Beggars of Life (1928)
Country: US
Technical: bw 100m silent
Director: William A. Wellman
Cast: Wallace Beery, Louise Brooks, Richard Arlen
Synopsis:
Driven to murdering her lecherous guardian, a grown-up orphan girl comes under the wing of a hobo, who undertakes to escort her, in male disguise, north of the border. On the way, however, they fall among a motley band of tramps under the self-appointed leadership of the whiskey-toting Oklahoma Red, while the forces of law and order close in, and the girl's identity seems certain to be uncovered.
Review:
Late Paramount silent, and it shows, with rather a lot of intertitles for dialogue, as if the writers were just crying out for their actors to speak. It was ultimately brought out with some sound elements added, though really it was quite unnecessary, for a seasoned small band of musicians is more than capable of producing the effects needed to shadow the story, as Neil Brand and the Dodge Brothers demonstrated at a momentous performance in the Aldeburgh Cinema on 5th May 2013. Wellman keeps the action vigorous and pacy, as Brooks escapes pawing hands, falls off trains and sleeps rough in haystacks, but there is a lyricism here, too, as if the picture knew it was near the end of an era. This must rank as one of the great hobo films, along with Emperor of the North and Boxcar Bertha, and though Brooks is very good, with her piercing eyes directing piteous glances at all about her, it is Beery who delivers the star performance, all muscle and swagger, but with a rueful smile and soft heart not far beneath. The naturalistic performances throughout here remind one of the art to which silent screen acting had risen by then. Trivial footnote: interesting that it is the girl's trousered behind that alerts the villain, Arkansas Snake, to her sex, as she bends down to pour herself some hooch!
Country: US
Technical: bw 100m silent
Director: William A. Wellman
Cast: Wallace Beery, Louise Brooks, Richard Arlen
Synopsis:
Driven to murdering her lecherous guardian, a grown-up orphan girl comes under the wing of a hobo, who undertakes to escort her, in male disguise, north of the border. On the way, however, they fall among a motley band of tramps under the self-appointed leadership of the whiskey-toting Oklahoma Red, while the forces of law and order close in, and the girl's identity seems certain to be uncovered.
Review:
Late Paramount silent, and it shows, with rather a lot of intertitles for dialogue, as if the writers were just crying out for their actors to speak. It was ultimately brought out with some sound elements added, though really it was quite unnecessary, for a seasoned small band of musicians is more than capable of producing the effects needed to shadow the story, as Neil Brand and the Dodge Brothers demonstrated at a momentous performance in the Aldeburgh Cinema on 5th May 2013. Wellman keeps the action vigorous and pacy, as Brooks escapes pawing hands, falls off trains and sleeps rough in haystacks, but there is a lyricism here, too, as if the picture knew it was near the end of an era. This must rank as one of the great hobo films, along with Emperor of the North and Boxcar Bertha, and though Brooks is very good, with her piercing eyes directing piteous glances at all about her, it is Beery who delivers the star performance, all muscle and swagger, but with a rueful smile and soft heart not far beneath. The naturalistic performances throughout here remind one of the art to which silent screen acting had risen by then. Trivial footnote: interesting that it is the girl's trousered behind that alerts the villain, Arkansas Snake, to her sex, as she bends down to pour herself some hooch!
Country: US
Technical: bw 100m silent
Director: William A. Wellman
Cast: Wallace Beery, Louise Brooks, Richard Arlen
Synopsis:
Driven to murdering her lecherous guardian, a grown-up orphan girl comes under the wing of a hobo, who undertakes to escort her, in male disguise, north of the border. On the way, however, they fall among a motley band of tramps under the self-appointed leadership of the whiskey-toting Oklahoma Red, while the forces of law and order close in, and the girl's identity seems certain to be uncovered.
Review:
Late Paramount silent, and it shows, with rather a lot of intertitles for dialogue, as if the writers were just crying out for their actors to speak. It was ultimately brought out with some sound elements added, though really it was quite unnecessary, for a seasoned small band of musicians is more than capable of producing the effects needed to shadow the story, as Neil Brand and the Dodge Brothers demonstrated at a momentous performance in the Aldeburgh Cinema on 5th May 2013. Wellman keeps the action vigorous and pacy, as Brooks escapes pawing hands, falls off trains and sleeps rough in haystacks, but there is a lyricism here, too, as if the picture knew it was near the end of an era. This must rank as one of the great hobo films, along with Emperor of the North and Boxcar Bertha, and though Brooks is very good, with her piercing eyes directing piteous glances at all about her, it is Beery who delivers the star performance, all muscle and swagger, but with a rueful smile and soft heart not far beneath. The naturalistic performances throughout here remind one of the art to which silent screen acting had risen by then. Trivial footnote: interesting that it is the girl's trousered behind that alerts the villain, Arkansas Snake, to her sex, as she bends down to pour herself some hooch!