The Crowd (1928)

good back-story, and good acting

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

The subject of this film was relevant in 1928 and is still relevant now in 2011.A young couple John and Mary struggle in life, but very much love each other.John works in a office with many other like minded people.He dreams of writing a slogan that will change his fortune and hopefully give him and mary some financial security.The day arrives when he wins a competition by writing a winning slogan.Then their lives are turned upside down by a tragedy involving the death of their daughter..Great acting,directing,editing,etc..James Murray produced a performance in this film that has seldom been equalled but never bettered in the history of cinema(in my opinion).The entire cast is outstanding...Simply one of the greatest films ever made...

At a time when movies were learning how to indulge audiences with epic romance and timeless fantasy, King Vidor's simple story of ordinary people struggling against the relentless anonymity of big city life must have come as something of a revelation. Vidor stylishly combined realistic backgrounds with natural performances and in doing so was able to avoid the usual histrionic overkill of silent screen melodrama. The beautifully realized story follows an ambitious young man to bustling, metropolitan New York City, where his big dreams are slowly crushed under the accumulating pressures of work load and home life until, gratefully, he sinks to the level of the downtrodden masses he'd previously laughed at. Unlike so many other Jazz Age relics the film has aged remarkably well; decades later it's still an emotional experience, and a perfect example to modern audiences of the visual eloquence achieved at the height of the silent era.

Most of us aren't winners and most of us aren't losers. "The Crowd" is the story of a man who has had his dreams taken from him by the fact that there are just so many of us, hence the title. He does his work each day. He parties. He loves. He hopes. And like with most of us, life throws him curves and he does what he can. Unfortunately, the death of a child is a big curve and it's hard to recover from that. I was really moved by this film. I generally find silent films curiosities. This one had the charm and the depth that any movie has. Yes, he seems like the kind of guy with the big ideas that we all know. The patience of his loving wife is more than he deserves. The portrayal of all this is marvelously done and pulls out a few tears. For anyone who wants one more chance, this is a nice movie. I understand that the lead is a man who succumbed to the misfortunes of life and paid a price that could have been like that of the protagonist. The cinematography is another thing that really works well in this film. King Vidor did incredible street shots showing the power of anonymity.

This wonderful film is a classic tragedy. The hero's downfall is...his pride. He wouldn't take a job offered by his wife's family, even when their survival depended upon it. The direction is superb, the acting realistic, and the editing/cinematography years ahead of it's time. And then, a happy ending. Well, considering the year it was made it's hard to find fault with the studio. While watching this masterpiece a thought occurred to me that is anathema - turn it into a talkie. Cut out the cards and record the dialog. I think it would work. Not that I like remakes or colorization or any of that kind of stuff (I detest them) but this is one film that is shot and acted so realistically (for it's time) that I would love to see how it plays with modern sound. It's so good I think it would work beautifully.