Up and about

Vertical Transportation in the movies often serves as a suspenseful setting or plot device. From tense encounters to dramatic reveals, lifts contribute to various cinematic moments. Notable examples include scenes in ‘Speed’ (1994), The Shining’ (1980) and ‘Die Hard’ (1988). The confined space creates a unique atmosphere for storytelling. In certain cases, movies depict lifts as a setting for unexpected events, highlighting malfunctions, heists, or intense confrontations. The closing of lift doors can often be used symbolically to depict an ending or a fresh start for a character. However, movies often take creative liberties for dramatic effect, so the portrayal of lifts may not always be entirely correct from a technical standpoint. Lift scenes might exaggerate speed, ignore safety features, or depict unrealistic free falls. “Speed” (1994) has a lift shaft rigged with explosives in an LA skyscraper with a terrorist demanding an outrageous ransom for the hostages inside the lift car. The lift is going down, but not in the way it was designed to, with the safety gear threatening to fail as well. Is this technically correct? Broadly yes as the lift only falls after both the traction ropes are cut and the safety gear is disabled by the explosives. Cundall may have offered some advice here! In “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” (1971), Wonka has taken a lift and turned it into a rather more special Wonkavator. This glass machine will go up, down, on a slant, sideways and flies. Is this technically correct? Sort of. Of course, elevators can’t travel out of a building roof and fly, but there are lifts that can travel sideways, using magnetic linear motor technology plus those on a slant, typically a type of lift using a rack and pinion system. The use of glass in elevators is also commonplace, with a scenic lift being a feature of many buildings both inside and to external elevations. In short: elevator scenes in movies are almost never realistic as they’re usually exaggerations or physical impossibilities created for drama. Passengers can’t escape from inside a lift car through a hatch as they are only designed to open from the outside and car doors can’t be easily pried open; lifts can’t free-fall or ascend at high speed as modern units have multiple cables, safety brakes, and automatic emergency systems that clamp the lift car to the guide rails; there can’t be a fight scene inside a lift car as typically they are far too small and any violent motion would activate the safety gear. Sorry to spoil the movie magic!