New York, NY: Beggars of Life

[thomas_gladysz]

Beggars of Life, with Wallace Beery and Louise Brooks, will be screened on February 20th as part of Film Forum's William Wellman Festival. It is a great opportunity to see a rarely screened film not readily available on DVD.

I wrote an article about this screening for Huffington Post (New York) which can be found at
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-gl ... 83710.html

Actor and author William Wellman Jr., who has recently completed a biography of his father and is introducing some of the movies at the Wellman Festival, stated via email, "Beggars of Life was one of my Father's favorite silent films. He loved it. He talked about it a great deal with appreciation and GUSTO."

Start time is 8:35 pm. Musical accompaniment will be provided by Steve Sterner. Film Forum is located at 209 West Houston St., west of 6th Ave.

[smokey15]

Doesn't "Beggars Of LIfe" have a few lines of dialogue? I thought that Paramount threw in a few lines making it the first movie from that studio with some talking. If this is true is the dialogue still in existing prints or does it only exist as a silent film?

[Gagman 66]

Is this the 2006 35 millimeter restoration from Eastman House? Do you know? Only the Silent version remains. The picture had a theme song though. Here is is at the following link.

fan.tcm.com/_Beggars-Of-Life-Troubadours-From-Beggars-Of-Life-1928/audio/698352/66470.html

[Rodney]

Doesn't "Beggars Of LIfe" have a few lines of dialogue? I thought that Paramount threw in a few lines making it the first movie from that studio with some talking. If this is true is the dialogue still in existing prints or does it only exist as a silent film?

The audio does not survive, and I think it was actually a song, sung by Wallace Beery. I would bet this is the new George Eastman 35mm at Film Forum, since the only other option would be murky 16mm prints.

[Mike Gebert]

The song was performed before a Chicago screening. It's awfully flowery for that film. Though maybe the melody could be turned into something more in keeping with the hardboiled tone.

In any case, you should definitely take advantage of an opportunity to see the GEH restoration, which looks great.

[rollot24]

I saw the GEH restoration in Seattle and it does look great. Definitely worth seeing

[Rodney]

The song was performed before a Chicago screening. It's awfully flowery for that film. Though maybe the melody could be turned into something more in keeping with the hardboiled tone.

In any case, you should definitely take advantage of an opportunity to see the GEH restoration, which looks great.

Right -- although I'm pretty sure that the "Beggars of Life" waltz was not what Wallace Beery sang. When he first strides into the hobo camp, he's singing a drinking song, which is my guess for the synchronized-vocal portion of the film. I think the waltz was probably commissioned separately.

The waltz "Beggars of Life" is very romantic. You need to use it judiciously, if at all (we basically play it at the opening and for the haystack scene, where it works pretty well). Curiously, the cue sheet for Beggars of Life features a completely different waltz called "Beggars of Life" than the one that was published as a tie-in. There's an obscure, inconsequential story there somewhere...

[rogerskarsten]

Rodney,

I was in attendance at the Kansas Silent Film Festival when Mont Alto accompanied BEGGARS OF LIFE (almost ten years ago!), and it remains one of my favorite silent film experiences. I hope that if someone should decide to issue the new Eastman House print on DVD/Blu-Ray/whatever-the-next-format-is, you will provide that score. As you used it, the "Beggars of Life" waltz fits perfectly with the film.

~Roger

[Mr.Mycroft]

I was at the sold out screening at the Film Forum last night and had a few observations:

1) Wonderful to see a silent film sell out, even if the Film Forum is a modest space.
2) The age range was encouraging, from mid-twenties to eighty or so. LOTS of younger people.
3) The film seemed to bring out an extraordinarily high ratio of attractive women, single film geeks you really missed your night!
4) The print was the 35mm restoration and was generally good. Considering its source its probably on par with the print of Underworld screened at Lincoln Center a few years ago.

The only let down, and it is only a slight one, is the film is just ok. The leads are charismatic and the opening reel has a rather brilliantly done multi-exposure recap of an attempted rape and murder but the rest sort of falls into type by the end. A good film, even a very good one in parts, but just a tad shy of what I was hoping for.

But who cares, it was an unqualified success of a screening and I hope FF drags more rarities out of the archives soon!