quiet_curiosity (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
quiet_curiosity) wrote2010-12-03 06:17 pm
quiet_curiosity) wrote2010-12-03 06:17 pm
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The Hoodlum (1919)
Summary: A spoiled rich girl chooses to side with her father over her grandfather on a whim and must learn to survive in the less gilded world her father chooses to live in.
Stars: Mary Pickford, Ralph Lewis, Kenneth Harlan, Melvin Messenger, T.D. Crittenden, Aggie Herring,
Directed by: Sidney Franklin
Viewed Via: TCM/DVR
Current Commercial Availability: Unavailable
1) It's kind of hilarious how Pickford isn't playing a little girl here yet the character comes off as more childish than the character in Poor Little Rich Girl. Her tantrum early in the movie is a sight to behold and all of her little rich girl quirks are made to annoy. I did, however, love her in the car chase - high-speed fun! But her "hoodlum" transformation halfway through the film is just as childish. Her grandfather's early sadness over what she had become make me laugh. No sir, she was never a lady!
That said, Pickford plays the character well, worts and all. And she proves to be quite game at throwing herself into the more slapstick parts of the film.
2) Again, I don't think anyone else really stands out acting wise. It may be because Pickford is so scene-centric or they may just be weak overall.
3) I naturally kind of hate the poverty glamorization that happens in the film. Yes, not everyone who lives within a within a certain socioeconomic class is a miserable, suffering wretch. But not everyone is "above it all" or naturally knows how to live. The film does show some people living in pretty miserable poverty, but those people merely exist to show how Amy's heart has grown three sizes since leaving her grandfather. When the grandfather lives incognito amongst them, he too becomes a better, more humble person by living beneath his means. Poverty is a means for rich people to grow. It doesn't help that Amy's father isn't really poor and doesn't really hide it. He isn't partaking in conspicuous consumption but they still live better than everyone else around them.
4) I'm amused by how easily old films jump to criticize capitalism and this film is no exception. Today, certain problems may be said to be the problem of certain individuals or the cultures within certain companies. This film just jumps to say that capitalism made them screw that one guy (and eventual Amy love interest) over. That would NEVER happen today. The honesty killed me.
5) The love interest is just kind of there. He and Mary have some interesting moments but I didn't buy them. He's as much a love interest as he is a means to an end. Amy realizes that her grandfather has screwed him over and the two of them break into his home to try to steal papers that would prove the love interest's innocence. They're caught, the grandfather confesses (to Amy and the love interest), and everyone eventually forgives everyone. Meh.
The film has a few funny moments, particularly with Pickford, but it pinged too many of my sore points. The restoration is lovely but I was a bit disappointed.
Stars: Mary Pickford, Ralph Lewis, Kenneth Harlan, Melvin Messenger, T.D. Crittenden, Aggie Herring,
Directed by: Sidney Franklin
Viewed Via: TCM/DVR
Current Commercial Availability: Unavailable
1) It's kind of hilarious how Pickford isn't playing a little girl here yet the character comes off as more childish than the character in Poor Little Rich Girl. Her tantrum early in the movie is a sight to behold and all of her little rich girl quirks are made to annoy. I did, however, love her in the car chase - high-speed fun! But her "hoodlum" transformation halfway through the film is just as childish. Her grandfather's early sadness over what she had become make me laugh. No sir, she was never a lady!
That said, Pickford plays the character well, worts and all. And she proves to be quite game at throwing herself into the more slapstick parts of the film.
2) Again, I don't think anyone else really stands out acting wise. It may be because Pickford is so scene-centric or they may just be weak overall.
3) I naturally kind of hate the poverty glamorization that happens in the film. Yes, not everyone who lives within a within a certain socioeconomic class is a miserable, suffering wretch. But not everyone is "above it all" or naturally knows how to live. The film does show some people living in pretty miserable poverty, but those people merely exist to show how Amy's heart has grown three sizes since leaving her grandfather. When the grandfather lives incognito amongst them, he too becomes a better, more humble person by living beneath his means. Poverty is a means for rich people to grow. It doesn't help that Amy's father isn't really poor and doesn't really hide it. He isn't partaking in conspicuous consumption but they still live better than everyone else around them.
4) I'm amused by how easily old films jump to criticize capitalism and this film is no exception. Today, certain problems may be said to be the problem of certain individuals or the cultures within certain companies. This film just jumps to say that capitalism made them screw that one guy (and eventual Amy love interest) over. That would NEVER happen today. The honesty killed me.
5) The love interest is just kind of there. He and Mary have some interesting moments but I didn't buy them. He's as much a love interest as he is a means to an end. Amy realizes that her grandfather has screwed him over and the two of them break into his home to try to steal papers that would prove the love interest's innocence. They're caught, the grandfather confesses (to Amy and the love interest), and everyone eventually forgives everyone. Meh.
The film has a few funny moments, particularly with Pickford, but it pinged too many of my sore points. The restoration is lovely but I was a bit disappointed.