Being paired with the epidemic-related short "Sailor Beware" (1927), also produced by Al Christie, for the Kansas Silent Film Festival, and with a title of "Hold Your Breath," I though I might be in for more contagious laughter, but it turns out the title alludes to the daring of a young woman (Dorothy Devore) scaling the outside of a building chasing after a monkey and being pursued herself by police. See, she's been framed for stealing Queen Catherine the Great's bracelet, but the monkey is the real culprit, so to prove her innocence... well, you get the idea. If you enjoyed "Safety Last!" (1924) and wonder what if a female comedian replaced Harold Lloyd, then "Hold Your Breath" is sure-fire, released only one month after the Lloyd vehicle and featuring genuinely amusing comic timing and impressive effects for the seeming stunts in the same vein.
As for the picture leading up to this climax, "Hold Your Breath" isn't as funny or thrilling. The surviving print I saw was also incomplete, being cutdown for Kodascope home projectors, and as I doubt they nixed any of the exciting climax, that means there was probably even more of this lackluster plot buildup, or maybe the missing footage fleshed out the sick war-veteran brother, who otherwise serves a weak and decidedly unfunny subplot here. Regardless, once Devore, as Mabel, fills in for him during his leave of absence from work due to illness, the action picks up, including an airplane crashing on Broadway, pilot intact, and her being accidently dragged in a carriage by a car. An African-American character, hired by Mabel's fiancé to follow her to keep her safe, is also amusing in raising sympathy for his tired feet in the madcap chasing while the 1924 silent film, for a pleasant surprise, doesn't resort to offensive stereotypes. Even a shot where a door man refuses to let him follow Dorothy inside the building is photographed from a long shot and with no apparent attempt to make it a comedic situation.
Meanwhile, our heroine reporter crossdresses in the uniform of a male bellhop, to get an interview, which also conveniently provides her pants for the cliffhanger stunts, and demonstrates that she can do just as well whatever Lloyd's "Glasses" character can do--until she decides that she'll retire to "wife-ing," promptly putting an end to the movie. To top it off, fellow comedian Max Davidson makes a cameo as a "businessman" selling chairs and telescopes to bystander spectators awaiting Mabel's fall from the skyscraper. This is a fun one.
