Harold Lloyd one of the funniest silent actors of all time along with Chaplin and Keaton. He's an iconic actor like the two, does most of his own stunts and is really fun to watch. Best example of his work...
Harold decides to leave his own town and make it big in the city. He has a job but his girl (Mildred Davis) thinks he's making it big and has tons of money and Harold makes her believe that. He figures out a way to make a thousand dollars by luring a crowd to watch a Daredevil climb a building. However, the daredevil is being chased by a cop and Harold has to do it himself.
Harold Lloyd is really straight out hilarious. He's so funny and comical that he steals the whole movie. The scenes with him are all funny, there's a sequence when he's trying to get to work, hiding from the landlord, working in the shop in a crowd full of customers and a scene when he makes his girl think he's the boss of the job where he works at. He even falls a few times and gets right back up as if nothing happened and that's a true comedic performer right there. The music has great timing, goes with every single scene in the film and really sets the tone and mood. Hal Roach's directing gives the film it's comedy and suspense. I love how he opens the film with something we believe is going to be dark, I love the shots of Harold's thoughts coming to life and I laughed at the reflection shot when he's combing his hair and using a customers bald head as a mirror. Oh and by the way "Our Gang" member Mickey Daniels makes a cameo during the "Kick Me" sign joke.
The scene that everyone remembers in this film is when he's climbing the building as he encounters numerous obstacles and is holding the hands of a Clock at one point. The sequence is so funny, so suspenseful and so epic that has you on the edge of your seat at all times. The shots and cinematography make it so realistic and if this were done nowadays we'd get a green screen effect, MAN HAS HOLLYWOOD GOTTEN LAZY! Harold Lloyd does most the stunts for this sequence and it's very impressive of how much he's committed to do this sequence. The scene when he's holding on the hands of the clock is so memorable, so iconic that it's been homage dozens of times.
Jackie Chan has done this stunt in one of his films.
"Hugo" homages this scene.
The title sequence to the Bond film "On Her Majesties Secret Service" has a brief reference to this scene.
My favorite homage and reference to this scene is in...
"Back To The Future" when Christopher Lloyd (Last name is Lloyd too) is hanging on the Clock Tower during the climax of the film.
This Harold Lloyd's best and iconic film of all time. If you haven't seen one of his films before, START WITH THIS ONE!
RATING 5/5
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