Safety Last! poster & wallpaper

Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Bill Strother

In this silent, when a store clerk organizes a contest to climb the outside of a tall building, circumstances force him to make the perilous climb himself.

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93% liked it

2,012 ratings

Critics

92% liked it

12 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 20 min.

Directed by: Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor

Release Date: April 1, 1923

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Flixster Reviews (178)

  • rubystevens
    August 5, 2009
    rubystevens
    harold lloyd is so cute :)
  • kiriyamakazou
    January 10, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    Enjoyable slapstick comedy with a lot of inventiveness that still impresses. Simple shots such as the hiding on the coat hanger scene are still great to watch and it is the idea that amazes more than the stunt itself. The first shot was genuinely laugh out loud funny, and many mo...( read more)ments after continued to bring a grin. If you are in the mood for a live action Looney Tune then this could be it. Suffers from a climax that is overlong and it is disappointing to see such a strong film lose the comedy towards the end.
  • dhetteix
    October 5, 2007
    dhetteix
    Brilliant, perhaps the finest and most famous of the silent-era comedies. Technically amazing, and hilarious to boot.
  • ElCochran90
    October 27, 2009
    ElCochran90
    "Get out of here! Don't you know the dog might fall?"

    Safety Last! (1923)


    Director: Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor
    Country: United States of America
    Genre: Action / Comedy / Romance
    Length: 73 minutes

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    Safety Last! is one of the most recognized and worldwidely legendary classic comical masterpieces ever made, and with several good reasons. I finally had the golden opportunity of seeing this film and it is definitely one of the funniest and most genius films in cinema history. It has successfully endured the test of time, because despite it is a silent film that is more than 85 years old now, it hasn't got really old, and the gags seem very fresh.

    This hilarious and very simple story deals with a man who travels to the city in search of a successful life and finds a job in a deparment store. When the store isn't capable of bringing a decent number of clients into it, the manager offers $1000 to anyone who comes up with a decent idea for fixing the problem and attracting more customers, so, as expected, the boy (Lloyd) suggests that an unknown man may climb a 12 story building, since he had previously convinced her girlfriend that he has a "wonderful" position at the store. Obviously, chaos later ensues as he is forced to pretend that he is the mysterious man who will do the job.

    "Creativity" and "hyperactivity" are two very adequate terms that can describe this film perfectly. It is one of the very first films ever made that had the right combination of comedy, suspense and a romantic touch, a formula that would be immediately adopted by Chaplin later on in famous films of his such as The Circus (1928), City Lights (1931) and Modern Times (1936), despite the different plots. Even Buster Keaton himself hadn't made The General (1926) yet, a film that had that kind of genre combinations. Although Our Hospitality (1923) had a man falling for a young woman, the story focused more on the comedy and on the hilariousness of common human cruel intentions. This is the best film Harold Lloyd ever starred in, and obviously comedy legends like Chaplin and Keaton are far superior than him, specially because of the fact that both used to be actors, directors, producers and writers of their own films. Chaplin was sometimes even the composer of his movies.

    Lloyd was a genius in this film and the role he had suited him perfectly, mostly because of his physical appearance. He had talent as a comediant. Unfortunately, he made few watchable films, such as The Freshman (1925) and The Kid Brother (1927). Anyone who is a good lover of slapstic humor and comedy masters, Safety Last! is a must-see, not only because of its tremendous creativity, but also because of its cinematic influence.

    The main characters and their respective jobs contrast brilliantly with the already noisy, crowded and industralized city that is portrayed here. The hunger and lack of money some of them occassionally had where not portrayed in a pitiful way, but in a moving one, thanks to the non-stop present comedy and unique gags, and the romance involved between two of the main characters, who had a beautiful chemistry between them on screen. I might also say not only that this film has a tremendous camera work and some extraordinary shots, but also one of the most remembered and inventive scenes in the history of cinema, which can be seen in the cover of the film and in several film stills. It became an icon, and it is certainly the oldest scene out of the best scenes I have ever seen, proudly this one included, the oldest and classic nail-bitter sequence.

    Bottom line is, while I was expecting a fun slapstick film to see just to check out why this movie made Harold Lloyd so famous, I got a huge surprise when I found out that this comedy was way ahead of its time and I was pretty unaware of its cinematic influence, specially for silent romantic comedies. Indeed, a cinematic treasure, and unforgettable filmmaking.

    93/100
  • vertigoo
    August 24, 2009
    vertigoo
    ...( read more)xster.com">Flixster - Share Movies
  • oldkentuckyshark
    July 22, 2009
    oldkentuckyshark
    Holy fuckin' Shit. Rarely does a movie curl my toes like the end of this one. Harold Lloyd must be one of the ballsiest actors in history. There are lots of actors that do their own stunts, but god damn.
  • holmennnguy
    July 22, 2009
    holmennnguy
    Never since I first watched Cannibal Holocaust (1980) have I ever looked away from the screen while watching a movie than this. This is my very first Harold Lloyd film and I absolutely loved it. It's instantly one of my all time favorites. The first two thirds are hilarious. But ...( read more)it is the last third that is remembered. The last third consists of the main character climbing the outside of a building while birds, a dog, painters, and other obstacles get in his way. I would honestly rank this as one of the scariest films I've ever seen. And I don't even have that big of a fear of heights. Anybody and everybody should watch this magnificent film.
  • somebody421
    May 18, 2009
    somebody421
    Ahh, the famous clock tower scene.
  • randomgong
    April 21, 2009
    randomgong
    A fast, innovative comedy that still has relevance. I laughed just about the whole way through. This was my first Harold Lloyd and it probably won't be my last - although I have strong doubts that any of his other movies can top this one.
  • bbliumis
    January 18, 2009
    bbliumis
    Well.... IF U FIND IT . WATCH IT.

    ITS AMAZING WHAT THEY COULD SHOOT IN THE 20'S!!!

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Safety Last! Trivia

  • I star in the comedies 'Safety Last!' and 'Grandma's Boy', who am I?  Answer »
  • Which of these famous silent-movie comedians dangled off a building's clock face in SAFETY LAST?  Answer »
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