The crowd is a 1928 american silent film directed by king vidor and starring james murray, eleanor boardman and bert roach. The crowd 1928 is a genuine, immortal, timeless american silent film. The crowd was among the last silent films, released in 1928 at the dawn of the. You can watch this full movie free with english subtitles on movie television channels, renting the dvd or with vod services video on demand player, hulu and ppv pay per view, netflix. The crowd is a 1928 american silent film directed by king vidor and starring james murray. King vidor s the crowd is a marvellous creation, taking inspiration from both the moving camera of murnau and the use of geometric space seen in german expressionism. As the followup to the directors successful wwi drama the big parade, the film was intended as a vast, ambitious work, yet for all the overreaching themes at play here, it is supremely intimate. Nominated for the academy award for unique and artistic production and being.
The crowd a drab actionless story of ungodly length and apparently telling nothing. Though vidor s parent studio mgm was certain that this simple story of everyday people would take a bath at the boxoffice, the film earned back twice its cost. The crowd, king vidor film analysis senses of cinema. The crowd 1928 king vidor, drama, romance movie on dvd. He was born in galveston, texas to lumberman charles shelton vidor and his wife kate wallis. Vidor links the epic and the personal in the opening scene. Watch the crowd 1928 full movie online free on coolmoviezone. The star of the film eleanore broadman appeared in a hopalong cassidy film with william boyd.
The mob noted by dwan is the subject of the crowd, vidor s silent masterpiece. Want to watch the big parade on your tv or mobile device at home. Incidentally, the crowd was nominated for the same award sunrise won in the first year of the oscars, the oneoff most unique and artistic production. The story of john and mary sims, their lifes challenges and ups and downs. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. At the time it was made it was considered influential. Certainly one of vidor s best films, a silent masterpiece which turns a realistically caustic eye on the illusionism of the american dream. It was shepherded by mgms boy wonder producer irving thalberg, although studio head louis b. The longness of the picture suggests it was designed for a metro special, but on what, only its authors, john v.
Instead, he becomes a lowlevel worker in an enormous office of a nameless corporation. Director king vidor 18941982 had a long and distinguished career in both silent and sound films, but his masterpiece is unquestionably the crowd. Vidor was born in galveston, texas, the son of kate wallis and charles shelton vidor, a lumberman. King vidor moviefone movies movie times movie tickets. The making of a silent classic past times film closeup series. I was hooked from the opening scene onwards for the longest time it was impossible to get a copy of vidor s the big parade, but a bluray edition finally came out last year. Hunting down a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or watch the king vidor directed movie via subscription can be. As was the case with every film project that he cared deeply about, filmmaker king vidor had to fight long and hard with his studio bosses to get the crowd produced. King vidor director of the movie the crowd 1928 with cast eleanor boardman, james murray, bert roach. This experimental, social commentary movie, with a screenplay by king vidor and john v. The crowd 1928 is one of the greatest films ever made. Viewing the big parade 88 years after its initial release, and 25 years following its inclusion in my upperlevel course on the war film, elicited complex feelings. The crowd 1928 king vidor synopsis, characteristics.
With this acclaim, it was nominated at the very first academy award presentation in 1928 for several awards. Born in galveston, tx, king vidor was the son of a wealthy lumber manufacturer. The crowd 1928 is a genuine, immortal, timeless american silent film masterpiece from director king vidor, whose earlier big wwi epic the big parade 1925 had been a major boxoffice hit for mgm studios. A young man born on americas 124th birthday arrives. Overview of the crowd, 1928, directed by king vidor, with eleanor boardman, james murray, bert roach, at turner classic movies. Watch the trailer for the crowd, directed by king vidor and starring james murray. The life of a man and woman together in a large, impersonal metropolis through their hopes, struggles and. The story concentrates on john sims, brilliantly played by james. Without commercial breaks, the full movie the crowd has a duration of 98 minutes. King vidor, in full king wallis vidor, born february 8, 1894, galveston, texas, u. Long live vidor, a hollywood king the new york times. The crowd is a 1928 silent film directed by king vidor and starring james murray, eleanor boardman, and bert roach. And then there is a film that comes almost up to the level of sunrise itself, king vidor s the crowd, from 1928. The crowd 1928 the best movies in cinematic history.
The arrival of sound films at the same time combined to radically change filmmaking. King vidors dynamic direction brings expressionist style to the american dream. Eleanor boardman in the crowd 1928 james murray and king vidor at an event for the crowd 1928. I wanted to be a playwright, but i was beginning to fall in love with film, says paul weitz as he settles in at his venice, calif. King vidor discusses his film the crowd usa 1928, starring james murray and eleanor. This film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are. The crowd 1928 was both a groundbreaking and courageous film for a major director to initiate at mgm in the predepression era a big budget production without major stars, almost plotless, lacking in dramatic conflict, and about an ordinary couple struggling. The film is an influential and acclaimed feature which was nominated at the very first academy award presentation in 1929, for several awards, including unique and artistic production for mgm and best director for vidor. The crowd is another movie released at the very end of the silent era that shows just how advanced the art form of the movies had become before they all began talking. King vidor was an american film director, film producer, and screenwriter of hungarian descent. Vidor took this opportunity to watch the same movies. With eleanor boardman, james murray, bert roach, estelle clark. On the one hand, although the film still stands as a great achievement of classical hollywood silent cinema, it, like many others, has become dated by.
James murray, eleanor boardman, bert roach, estelle clark. Find where to watch the crowd and many more full length movies from the best streaming services online. King vidor s the crowd doesnt spend its time telling you a grand science fiction or horror story, but instead tells the simple tale of a man who becomes part of a family and goes to the edge and. He became interested in movies then a brand new form of entertainment as a young boy, and later took a job as. Released in 1928 and directed by king vidor, it tells the uncompromising story of john and mary, a young married couple who endure hard times and tragedy together. The crowd 1928, directed by king vidor and starring. The life of a man and woman together in a large, impersonal metropolis through their hopes, struggles and downfalls.
The crowd 1928 young john sims james murray weathers the death of his father and travels to new york city in search of success. The next scene is a full panoramic shot of niagara falls where the roaring. The big parade 1925 stream and watch online moviefone. John and mary are eventually married, raising two children in their tiny new york tenement complete with a balky toiletthe first time. In july urbanfilms ezra haber glenn presented an old favorite, king vidor s the crowd, as part of the brattle theatres elements of cinema series. The visual storytelling displayed here is extraordinary, if any just one film could convince. One of the greatest of all silent films, king vidor s film is a supreme example of perceiving the universal in the particularin this instance a typical young couple james murray, eleanor boardman full of hope for their future but buffeted by fate and the grind of daily life.
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