It is a world of small potatoes, who picture every scene in the film-country boy and girl, truck driver, "passengers" hanging on outside of the tram, housewives fighting for the spreads on sale, the drunkard at the corner… At the same time, Harold is the smallest and the typical of those all small potatoes. Like many small potatoes we know in our lives for real, Harold is unimportant, nobody, having a low paid job, often worrying if he would get fired and used to lie because of vanity; On the other hand, he is desired to succeed and working hard – also having an American Dream.
Safety Last is some kind of a satire for me. Like the end of many classic stories, the young man finally gets his dream girl in his arm and is ready to marry her. However, he made it just with luck and a risk of someone's life, which turned out his own life, instead of by working hard. During the time he was climbing the building, almost all the people were excited to see such a "show" while only an old lady cared about his safety, "Don' t you know you may fall and get hurt?" In addition, the police never let a tiny personal issue go, which resulted in chasing his "enemy" when working but not caring a man hanging outside of the building at all. You can say the society this movie shows us is indifferent and absurd. Meanwhile, we see light of hope as the end shows us.It is just like what is talked in A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going to direct the other way…"(Dickens 1).we had nothing before us; we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going to direct the other way…"(Dickens 1).we had nothing before us; we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going to direct the other way…"(Dickens 1).
From humor to satire, with silence – the only words are written, I always imagine that the director told us a story with a blank expression on his face and then left by himself leaving the audience laughing. Maybe for today's film comparing to silence film, the effect of sound is no more than words, because I feel some fantastic effect beyond sound in Safety Last.
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