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Beggars of Life
Louise Brooks was a star. And this film
proves it. Beggars of Life is a surprisingly gritty tale set
against some beautiful images (the Southwest and Mexico) in the way that
Sunrise or Days of Heaven used visual imagery. There are
some stunning scenes and great camera work. William Wellman directs.
Brooks stars as a girl on the run with a man she meets by chance. The
picaresque tale takes them west as they try to escape to Canada. They
run into a hobo camp where Oklahoma Red takes control of their
destinies. The camera work on the trains is especially good, and yes,
the stars do their own stunt work.
Brooks was always a difficult star, and she paid the price by losing
her Hollywood career. Although she gets 3rd billing, she is the center
of this remarkably adult film about sin, love, lust, honor, and hope.
Just after finishing this film, Brooks filmed The Canary Murder Case
as a silent with William Powell and Jean Arthur. She then headed to
Germany where she worked to film Pandora’s Box and Diary of
a Lost Girl. These films caused a sensation and gave Brooks the kind
of roles Hollywood wouldn’t. When she was called back to re-shoot
parts of the Powell film as a talkie, she refused. Her refusal basically
ended her Hollywood career. She made a few films in England, a few B
pictures in Hollywood, and ended up in a couple cheapie Westerns. By
1938, at age 32, she was washed up.
Richard Arlen got into films in the early 20s. By the end of the
silent era, he had become a big star, especially in Wings. In Beggars
of Life, he’s quite good as the "big brother" who tries
to save the girl. He has two remarkable scenes here: the haystack scene
and the train-jumping sequences. His most notable talkie was the 1929
version of The Virginian, a film that made Gary Cooper a star.
Wallace Beery made more than 200 films. As Oklahoma Red, he’s
quite good in a role that seems made for him: the gruff guy with a soft
heart. Although Beery doesn’t appear until about 30 minutes into the
film, he dominates from then on with his star presence. The box car
scenes with him are wonderful as he takes command of the hoboes as his
"gang."
Roscoe Karns, Guinn Williams (familiar faces in 30s films), Robert
Perry, and Edgar Washington co-star. The film is well directed by
Wellman and uses a framing technique that adds a soft focus to each
scene, making each scene look like a painting. Filming this earthy tale
in soft frames and against such beautiful imagery works very well,
adding a layer of "heightened reality" to the film.
But Louise Brooks is the reason to see this, her best American film,
especially if you've only seen her German films with Pabst. A must!
Review by Edward Lorusso |
