LUDLOW, Vt. – It’s a cinematic image so powerful, people who’ve never seen the movie instantly recognize it; Harold Lloyd hanging from the hands of a huge clock, from the climax of his silent comedy “Safety Last” (1923), has emerged as a symbol of early Hollywood and movie magic.
See for yourself with a screening of “Safety Last” on Saturday, Aug. 22, at 7 p.m., in the Heald Auditorium at the Ludlow Town Hall, 37 Depot Street in Ludlow, Vt.
Presented by the Friends of Ludlow Auditorium (FOLA), the screening will feature accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating live music for silent film presentations. Admission is free and all are welcome to this family-friendly event. Donations are accepted at the door to support the Friends of Ludlow Auditorium.
“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, holding viewers spellbound.
Lloyd, along with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, is regarded as one of the silent screen’s three great clowns.
Lloyd’s character, an ambitious young man ready to struggle to win the day, proved hugely popular in the 1920s. While Chaplin and Keaton were always favored by the critics, Lloyd’s films reigned as the top-grossing comedies throughout the period.
Rapsis will create a musical score for the film live during its screening, in the manner of theater organists during silent cinema’s peak years in the 1920s.
“For most silent films, there was never any sheet music and no official score,” Rapsis said, “so creating original music on the spot to help the film’s impact is all part of the experience.”
“That’s one of the special qualities of silent cinema,” Rapsis continued. “Although the films themselves are often over a century old, each screening is a unique experience – a combination of the movie, the music, and the audience reaction.”
For more information on this screening, call 802-228-3238. For more information on the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com.