The vision of Harold Lloyd hanging from the hands of a huge clock, from the climax of his 1923 silent comedy “Safety Last” (1923), has emerged as a symbol of early Hollywood and movie magic.
People can celebrate the 100th anniversary of the film’s original release with a screening of “Safety Last” Sunday, Jan. 15, at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St. in Wilton. The screening will feature live music by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis.
Admission is free, but a donation of $10 per person at each screening is suggested to help defray expenses.
“Safety Last” follows young go-getter Lloyd to the big city, where he hopes to make his mark in business, then send for his small-town sweetheart. His career at a downtown department store stalls, however, until he gets a chance to pitch a surefire publicity idea – hire a human fly to climb the building’s exterior. But when the human fly has a last-minute run-in with the law, Lloyd is forced to make the climb himself, floor by floor, with his sweetheart looking on. The result is an extended sequence filmed without trick photography that blends comedy and terror.
Lloyd, along with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, is regarded as one of the silent screen’s three great clowns. While Chaplin and Keaton were always favored by the critics, Lloyd’s films were the top-grossing comedies throughout the period.
Rapsis performs on a digital synthesizer that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra, creating a traditional “movie score” sound.
“Seeing ‘Safety Last’ with an audience is one of the great thrill rides of the cinema of any era, silent or sound,” Rapsis stated. “Harold’s iconic building climb, filmed without trick photography, continues to provoke audience responses nearly 100 years after film was first released.”
Tributes to the clock-hanging scene have appeared in several contemporary films, most recently in Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” (2011), which includes clips from ‘Safety Last.’
For information on the show, call the theater at 603-654-3456. For information on the music, visit jeffrapsis.com.