Great Film overall

Am I Missing Something?

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

A very surprisingly mature treatment of a subject at that age, when not many have really attempted such maturity, at least in Hollywood (there were of course Euro movies, delving in different serious aspects). In Hollywood, even when some attempts were made, the main focus was lost, trying to cater the masses (e.g. Way Down East). But this movie doesn't lose the focus, till the end. The subject here is the treatment of Human Ego. Every person deep inside, considers himself/ herself to be special, and hence not really a part of the mass, but one who destined to rise to the cream. Many times, this belief is strengthened by their parents/ other really caring persons, which might have a disastrous effect, when the speciality of the person isn't too far away from the statistical 'Average' The movie chronicles of one of such person, who could luckily get a girl, Mary, who wasn't average in real sense, but she wasn't something of fantasy either, these loving and motherly women, ready to forgive the husbands errant ways, not due to belief, but only for love/ care (he would be lost without me - indicates both the aspects). The ending might be confusing, it has confused a few of the reviewers too, but it isn't depressing or even confusing. It is the acceptance of the facts, that We are after all a part of the crowd. Still we have our specialities (Juggling, Advertisement catch-words), through we can stand a bit away from it. But for that we have to accept that we are not so different from the mass, that we can make our own path, and then make the stream follow us. In fact on this aspect, the movie not only ends in a happy, but in a positive note too. There are a few points - which might have been missed, the transformation of the hero, from one living in his fools paradise, to real life, comes when his son, (the second one with unconditional love, along with Mary, his wife), and the only one still with full faith on him, declares "When I grow Up, I want to be like you" , and then he has to prove himself to be worth of that faith, even if it meant starting from the bottom. He had his talents, and that gets him start. The second was the support of his wife, who proudly shows the neighbour in the theater, her husband's creation, and the man seems to be suitably impressed. Both of these hints on the probable 'creaming' of the hero. Though, alas, the Great Depression was just moments way, and in real life, he would have been crushed, being at the bottom rungs. A positive movie need not end with the hero made overnight millionaire or sensation. It is the note at the ending, which gives the viewer the faith that he has moved into right path.Director, King Vidor, has quite a few brilliant movies in his portfolio, and this one could rank near the top of them,As a foot-note, he (Director) seems to have been really in love with his wife, Eleanor, the heroine in the movie. The close-ups, or the poses in the honeymoon sequence and even later (e.g. picnic) really brought out her delicate beauty, as well as her acting prowess. I wonder what went wrong within a few years after this.

This is one of my favorite silents. It is a simple story told with great images and cinematography, which was SURELY enhanced by the film score in the fully restored version that I saw on TCM. First, one notices the un-presumptuous images which could be as 'American Pie' as a Normal Rockwell painting. This IS the story of the American dream—as well as many of its trials and tribulation. One almost views this movie as a voyeur of John's dreams as well as his problems.This intimate view of the movie character is what makes some movies so great! It is the 'letting us IN' to actively relate to the characters and 'go on the same ride' that they are going on. Many of the images show great spatial perspective as when the camera moves in on the giant buildings of NYC, its masses of people (that has a rhythm of its own), the overhead shots of John's office, the rides at the amusement park (Cony Island?), etc. In the amusement park shots, there is also a beautiful light show of the circles, arcs, and arches that are made by the night lighting of the rides. Another example of great imaging is the powerful view of Niagara Falls, as John (James Murray) and Mary (Eleanor Boardman) climb a nearby hill during their honeymoon? We can almost hear its powerful sound and feel its mist!! There is a feeling that they are starting an adventure that is bigger than they can possibly imagine. But, as in all adventures, there must be some sadness and problems, so we are shown some of them too. The movie, when seen from another view, might also be a subtle indictment of 'modern society,' where men are only seen as cogs in a huge impersonal machine, ant on an anthill—OR numbers at a desk—John IS 137. It is interesting how the story moves in and out, from the personal to the impersonal. Of course, Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times was a full-out satire on that subject.

King Vidor must have had good standing with the powers that be at MGM, because as a director in the studio era he seemed to get to pick and shape his assignments more than most directors of that time.King Vidor made this film to be an artistic achievement, even recruiting unknown actor James Murray - a member of "the crowd" you might say - to play the male lead, all with MGM approval. Murray plays John Sims, a representative everyman who all through life, up to the end of the film thinks he is going to beat "the crowd" and be somebody. He is born July 4, 1900 with his father saying "the world is going to hear from this boy". Unfortunately, John's dad dies when he is 12, and at 21 John heads to New York to make his success. He starts out at a desk amid hundreds of other desks doing simple mathematical clerical work for an insurance company - work that decades ago was replaced by computers. Unfortunately, John's career not only starts there, it ends there too, with only one 8 dollar raise in six years to show for it. What really stings is that John's playboy coworker Bert (Bert Roach) works his way up into management even though they both started work there at about the same time.In one of his rare pieces of luck John does meet a girl (Eleanor Boardman as Mary) that he loves and who loves him back for what he is, not what he says he'll be. When John finally does win some kind of recognition - he wins a 500 dollar prize for coming up with the name for a new cleanser - it ultimately becomes the instrument of destruction for his entire family and any drive he has left.The ending looks like it's a happy one - after John quits his job and can't make it at any other job he finds, almost losing Mary in the process, he finally resigns himself to accepting and keeping any job - one that he ridiculed when he first came to New York seven years before. The final scene has John and family enjoying a night of fun at the local vaudeville house in celebration of his new job, menial though it is, laughing with an auditorium full of people. What has really happened though is that John has finally surrendered his dream and is now happy being just one of the crowd - a bittersweet ending in my humble opinion.This film blends vintage scenes of old New York of the 20's with themes anyone can relate to today - the drive to succeed, the likelihood that most by definition will not, beauty being in the eye of the beholder, and trying to hold a family together after a tragic and sudden loss. I highly recommend this wonderful film.

Crowd, The (1928)**** (out of 4) Classic tale of dreams failing to come true certainly takes a honest look at its subject. The film tells the story of John Sims (James Murray), a man who feels that he has nothing but great things in his future. He marries a terrific woman (Eleanor Boardman) and to him this is just the start of his great life but soon he begins to realize that nothing is a given and he finds himself poor and in danger of losing his family. Even though silents were on their way out by the time this was released, I think this is just another film that proves you really don't need sound or color for something to reach its full power. This was one of those classic films that I had been wanting to see for many years and I'm certainly glad that I finally caught up with it because it certainly lived up to everything I had heard about it. A lot of the buzz for this film was for its technical merits and they are incredible but I thought the story itself was also very good and perhaps the main reason the films works so well. I think, for the most part, the movie takes a very honest look at ones dreams and how the majority of people are going to be letdown by them. I thought the film was very honest and depressing about how it looked at a man who kept expecting to have it all but finds himself losing at every possible turn. Vidor does a masterful job directing the film as he certainly puts all the right touches on the subject as the film goes through many feelings from happiness to sadness to downright depression but Vidor never misses a beat and really delivers a powerful message. I think most people will be able to feel for John because I'm sure everyone at some point has dreamed like he does. I'm sure many will also be able to connect with him when those dreams fall apart and reality hits. The story is a very tender one and it's told in a wonderful fashion except for the ending, which I found to be pretty poor and not going well with everything that led up to it. The performances by Murray and Boardman are extremely good with the two making it seem like they are a real couple. The two of them are very believable in their roles and there wasn't a second that I didn't believe they were these characters. The technical side of the film is also very impressive especially the opening sequences. The scenes of the boy walking up the long stairs was very haunting and the climb up the building was also quite chilling. Again, I don't think the ending worked very well but this is still an exceptional film that lives up to the reputation.