Beggars of Life

and this film proves it. Beggars of Life is a gritty tale set against some beautiful images in the way that Sunrise or Days of Heaven used visual imagery. There are some stunning scenes and great camera work. William Wellman directs. Brooks stars as a girl on the run with a man she meets (Richard Arlen). The picaresque tale takes them west as they try to get to Canada. They run into a hobo camp where Oklahoma Red (Wallace Beery) takes control of their destinies. Great performances by the stars. The camera work on the trains is great, and the stars do their own stunt work. Brooks was always a difficult star, and she paid the price by losing her Hollywood career. Too bad. This 1928 silent shows she had real talent. Although she gets 3rd billing, she is the center of this remarkably adult film about sin, love, lust, honor, and hope. Beery is good, but Arlen is wonderful in his "big brother" role. Roscoe Karns and Guinn Williams (familiar faces in 30s films) co-star. But Louise Brooks is the reason to see this, her best American film, especially if you've seen her German films with Pabst. A must!

Handsome hobo Richard Arlen (as Jim) is hungry. Smelling breakfast as he passes by a home, Mr. Arlen ventures inside to beg for food. Arlen is startled to discover the body of a dead man, as beautiful Louise Brooks (as Nancy) descends her stairway to explain. Tired of waiting on the pawing man, Ms. Brooks shot her sexually abusive guardian. Believing Brooks story (and taken by her beauty), Arlen invites her to accompany him east. They hop a freight train with Brooks disguised as a boy, to deter the police. Love blooms when the two share a bed made in hay. Arlen's "leg-locking" and Brooks' look of approval are part of these actors' well-played scene. With the police on their trail, Arlen and Brooks fall in with a group of hobos.

Brooks' disguise as Arlen's "kid brother" only lasts so long, and she is discovered as a girl. This arouses the interest of boozy tramp leader Wallace Berry (as Okalahoma Red). When their gang of hobos hitches a ride on another train, Mr. Berry wants to throw Arlen overboard and rape Brooks. Berry's swaggering introduction, with a keg of ale for the hobos, is a jolt - as we hear his voice in a "synchronized sound effected" film. Berry, who is billed over Arlen and Brooks, quickly becomes a major character. His change during the last act becomes one of the film's problems. Still, this is still a fine-looking production (despite the prints available).

You get "Wings" director William A. Wellman with one of his greatest stars (Arlen), a fine new actress (Brooks), and one of the movies' most popular character players (Berry). And, hang on tight for some exciting train sequences.

******** Beggars of Life (9/22/28) William A. Wellman ~ Richard Arlen, Louise Brooks, Wallace Berry, Edgar Washington

A really great film. Great action scenes, and yet there are a lot of subtle scenes with nuanced acting. The social themes - child abuse, the desperation of the poor - are quite as relevant today, and make it easy to relate to, especially with the fine acting of Arlen and Brooks. Although the tone is serious, the scenes with Beery introduce an element of broad comedy. Also progressive for its time by having a black character as a respected equal of the others.

The print is in fairly good condition, so this movie would probably gain wider appreciation if someone would write accompanying music specially for it.

Notable for its tautly realistic performances and unrelentingly downbeat atmosphere, "Beggars of Life" is put over with considerable power by director Wellman who makes the most of his location material with a real train on the San Diego-Yuma railroad.

Although it's hard to tell in the print under review, the photography by Henry Gerrard was also a potent ingredient; and certainly the remarkably astute film editing by Alyson Shaffer also aids both the film's tight pace and its ability to grip the viewer.

With her beguiling face and charismatic presence, Louise Brooks rivets attention from start to finish as the wanted girl and even manages to outshine Wallace Beery who pulls out all his usual thespian tricks as a good badman.

I write to amend this earlier complaint about an earlier print from Grapevine (see below). The newest release - 2015 - is much improved. Although a few parts seem to be from a 16mm reduction print (I'm no expert on this), most of the film is much easier to watch. It is brighter, correctly tinted and much sharper than the earlier film I had watched and reviewed here. Moreover, a completely new score by Jack Hardy matches the action on the screen and improves this release by 100%. While shopping, be sure to obtain this newest print released on January 16, 2015. EARLIER REVIEW: I finally obtained a copy of Beggars of Life having read and heard so much about it over the years. William Wellman does some remarkable things in this film including an interesting flashback technique superimposing a close-up of Louise Brooks as she relates details of the altercation with her adoptive guardian. Brooks is not quite at her Pandora's Box level, but she's close. Brooks' filmography is actually rather sparse. However this film coupled with Pandora's Box and Diary of a Lost Girl justify all the accolades she receives to this day. These films are true artistic achievements. In Beggars of Life, Wallace Beery is at his sleazy best as the hobo alpha-chimp who turns out to have a soft heart of gold and Richard Arlen, while maintaining his matinée idol good looks, is superb as he slips out of his boy-next-door persona. Roscoe ("Shapley's the name and that's how I like 'em") Karns and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams also have parts and each adds spice to the story. Unfortunately the only copy I could find was a VHS tape produced by Grapevine Video out of Arizona that appears to be dubbed off of a 16mm television print with music that has nothing to do with the story. I like Beery, Brooks and Arlen as well as Beethoven, but not in this particular mix. Grapevine Video even had the nerve to claim a copyright to the music!!! I am sure the film is in the public domain and I KNOW Beethoven is. As others have noted, a crisp DVD would be greatly appreciated. I understand a better print exists and that the Mont Alto Motion Picture orchestra accompanied the film at the SFSFF in 2008. Let's hope they get together and prepare a decent video release! It would be worth the effort as Beggars of Life is truly one of the great films of the late silent era and ranks, in my opinion, up there with The Crowd and Sunrise in its realism and with its fine performances.