeless comic genius of Harold Lloyd shines through in Fred Newmeyer and Sam Taylor’s 1923 classic Safety Last!, one more silent film championed by the Criterion Collection folks. The indelible bookish, horn-rimmed glasses, straw-hat-wearing comedian show wonderfully how he earned the moniker “the King of Daredevil Comedy”. The “third genius” of the silent era (after Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton), stars in this Horatio Alger-style story of a country boy trying to make good in the big city.

The naive Boy (Harold Lloyd) travels on a train to the big city from the small town Great Bend, promising to send for his Girl (Mildred Davis, Lloyd’s real-life wife) after he has ‘made good’ with fame and fortune. In the opening sequence, he appears behind vertical bars – presumably imprisoning jail bars, but they are actually the train station’s gate. He becomes a low-paid, bookish-looking salesman in the De Vore Department Store at the ladies’ fabric cloth counter, making it appear to his girlfriend through letters sent home and expensive gifts (a lavalier and chain) that he is quickly becoming prosperous. He is so convincing that his mother persuades the Girl to venture to the city to be with him. When she makes a surprise visit to the store, he fakes that he is the store’s manager.

Wanting to appear as a success to her, he knows that he must make money quickly. Offered $1,000 by the store’s manager if he devises a successful publicity (‘exploitation’) gimmick to attract crowds of people to the store, he hires his roommate friend the Pal (Bill Strother) to be a human fly on the outside of the multi-story store in a thrilling stunt. Their plan is to split the cash after the friend performs the stunt. Unfortunately, as things turn out, the Boy must climb the first floor while his pal eludes and ditches a pursuing cop – the Law (Noah Young). He is dismayed when at every level his buddy is diverted and he cannot be replaced. On each new floor, the Boy is coaxed to go one floor higher.

In a remarkable, daredevil set of sequences, the Boy inches his way up and climbs to the top of the twelve-story building, one hand and foot hold after the other, encountering absurdly new difficulties at every new floor. The most-remembered obstacle is the clock. For thrilling moments, he hangs from the minute-hand of the large clock, dangling dangerously above the street as the clock-face pulls off the wall – while still wearing his glasses and straw hat. He finally reaches the top of the building, lands in the girl’s arms on the roof, and they go off arm in arm. Our hero has proved his worth, become a success, earned the $1,000 prize money, and won the girl. Unbeknownst to the Boy, he tromps through fresh tar on the roof of the building, leaving – in four steps – his shoes and socks behind.

Arguably the most famous sequence of the silent film era, the clock face scene was inspired by Bill Strothers’ performance of a similar human fly act, discovered by Lloyd while walking in Los Angeles one day. Strothers’ grand finale involved him riding a bicycle along the rooftops edge and then standing on his head on a flagpole. Lloyd was deeply impressed, remarking “It made such a terrific impression on me, and stirred my emotions.” Lloyd then placed Strothers’ under contract and cast him in Safety Last as Pal. With its cavalcade of comedic stunts and guffaws, Safety Last firmly entrenched Harold Lloyd as a classic star of the Silver Screen.

Disc Review

For a 90 year old film, this Blu-ray plays incredibly well. The image depth and clarity is comparable if not better than other films re-released on Blu-ray recently. No attempts have been made to visually update the film, leaving its blacks and grays easy to see and even the small details crystal clear. The overall presentation is sure to impress. The film comes with three shorts, Take a Chance, Young Mr. Jazz, and His Royal Slyness – all come with 1080p transfers. All three films have been digitally restored. Once again, detail and image depth are very good, but some minor contrast fluctuations are also present. It is also clear that the elements used to produce the new high-definition transfers were not in terrific shape (see Young Mr. Jazz) as some wear around the edges, fading and frame skips have been inherited. However, it is very easy to see that the restorers have optimized the presentation as best as possible. Rather large portions of Take a Chance and His Royal Slyness, in particular, look quite wonderful

Safety Last! can be viewed with two different scores. The first is Carl Davis’ 1989 orchestral score (LPCM 2.0). The second is an alternate, improvised score by organist Gaylord Carter from 1969 (LPCM 1.0). The three short films included on this release arrive with Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks. Standard intertitles are included for each film. Carl Davis’ score sounds great – there is an excellent range of nuanced dynamics and depth and clarity are terrific. The sound is also consistently crisp. Gaylord Carter’s score is a bit more subdued, lacking the oomph and clarity of Carl Davis’ score. The overall range of nuanced dynamics is also quite limited, but this should not be surprising considering the fact that it is an improvised score recorded under completely different conditions. The Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks have plenty of depth. Also, clarity and dynamic intensity are surprisingly good.

Introduction – Suzanne Lloyd, granddaughter of Harold Lloyd, introduces Safety Last! and discusses the legacy of her grandfather.
Mrs. Lloyd is the president of Harold Lloyd Entertainment and has dedicated her career to preserving and promoting Harold Lloyd’s films. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080i).

Commentary – a truly fantastic audio commentary with film critic Leonard Maltin and Harold Lloyd’s archivist, director Richard Correll.
The overwhelming amount of the excellent information in the commentary comes from Richard Correll, who spends a great deal of time discussing Harold Lloyd’s work ethic, how many of the best gags in Safety Last! were filmed, the secondary characters in the film, the specific locations in Los Angeles where the film was shot and how they have changed during the years, etc. The commentary was recorded in 2005.

Scores – Safety Last! can be viewed with two different scores:

1. Carl Davis’ 1989 orchestral score (LPCM 2.0).
2. An alternate, improvised score by organist Gaylord Carter from 1969. (LPCM 1.0).

Three Short Films – All three films come with optional audio commentaries by director and Harold Lloyd archivist Richard Correll and film writer John Bengtson.
1. Take a Chance (1918). Dolby Digital 2.0. (11 min, 1080p) Lloyd meets a poor but beautiful girl (Bebe Daniels) and falls in love with her. But his life takes an unexpected turn when he is mistaken for an escaped convict.
2. Young Mr. Jazz (1919). Dolby Digital 2.0. (10 min, 1080p) Lloyd is chased by his girl’s (Daniels) angry father. The three end up in a dance club run by a gang of crooks who teach them an important lesson.
3. His Royal Slyness (1920). Dolby Digital 2.0. (22 min, 1080p) Lloyd is a book salesman who looks exactly like the Prince of Rochquefort from the little Kingdom of Thermosa who is in America to get educated. When the Prince is sent a telegram an urged to go back home, the two decide to trade places and the book salesman heads to the kingdom. Soon after, the beautiful Princess Florelle (Mildred Davis) decides to marry him, but the real Prince returns home..

Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius – two-part television documentary from 1989 written and produced by film historians, preservationists, and documentarians Kevin Brownlow and David Gill.
Narrated by acclaimed director Lindsay Anderson (If….), the documentary focuses on the life, career, and legacy of Harold Lloyd. In English, not subtitled. (108 min, 1080i).

Locations and Effects
In this new documentary, film writer John Bengtson and visual-effects expert Craig Barron discuss the unique stunts, locations, and effects seen in Harold Lloyd’s film. The documentary was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2013. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080i).

Carl Davis: Scoring for Harold
In this video interview, composer and conductor Carl Davis discusses the harmonic structure of the orchestral score he created for Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last!, as well as his contributions to other silent films. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2013. In English, not subtitled. (25 min, 1080i).

Booklet
22-page illustrated booklet featuring Ed Park’s essay “High-Flying Harold”. Mr. Park is the author of the novel Personal Days and the literary editor at Amazon Publishing.

Final Thoughts

Safety Last! stands out in the era of the silent film, and is a classic snapshot of the sight gag. Harold Lloyd and his work force themselves through to the pinnacle of his craft. The infamous clock gag alone is a milestone and a breakthrough in its genre, often the first thing brought to mind at the mention of the iconic director. The fact that Criterion and Lloyd Entertainment have worked together to so lovingly and carefully preserve and present this film, along with the added bonus of the short films, makes this film a definite must have for any Criterion collector or silent film buff.