Safety Last! (1923) directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor
A young man (Harold Lloyd) leaves his small town and his girl (Mildred Davis) to make his fortune in the big city. If he can make enough money, she will join him and they will live happily ever after as husband and wife. He does not get rich quick, however. His job at a department store is full of challenges like his stuffy supervisor, demanding customers, and unreliable transportation (though that is a problem for the man's life in general). A lot of comic misadventures happen to him, culminating in a get-rich-quick scheme that does not go according to plan.
Lloyd is the third great comedian of the silent film era, after Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. This film is his most famous work (the image of a Lloyd hanging off a clock face comes from this movie). It is funny, with mostly slapstick and reaction shots providing the humor. Lloyd is a good comedian and a handsome fellow. The plot is very simple, more of a framework to string together comedy routines and gags. It's a fun movie and has some great moments. While I enjoyed it, I think he's a distant third in the "comedy actors of the silent era" group. He does not have a distinctive style like the other two, nor the well-preserved body of work.
Mildly recommended.
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