Beggars of Life (1928)

After killing her treacherous step-father, a girl tries to escape the country with a young vagabond. She dresses as a boy, they hop freight trains, quarrel with a group of hobos, and steal ... See full summary »

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Benjamin Glazer (adaptation), Jim Tully (story),

Stars:

Wallace Beery, Louise Brooks, Richard Arlen

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Wallace Beery	...	Oklahoma Red
Louise Brooks	...	The Girl (Nancy)
Richard Arlen	...	The Boy (Jim)
Blue Washington	...	Black Mose (as Edgar Washington Blue)
Kewpie Morgan	...	Skinny (as H.A. Morgan)
Andy Clark	...	Skelly
Mike Donlin	...	Bill
Roscoe Karns	...	Lame Hoppy
Bob Perry	...	The Arkansaw Snake (as Robert Perry)
Johnnie Morris	...	Rubin
George Kotsonaros	...	Baldy
Jack Chapin	...	Ukie (as Jacques Chapin)
Robert Brower	...	Blind Sims
Frank Brownlee	...	Farmer

Storyline

After killing her treacherous step-father, a girl tries to escape the country with a young vagabond. She dresses as a boy, they hop freight trains, quarrel with a group of hobos, and steal a car in their attempt to escape the police, and reach Canada.

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Plot Keywords:

train | based on novel

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1928 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bettler des Lebens

Filming Locations:

Carrizo Gorge, Mojave Desert, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 84 min (sound)

Sound Mix:

Mono (MovieTone) (talking sequences and musical score) Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The train wreck in this movie (an actual derailment) was filmed in Carrizo Gorge in the Southern California desert; the wreckage is still there.

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Quotes

The Boy: Ain't it funny when you think of the millions o' people in warm houses and feather beds, an' us just driftin' 'round like the clouds? But I guess it's about even when you boil it down. Even them people in feather beds ain't satisfied - we're all beggars of life.

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Connections

References The Sheik (1921)

User Reviews

Luminous Brooks shines in her best "serious" American film role

While she is known primarily for her work for G.W. Pabst in the German films Pandora's Box and Diary of a Lost Girl, Louise Brooks is phenomenal in William Wellman's movie of a young girl on the run after she murders her sexually abusive guardian. The opening scene, in which the murder takes place, is gorgeously imagistic and ranks (for me) as one of the most indelible moments in all of cinema. Richard Arlen and Wallace Beery are very good in their roles, but the movie belongs to Brooks, whose ability to underplay in the silent era -- when mugging and exaggeration were more the rule than the exception -- makes her seem ultra-contemporary. It is little wonder Brooks has such resonance with modern audiences.