Wri/Dir: King Vidor | US Drama, Silent 1928
A story of everyman lost in the crowd yet relevant to each one of us. King Vidor’s 1928 silent epic sees a young couple, John an advertising copywriter, and his wife Mary very much in love as they struggle through their ordinary life with all its pettiness and glory. John’s dream is to write an award-winning slogan but their world is turned upside by a family tragedy. Full of hope and sadness and Vidor’s magnificent mise en scène Thé Crowd shows man as a cog in life’s machinery on widescreen shots of New York, the Niagara Falls, the parks and the beach. Vidor captures the universality of experience with two expressive performances from Eleanor Boardman and James Murray and a rousing score by Carl Davis.
LOCARNO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | August 7 – 17 2024 | opening film