Wikipedia.org Article for the Cyclone Roller Coaster:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coney_Island_Cyclone
Celebrate with one of our favorite films from our old "Dying Breed Movie Club" days...
Run Time: 104 mins
Genre: Drama
Format: Standard 4:3, B&W, Silent
Director: King Vidor
Starring: James Murray, Eleanor Boardman and Bert Roach
The future holds unlimited potential for newborn John Sims. But dreams soon fade with the death of his father when John is but a lad. Like many before him, John sets out to make his mark in New York City, but ends up a faceless worker in a large office of a large business. Still he is happy with his fate and soon meets a young woman named Mary on a blind double date. As their lives open up together through marriage, pregnancy and plight, the lives of the workaday men and women in urban America is revealed.
About 10 years ago myself and a bunch of friends had a movie club and we did the year 1928 and The Crowd (1928) was on the list. Here are some of those reviews.
Jennifer Congleton:
It’s really cool to get a glimpse into 1928. Some things haven’t changed at all in 80 years. You may not catch too many men wearing suits and ties on the beach anymore, but the working man is still stuck in the same old rat race that ends up practically destroying John Simms. John and Mary are on the roller coaster of life, with a few highs and lots of lows, and then finally rock bottom. The worst was when they received that $500 and then a truck hits their kid. The cinematography is awesome. I love all the cool shots of NY. I liked the scene when the horse ambulance comes barreling down the street and then young John slowly walks up the steps, all alone with a huge crowd below, to find out that his father has died. He just looks so alone. Despite the tragedies in the movie, there are many humorous moments as well. John and Bert’s drunk walk home, the husbands at the hospital, and the kids peeing at the beach are just a few. - Grade: A
Ross Brakman:
The more exposure I get to films of the silent era, the more I realize how relevant they continue to be in our era. From the slapstick of Keaton to the pretentious of Dreyer to the surrealism of Dali and Bunuel. Okay, maybe surrealism hasn't maintained a presence in contemporary film. The story in "The Crowd" is easily as contemporary as any modern romantic comedy, and likely better than many mainstream films today. You have fair doses of love, despair, quality shtick, failure and redemption all with an underlying pathos that I certainly didn't anticipate when the film began. In short, many filmmakers today either already saw "The Crowd," or should. - Grade: B+
Russ Fama:
Again 1928 rules! And just one year shy of the stock market crash. I wonder if the couple's marriage survived that? Wow - the roller coaster ride of human emotions... I was deeply moved by this film and its family relationship dynamics. This movie can make you cry like "Field of Dreams". The one thing I took away from this film is I gotta learn to play the ukulele! It surely may be man's secret to surviving married life. I'm convinced that it's the only thing that is gonna keep it all together for me... Boy do I wish I could experience Coney Island in the 1920's! Now that must have been a fun time. On the technical side this movie really moved along and I didn't mind that it was silent. The forced and angular architecture shots along with the bustling crowd scenes blending into each other were rudimentary "Koyanasquatsi". If you liked the poignancy of corporate America in this film, I highly recommend you view Rod Serling's feature film of the 1950s - "Patterns". Also on the subject of crowd manipulation of the masses may I also recommend the film A Face In The Crowd. - Grade: A
Dana Stevenson:
Wow, there is so much great stuff to say about this film that I don’t know where to start. I love, love, love this movie! The story has it all; an early look at corporate America, the American dream of making it big, the ups and downs of marriage, comedy, a heartbreaking tragedy, and it’s just got such a genuine feel to it. Eleanor Boardman and James Murray give exceptional performances as Mary and John, which makes their turbulent relationship all that more believable. There are so many scenes in this movie that stand out in my mind. I love the foreshadowing of Johnny ending up as the pathetic guy juggling and wearing a sign to make a living and the comedy when he and his buddy walk down the street in a drunken stupor. I love the scene when John and Mary are fighting in the kitchen and everything is breaking in the apartment, as well as the scene of their family on the beach. Not to be forgotten is the musical score that is absolutely phenomenal and builds the moment for every scene. The cinematography is also astounding; particularly the shot looking down the stairs at Johnny as he ascends them only to discover his father died, the shots of the crowded city that enable you to feel the expansiveness and frenzy of it, and the final shot in the theater as the camera pans out and the crowd gets bigger and bigger. This movie went way, way, way, beyond what I would expect from a silent film and the fact that the story can hold up no matter what era it is told in amazes me. I almost forgot that it wasn’t taking place during present day. I must admit that I’ve never had much of an appreciation for silent films but this one has changed all of that for me. - Grade: A+
Chris Mich:
This is what the Dying Breed Club is all about. This is an awesome, awesome movie that showcases just how inventive directors were in those early years to accomplish "putting you there" right alongside the character. Shots like the camera on the double date going down the fun slide with the four love birds was cool. Editing/double exposure effects like the numbers spinning out of control around a grief stricken Dad who only can see the scene of his daughter getting hit by a truck - which is double exposed as a scene on his actual forehead. The script is great - about how one man dreams big and falls short. And, even though happy endings may have been common place in the day - it had me guessing till the end if it would "all work out." The only reason I didn't give this an A+ is that it has the stereotypical portrayal of Blacks for the era. Historically accurate to a point (and used minimally in the film, I might add), but really not necessary. However, it was funny that it was the lowly conductor that initiates the married couple to get into bed together for the first time. Other great gems were the kissing scene by Niagara Falls, the dominoes of years, and that last killer shot of the crowd in the theater that keeps going and going. What's also cool about this picture is that it does serve as a visual connection to all the stories I've heard my grandparents and members of that generation share about life in the city, politics at the office back in that day, etc. I loved this movie! - Grade: A
Phil Congleton:
As I mentioned in my review for "Docks of New York", there are certain areas in silent film that I tend to struggle with because of believability, mostly caused by sign-of-the-times circumstances which cause me to lean towards the positive side because it is something the director can't control, but it is a struggle nonetheless. In the case of this film, and really any film made before 1960, there is a loss of believability, because I really do not believe that people fall in love on their first date or get married within a week of meeting each other. When someone says, "Are you making love to me?", that doesn't really mean saying sweet stuff to your girlfriend, like in the 1934 movie "It Happened One Night". It means, "Let's get F**k'n". This is a problem due to sensibilities of the time and censorship that you don't see today. But again, it is a sign-of-the-time thing. This continuous assault on viewer sensibilities is what made things tough for me and actually became annoying by the end of the film. I was however impressed with the use of the word "pregnant" in this film considering the fact that you couldn't even use the word on television until about 1965. I wasn't buying the two older brothers either. The actors cast for the roles seemed a little too old. The only other problem I had with the film was, even though it was 1928, I still felt a familiarity was apparent in this film and I am sure this story was told before this one in earlier cinema.
On to the good stuff; Excellent camera work was seen through out the film. Great shots and perspective; young Johnny on the steps, framed by the walls and the crowd at his father's passing. Great camera trucking shots; the camera man riding backwards down the slide in front of the actors at Coney Island. The shot going up the building, than over the desks in the office. The shot, pulling back, over the audience in the theater at the end of the film. Great close-ups. They really perfected the use of close-ups by this time in film history. The scene at Niagara Falls was A+ stuff. Even though the story seemed familiar, it still was executed perfectly by hitting all the aspects of life; romance, love, work, birth, tragedy, despair and resolve. Excellent use of paradox with the juggling clown and the sleight of hand - magic cleaner slogan. The future and the past coming together at once. I really wanted to love this film, because of all the great things I heard about it. Maybe if it was shortened by about 20 minutes, than the usual struggles I felt from the film would have been lifted. All-in-all, a great commentary for the silent film era. By the way, the actor who played Bert was named Bert Roach. I was wondering if he was related to Hal Roach, who produced the Laurel and Hardy shorts as well as the Our Gang comedies and I was wondering if the group of kids in the beginning were part of the our gang kids. Something to think about. - Grade: A-
Rich Shumaker:
Wow! Yeah I said Wow! The first 30 minutes has some amazing cinematography or at least I think that is when it is. Scenes I have seen in other films are in this one. Amazing camera angles. great use of space. And it is 4 X 3 ish in aspect ratio and it still has POP for those images. The story is excellent and makes me sad. His ship is coming in, and in the end, does it ever really come in? This movie is one step away from a tragedy. Stop this film 10 minutes earlier and it could be a tragedy or make it go 10 more and it might be. I still love the film, I give it an A rating. It makes me want to work harder at my goals, very inspiring. Weird inspiration though. Kind of like dream the dream and make sure to go for it. Don't wait for your ship because it won't show up on the docks. If it does show up that damn Karma is going to kick up and wack you or your kid with a stick. Because you never get something for nothing. The money flows in and you experience a greater loss then is ever imaginable. Yes if you watch this film some if not all of this crazy rant will make some sense. If you never see The Crowd then most of what I am saying is cryptic. Even if you do watch it I am sure I am still cryptic. Great story. Hard story for me to watch. I would watch this film again. - Grade: A
Trailer/Scenes for the Film on YouTube:
Click the link below at GoWatchIt.com to see where you can stream or watch The Crowd (1927) online or on TV right now:
https://gowatchit.com/watch/movies/the-crowd-12167
Or check out TVGuide.com to see if this film is playing on TV/Cable in your area:
http://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-crowd/132345/
Check back in tomorrow ......................
For our next Film of the Day .....................
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