Country: USA
Released: February 18th, 1928
Genre: Romance
Directed by: King Vidor
Produced by: Irving Thalberg
Written by: King Vidor & John V.A Weaver
Unfortunately it turns out that a realistic couple during the tale end of the Jazz Era just sorta fights a lot. We get to see them fight in their apartment, at the beach, next to Niagara falls. Oh the places you'll go on this tour of short-fuses and bitchiness! I mean it really is just a lot of constant fighting. Geez, it's almost as if marrying someone after one date isn't a good idea after all!
Alright fine, that's unfair. It's pointless to project contemporary expectations onto past rules of engagement (the romantic kind, not the killy kind). While today we prioritize compatibility and the search for a 'soulmate,' the reality is that prior to, like, the 1970s and 1980s marriage was 'just what people did.' You married because it was what was expected of you, and not doing so was viewed unfavourably. In that kind of environment why not marry the guy you just met?
But back to the movie. Things take a very sharp tonal turn two-thirds of the way through when John and Mary's youngest is hit by a truck and killed. Now make no mistake this is a tragic, heart-wrenching scene that marks a tilt in the film from light-hearted fluff to humanizing struggle. That being said, watching the kid get run over was one of the funniest fucking things I've ever scene. I don't know if they were short on film or time at that point of the production but the take they decided to use is terrible, and it makes me wonder why they didn't use another one. The little girl is off marker so the truck has to deliberately swerve to "accidentally" hit her so that it looks like the driver went really out of his way to fuck up a child. It's great!
Because of this hilarious and horrible mishap John falls into a deep depression, forcing him to quit work, which sends his family into a financial spiral that culminates in John attempting suicide.
Ha ha ha... classic.
Jokes aside John's suicide scene is deeply moving. After chickening out he slowly walks home in tears with his son, and the two just talk about stuff. They have a real heart to heart and it's executed masterfully. It's a real tearjerker despite highlighting the shocking disregard for children characters in this movie seem to have (I mean, he tries killing himself with his son just a few feet away). Then again I am a sucker for schmultz. The problem through is that everything before this darker turn is mostly fluff. Until the film takes the dive into darker waters it is basically just a very light romantic-comedy, and while that certainly has it's charms the characters are nowhere near likeable enough to make such stakeless proceedings compelling. It's not bad by any stretch but when compared to the last thirty minutes its shortcomings are quite apparent.
Still, Vidor is a talented filmmaker and for all my complaints I did enjoy the movie. The beginning is amusing enough and gave me a few genuine chuckles. But really, it's the last third that really shines. Watch the whole thing if you have the time, but otherwise skip to the fifty minute mark and enjoy a short film about loss, depression, and hope.
Released: February 18th, 1928
Genre: Romance
Directed by: King Vidor
Produced by: Irving Thalberg
Written by: King Vidor & John V.A Weaver
Aziz Ansari's latest book, Modern Romance, is a strange little product. Rather than being the kind of comically autobiographical piece expected of a stand-up comedian, Modern Romance is an almost anthropological study of courtship in the digital age. Backed by data from a slew of academics ranging from psychologists to sociologists Ansari essentially outlines an evolution romance up to our contemporary, social media saturated world.
I bring this up because watching The Crowd reminded me of one of the central points of Modern Romance: that romance and social norms regarding searching for a partner have changed so dramatically in the last decade that they bear virtually no resemblance to previous romantic traditions. Nowhere is this more evident than about twenty minutes into the film when protagonist John Sims (James Murray) asks love-interest Mary (Eleanor Boardman) to marry him as they're heading home from their first date together.
Pictured: John performing a victory fist-pump just after getting engaged
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The Crowd is the story of John and Mary's relationship over the course of about a decade. In that span of time we witness everything from their first date to the birth of their first child. I'm almost tempted to label the film "slice of life" because there isn't much more to it than that. It really is just the story of a couple struggling to make the best life for themselves in the big city. Despite such a simple premise however The Crowd still manages to be a tonal mess, never quite figuring out what it wants to be. It knows that it wants to tell the story of this couple, that much is clear, but beyond that whether it wants to do so as a romantic comedy or gut-wrenching tragedy is up in the air.
The first hour of the movie is ostensibly just watching a bunch of jerks hang out and bicker. Seriously, most every character in this film is a douche, especially John. I legitimately yelled "what a douche!" at my screen in amused disbelief. I can't exactly remember why, but I know it was because John was being a massive tool about something. Hell they ocassionally pepper in scenes that serve no purpose but to highlight what dicks these people are. At one point John and Mary become absolutely terrified of a black guy on a train for absolutely no reason. Why? I mean yes I know this is the 1920s but come on, they live in the city I'm sure they've seen tons of black people just chilling. Why does this particular dude make them shit their pants in terror? He's not doing anything.
Honestly save for a few chuckle-worthy this portion of the movie is simply... odd. It never became clear if it was trying to be a romantic comedy or if it was just a simple, realistic portrayal of a couple during the tale end of the Jazz Era.
Unfortunately it turns out that a realistic couple during the tale end of the Jazz Era just sorta fights a lot. We get to see them fight in their apartment, at the beach, next to Niagara falls. Oh the places you'll go on this tour of short-fuses and bitchiness! I mean it really is just a lot of constant fighting. Geez, it's almost as if marrying someone after one date isn't a good idea after all!
Alright fine, that's unfair. It's pointless to project contemporary expectations onto past rules of engagement (the romantic kind, not the killy kind). While today we prioritize compatibility and the search for a 'soulmate,' the reality is that prior to, like, the 1970s and 1980s marriage was 'just what people did.' You married because it was what was expected of you, and not doing so was viewed unfavourably. In that kind of environment why not marry the guy you just met?
But back to the movie. Things take a very sharp tonal turn two-thirds of the way through when John and Mary's youngest is hit by a truck and killed. Now make no mistake this is a tragic, heart-wrenching scene that marks a tilt in the film from light-hearted fluff to humanizing struggle. That being said, watching the kid get run over was one of the funniest fucking things I've ever scene. I don't know if they were short on film or time at that point of the production but the take they decided to use is terrible, and it makes me wonder why they didn't use another one. The little girl is off marker so the truck has to deliberately swerve to "accidentally" hit her so that it looks like the driver went really out of his way to fuck up a child. It's great!
Because of this hilarious and horrible mishap John falls into a deep depression, forcing him to quit work, which sends his family into a financial spiral that culminates in John attempting suicide.
Ha ha ha... classic.
Jokes aside John's suicide scene is deeply moving. After chickening out he slowly walks home in tears with his son, and the two just talk about stuff. They have a real heart to heart and it's executed masterfully. It's a real tearjerker despite highlighting the shocking disregard for children characters in this movie seem to have (I mean, he tries killing himself with his son just a few feet away). Then again I am a sucker for schmultz. The problem through is that everything before this darker turn is mostly fluff. Until the film takes the dive into darker waters it is basically just a very light romantic-comedy, and while that certainly has it's charms the characters are nowhere near likeable enough to make such stakeless proceedings compelling. It's not bad by any stretch but when compared to the last thirty minutes its shortcomings are quite apparent.
Still, Vidor is a talented filmmaker and for all my complaints I did enjoy the movie. The beginning is amusing enough and gave me a few genuine chuckles. But really, it's the last third that really shines. Watch the whole thing if you have the time, but otherwise skip to the fifty minute mark and enjoy a short film about loss, depression, and hope.
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