Vive la liberté

Laurel and Hardy are prison escapees, desperately trying to change out of their convict-attire to much less noticeable street clothes. In their frantic dressing, they realize they are wearing each others pants and, in their distracted haze, are chased by a policeman into a construction site, where they flee police-sight by riding an elevator to the top of an unfinished building. Twenty stories into the air, Laurel and Hardy are now stranded on the pillars of the building, frantically trying to switch trousers while avoiding the large drop to their death.

Such is the premise for Leo McCarey's comedy short Liberty, which adheres to the silent comedy principles of "thrill-comedies," which are comedies that bear a great deal of suspenseful elements intended on making the audiences laugh one minute before gasping the next. One of the most famous examples - one I also happened to review too - was Harold Lloyd's Never Weaken, from 1921, which Liberty seems to borrow quite a bit from. However, unlike the darker undertones Never Weaken provided, Liberty is much more carefree and comedic, as well as manic.

Its manic qualities are precisely what kept Laurel and Hardy in the business for so long, with Liberty coming later in the game for their silent shorts. If not for the incredible stunts of the short, which Laurel and Hardy performed at their own risk, the music and overall writing/directing pace unleashed by McCarey and H.M. Walker (who would later direct the Marx Brothers' superb comedic masterwork Duck Soup) make Liberty enough to be immersing on terms outside its contributions to a genre so significant in the early days of film.

Starring: Stan Laurel and Olive Hardy. Directed by: Leo McCarey.

Laurel and Hardy escape from jail and end up wearing each other's trousers. The hilarious sequence of failed attempts to change back was intended for their previous film "We Faw Down" but was removed when that film proved too long. They finally manage to change trousers, first with Stan then Ollie having a live crab within the seat of the pants, and end up on a high building in real Harold Lloyd territory. Perhaps not as well paced as the best of Lloyd but still extremely funny. Up among the best of their silent two reelers.

This is the film from Laurel and Hardy's silent days where they escape from prison, end up wearing each other's trousers, and finally are in danger stranded on steel girders high above ground. This sequence is a particular delight and unusual for the pair as it is more in Buster Keaton or Harold Lloyd territory; here we see Stan and Ollie trying to get back to safety in a variety of amusing ways.

A very funny film which needs no dialogue and a minimum of title cards, 'Liberty' is probably their best effort before they went into sound. Sight gags, a range of funny situations, and perfect playing from the leads put this into a high class of comedy. Hugely enjoyable.

"Liberty" was one of Laurel and Hardy's last silent films, and clearly one of their best. Only two years into their long screen partnership, this talented duo had mastered silent comedy art by 1929, and, with this film, rendered a beautifully constructed, excellently paced, skillfully photographed short, packed throughout with incident and wit. Much credit should go to director Leo McCarey (who would later helm classics like "Duck Soup" and "Going My Way") and cameraman George Stevens (who would later direct "Woman of the Year", "Shane", and "Giant"). Part of the brilliance of this film is in the presentation of it's climax, atop an unfinished skyscraper. Yes, Laurel and Hardy were really scrambling around 10 stories over the streets of Culver City, California; but they were doing so on a wooden mock-up assembled on the roof of an already existing structure.

The first halve of the movie a textbook example of Laurel & Hardy comedy and slapstick in general. It's slapstick humor at its very best and shows Laurel & Hardy at their prime, in one of their most enjoyable and hilarious silent comedy shorts.

The entire movie basically relies on one comical premise; the boys trying to switch their pants, after they notice that they wear each other pants (that's not for the first or last time by time), after a hasted but successful prison escape (I wonder what they were in for this time?). There are some hilarious moments build around this premise, that are well thought out and even better executed by the boys and a couple of other Laurel & Hardy regulars, such as James Finlayson, Jack Hill and Jean Harlow. There are some excellent timed moments, that help to make this one of the better, as well as one of the most memorable Laurel & Hardy silent comedy shorts. At one point they even manage to get a live crap in their pants, which causes some hilarious moments. Great comedy stuff.

The sequences with the boys showing their silly antics on a construction-site, on top of an unfinished skyscraper, unfortunately goes on for a bit too long and the humor gets rather stretched thin. It's not the best or most hilarious climax thinkable but it of course also still shows some great moments of comedy brilliance.

A great and hilarious, typical, textbook Laurel & Hardy silent comedy short!

8/10

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