Safety Last! (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

This is a wonderful release from Criterion. They did a great job here. This is the most beautiful looking version of Harold Lloyd's 1923 feature "Safety Last" I have seen to date. Except for some minor wear, a missing frame or two, and some flicker, this transfer is perfect. You won't believe the sharpness and all the details you will see, and for a 90 year old film, you just won't believe your eyes. This is also Harold Lloyd's most famous film of all the 200 shorts and features that he made. Hysterically funny, perfect timing and gags, and of course the part of the movie climbing the side of the building. It is still incredible that he was able to do it so flawlessly. And with all the new details and sharpness, the tension is even more gripping. At times, the nausea may creep in. 3 audio tracks included- Stereo orchestral, a monaural organ, plus a excellent commentary. Also 3 restored shorts by Harold, not as in great shape as Safety Last, but still very enjoyable. An intro by Harold's granddaughter Susan, some location spots where the movie was filmed. And a nice BBC documentary, feature length, that was released in 1989. It is a very thorough and informative program on Harold's life with many clips and interviews with people that knew and worked with him. This is a complete package that should be in every collectors library. Harold has been mostly forgotten behind Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, but this is a great introduction for anyone interested in starting to learn about Harold Lloyd. A absolute must and highly recommended.

Excellent image quality and musical accompaniment. Entertaining, laugh out loud funny and terrifying edge of the seat stunts. Fascinating supplemental material rounds out the typical quality Criterion package

I've always berated my nieces and nephews for their aversion to black-and-white films. I should be looking in the mirror because of a personal reluctance to view silent films and foreign language films. Not that I'm ignorant. I have seen Chaplin's "Modern Times" and Keaton's "The General" but to describe myself as anything but a novice would be disingenuous. That said, I think my lack of a predisposition should be a help and not a hindrance. I had heard of Harold Lloyd by name and reputation so I can tell you "Safety Last!" is an excellent introduction to his work. Good visual and verbal humor culminating in Lloyd's character "the Boy" scaling the outside of a high rise department store that will leave you choking with tears of hysteria and gasping for air. The film is accompanied by three recently restored short subjects while not groundbreaking are fitfully amusing. Whether you consider yourself a film buff or not you'll find this Criterion release very satisfactory.

I ended up purchasing two version of this movie. First was the Alpha Video DVD, but that turned out to be a poor quality, un-restored version. Second was The Criterion Collection Blu-ray which was a restored version with a good quality picture. Don't bother with the Alpha Video version, the picture quality is just atrocious and not worth your time. If Criterion has a DVD, that would likely be suitable since this isn't a high def movie. I included some screen shots comparing the two versions so that you can see the difference.

This is one of the greatest films ever made..But then that can be said about any film made by Mr. Harold Lloyd.Note this is the movie with the famous climb that features the hanging onto the clock.Also must note that an added bonus is that this includes the documentary/biography about Harold called "The Third Genius"..That alone is worth getting this movie even if like us you already have it..The blu ray transfer is remarkable and will not disappoint..We can only hope that this will help get Harold more known today as he was in his own day..For he and ones like him are the reason why we have movies today..Don't forget our film history..That is what this is film history.Buy it if you are a fan and share with friends so that they can too discover this film pioneer..And if you aren't a fan this is a perfect place to start..And don't forget the fore mentioned Third Genius documentary..Best wishes and keep laughing and to quote a Harold film title "Never Weaken" :) :) from us both The Darlings Mark And Mandy :) :)

Harold Lloyd was every bit as great as the more famous Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. They are great too, but Lloyd is amazing, and he played a character I could relate to more than the very European Chaplin and the inscrutable "Stone Face" Keaton. Lloyd's talent as a stuntman is so stunning, it is actually frightening at times in this daredevil of a movie. Fantastic commentaries with Leonard Maltin and Lloyd's grandson, plus several terrific shorts in this 2-DVD set. A fantastic lesson about the silent era that is still a blast to watch nearly a century later.

Until buying this Harold Lloyd movie I always thought I couldn't handle silent movies. I WAS WRONG ! What helped me “adjust” to silent movies we're watching these Harold Lloyd films with the commentary turned on. I found the commentary to be very informative and most interesting. If you know someone that can't watch a silent movie, I suggest watching Harold Lloyd films with the commentary turned on. It makes a big difference, especially for the young. Harold Lloyd, the second funniest man ever. Obviously, Curly from the Three Stooges is still number one. Politically, Harold Lloyd was conservative, and active in republican politics. He was even a delegate at the 1952 republican convention that nominated Dwight Eisenhower.

Everything went fine with delivery and product is the typical top notch transfer (2k), presentation and extras I've come to expect from Criterion. Included are: 3 Short films: Take a Chance (1918), Young Mr. Jazz (1919), and His Royal Shyness (1920). 2 Documentaries: Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius, and Locations and Effects. Feature length commentary and more... I'm slightly astounded that Lloyd was more popular than Buster Keaton (back in the day) and only a marginal second to Charlie Chaplin. (?!) I wasn't nearly as impressed with Harold Lloyd. Think, Keaton without the magic or Chaplin without the charm. That being said, there were some clever gags and some of it was even quite good. I will be getting more Lloyd movies for my collection. I'm focusing on silent movies right now and as one of the giants of the time, Harold Lloyd definitely has a spot. I'm looking forward to seeing more but I would only recommend it to connoisseurs of the era/genre.

Greatly entertaining even in black and white and silent.

Wunderbare Restaurierung. Toll...

Nothing to dislike ,arrived by post in good times had to set up on subtitles, even though its a silent flic! Yes they originally put captions in but it is funny and considering it IS 1923 Release so that makes it 101 years since it first came out, image quality is very good considering, would definitely recommend this DVD

This is a comic masterpiece with a flow of comic invention. Great sight gags and stunts.

The picture quality on this offering is outstanding along with the newly dubbed music. The master stuntman - Harold L. will leave you at the edge of your seat when viewing this masterpiece. Computer generated graphics machine can be turned off here, not required when you see breath taking stunts that are so precisely planned out and executed in style. I've watched it several times and keeps on entertaining me and family. A must buy for your classic film collection along with Chaplin and L&H.