The Crowd (1928)

The Crowd is a 1928 American silent film directed by King Vidor and starring James Murray, Eleanor Boardman and Bert Roach.

The film is an influential and acclaimed feature which was nominated at the very first Academy Award presentation in 1928, for several awards, including a unique and artistic production for MGM, as well as the award for best director for King Vidor.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Following the footsteps of some of Vidor's earlier films, this film adds to his reputation as a director of prestige films, with a well-written story about an ordinary man born at the dawn of a new century, who holds the promise and hope of an extraordinary life.
 * 2) Great cinematography that has nearly as large a role as the two stars themselves often with breathtaking visual inventiveness, such as the memorable interior shot climbing from street level, up columns of skyscrapers through a window into a sea of desks was ground-breaking at the time.
 * 3) Eleanor Boardman and James Murray star as Mary and John Sims, and proved to be amazing actors with memorable performances. Also James Murray was a clever casting decision considering Vidor wanted an "ordinary man" to play the lead role rather than a household name, and Murray was an extra during casting, making the role appropriate.
 * 4) The visuals are alternately in concert and in contrast with the equally vibrant screenplay. It was stated the Vidor was impressed by the stylized films of German directors such as F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang, a style which came to be known as expressionism, and he incorporated some of their techniques into his film. Early in the film, John races home to be greeted by traumatic news. As he climbs up a long staircase, his apprehension is heightened by the use of forced perspective to create a dramatic, tunnel-like space, the walls and ceiling designed and specially painted to achieve the effect. Forced perspective is used to create a similar feeling in a scene set in a hospital corridor that appears to extend to infinity.
 * 5) Numerous references to the titular "crowd".
 * 6) John Sims the lead had decent character development. He goes from a desperate man obsessed with standing out among the crowd, to a loving husband and father willing to accept himself as one of many among the crowd. Although even then, he manages to come across as relatable to certain viewers thanks to being able to see things from his humanistic point of view.