Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

PresidentForLife No doubt this film deserves a place of honor in the way it is filmed. The crowd scenes, for one, are impressive, especially considering the technology available at the time. But the story is really not well though out. Sure, it's about the trials and tribulations of a young couple, but after an auspicious start the young man turns out to be a n'er-do-well, and his hapless personality is never really examined. Too much of the early parts of the film are spent dramatizing how normal and ordinary their early life is, then it all falls apart as he fails to hold down job after job for reasons that are never explored. He isn't a drunk, and he doesn't have PTSD from the war, so......what happened? Is he depressed? At the end, they all go out to watch a movie and laugh, in a particularly eerie crown scene. No wonder this movie wasn't popular ! !

evanston_dad I had wanted to see "The Crowd," King Vidor's silent classic about navigating the anonymity of big-city American life, forever, but couldn't ever find it. It finally aired again on TCM and I got a chance to see it for myself. What a marvelous film, a perfect example of a silent film director knowing how to use a purely visual medium for utmost impact.I've seen people debating the ending and whether it's happy or not. Apparently Vidor picked it out of six or so other options under pressure from the studio to end the film happily. But I think this was a case of a director subversively appearing to accommodate the demands of a studio while sticking to his guns. I personally did not feel like the ending of "The Crowd" was happy. Sure, we see the protagonist and his wife and surviving child laughing happily with others in a movie theater, but was I the only one who found the rows and rows of patrons, mechanically bobbing up and down like automatons, slightly disturbing?"The Crowd" received two Academy Award nominations in the institution's debut year: Unique and Artistic Picture and Best Director (Dramatic Picture). The first award went to "Sunrise" (can't argue with that) while the second went to Frank Borzage (which I can).Grade: A

Michael_Elliott Crowd, The (1928)**** (out of 4) Classic tale of dreams failing to come true certainly takes a honest look at its subject. The film tells the story of John Sims (James Murray), a man who feels that he has nothing but great things in his future. He marries a terrific woman (Eleanor Boardman) and to him this is just the start of his great life but soon he begins to realize that nothing is a given and he finds himself poor and in danger of losing his family. Even though silents were on their way out by the time this was released, I think this is just another film that proves you really don't need sound or color for something to reach its full power. This was one of those classic films that I had been wanting to see for many years and I'm certainly glad that I finally caught up with it because it certainly lived up to everything I had heard about it. A lot of the buzz for this film was for its technical merits and they are incredible but I thought the story itself was also very good and perhaps the main reason the films works so well. I think, for the most part, the movie takes a very honest look at ones dreams and how the majority of people are going to be letdown by them. I thought the film was very honest and depressing about how it looked at a man who kept expecting to have it all but finds himself losing at every possible turn. Vidor does a masterful job directing the film as he certainly puts all the right touches on the subject as the film goes through many feelings from happiness to sadness to downright depression but Vidor never misses a beat and really delivers a powerful message. I think most people will be able to feel for John because I'm sure everyone at some point has dreamed like he does. I'm sure many will also be able to connect with him when those dreams fall apart and reality hits. The story is a very tender one and it's told in a wonderful fashion except for the ending, which I found to be pretty poor and not going well with everything that led up to it. The performances by Murray and Boardman are extremely good with the two making it seem like they are a real couple. The two of them are very believable in their roles and there wasn't a second that I didn't believe they were these characters. The technical side of the film is also very impressive especially the opening sequences. The scenes of the boy walking up the long stairs was very haunting and the climb up the building was also quite chilling. Again, I don't think the ending worked very well but this is still an exceptional film that lives up to the reputation.

macmets-2 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.