Les mendiants de la vie

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!

I wish for nothing more than a valid version of this great movie on DVD. It's been a while since I last saw it, but the impression has been a lasting one. True empathy lasts through the ages and there is a poignancy about 'Beggars of Life' that is phenomenal. All actors shine in career-defining roles, direction is sensible to minuscule moods, and the overall effect is overpowering. One of the best flicks to come out of Hollywood in those pre-talkie days. Can't wait to see it again.

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.

"Beggars of Life" is (and I hate to use this word) awesome. Louise Brooks takes command of this photoplay right away and makes it her own. Watch her act with her facial expressions in the scene inside the haystack. Brooks' acting is very subtle and is quite effective. She is in good company with Richard Arlen, always a fine actor, and Wallace Beery, whose portrayal of the complex Oklahoma Red is excellent. The all-male supporting cast is also of high quality. This is a first rate cinematic event with a first rate actress and supporting cast. It is something modern day film audiences should not miss.

Artfully photographed, dark and riveting silent film following the story of a handsome tramp (Richard Arlen) who has entered a house looking for work, finds a man slumped over at the table and discovers he has been shot to death. A young lady (Louise Brooks) appears at the top of the stairs dressed in male clothing - she admits she killed the man (he "adopted" her from the orphanage two years before - okey dokey), but reasons that she did it to protect herself from being raped. So - they run off together and hitch a ride on a rail car to get out of town. The two of them soon arrive at a side of the railyard hobo camp where they encounter one really hardened, bully of a hobo (Wallace Beery) who actually ends up helping them. When she is recognized by one of the hobos as being a woman, the bunch want to get her away from her fellow and have her for themselves - oh dear, that struck me as a pretty bad/scary situation for a female to find herself in (the looks on these men's faces as they stared in lust at this poor girl were enough to frighten anyone)! Later "Wanted" posters begin to appear on signposts, as they discover she is now wanted for murder with a $1,000 reward offered for her capture.

I found this to be a very interesting and enjoyable film, full of some beautifully photographed scenes - Brooks and Arlen in close-up as they hide out one night in a hay loft, Brooks falling from a train into a grassy field, a montage of images in the beginning showing the decadence of the girl's "father" as he paws and pursues her. The plot is, in a few ways, reminiscent of the early 40s comedy "Sullivan's Travels" - the female dressed in male clothing stealing rides on rail cars with a male friend/lover, the hobo camp, etc. Interestingly, I thought Louise Brooks looked even more beautiful dressed as a boy than when she puts on a dress! All in all, this is a visual treat and a highly entertaining film.