The Crowd

“The Crowd,” the 1928 silent film, stands as the quintessential King Vidor directed movie, with charming interludes of pure comedy mixed with genuine emotional depth.  Even though we can see the main character’s many flaws, we continue to route for him because he maintains his basic desire to support his wife and family despite a boring job and a questionable attitude towards his future prospects.

Eleanor Boardman and James Murray

James Murray plays John Sims, an insurance clerk who maintains his loyalty to his company despite being stuck in a warehouse-like office crunching numbers with dozens of other men.  He abandons his plan to study one night when a co-worker, played by the portly Bert Roach, invites him to double date with Mary at Coney Island.  John and Mary have a short romantic interlude that leads to marriage and family, but things unravel as John succumbs to the pressures of his dead-end job.

Kamagra is one among some very popular medicine that anyone can easily afford. soft tab viagra It should not be exceeded or decreased without informing the physician. kamagra 100mg is recommended as an ideal treatment for infections in respiratory tract, skin and ear infections and could effectively treat the sexually viagra sales australia transmitted diseases. Researchers have said that purchase levitra try for info now regular intake of this power food improve blood amount by removing the clogs and clog and by making it thicker to reach the male’s reproductive organ. Similarly, impure water can have drastic effects and reduce the body’s acidity, pancreas self-destruction, abdominal pain, inflammation, the inner toxicity, and deficiency of cheap sildenafil no prescription nichestlouis.com important nutrients. I give a lot of credit to Vidor for presenting such a common story without much irony.  The plot points include John being born, his settling into a clock-watching insurance clerk, and a family tragedy with trounces his confidence and idealism.  Mary, played by Eleanor Boardman, remains supportive, but John’s behavior pushes her to the breaking point.

Vidor filmed much of the film in New York, and he achieved some spectacle shots of crowds.  As much as John tries to distance himself from the crowd, he keeps getting pulled along with it.  Vidor gives us a big movie with big ideas, but he also manages to maintain a tight domestic story with very good performances from Murray and Boardman.

 

This entry was posted in Movie Reviews, Silent Film. Bookmark the permalink.