Beggars of Life Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Beggars of Life Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 6, 2017

1928’s “Beggars of Life” is largely considered to be one of Louise Brooks’s finest motion pictures. The material asks quite a lot of the actress, portraying a haunted character in the midst of interstate travel and personal turmoil, facing threat from all sides. Brooks gives the role all she’s got, and effort is appreciated, adding a rich sense of emotion to the production, which winds through elements of murder, abuse, and law enforcement pursuit, requiring a little softness to balance out all the edge that’s served up during the run time.

Brooks and Richard Arlen portray two “tramps” on the run from a dire situation, trading one potentially life-altering concern for another as they take to the railways, eventually facing a hobo (Wallace Beery) who has designs for the young woman. “Beggars of Life” isn’t kitten play, taking menace and murder seriously, showcasing surprisingly graphic violence for the era, and it doesn’t skip a beat when it comes to detailing the sexual predator side of the conflict, keeping lust armed and ready. It’s unsettling, but “Beggars of Life” isn’t entirely out to horrify, doing quite well in its first half as a road picture of sorts, watching the tramps get to know each other, learning to trust during an initially tentative pass at partnership. It’s here where Brooks shines the brightest, enjoying solid chemistry with Arlen and a few solo scenes of despair that secure the feature’s lasting impression.

Beggars of Life Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"Digitally restored from 35mm film elements preserved by the George Eastman Museum," "Beggars of Life" arrives on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded image (1.34:1 aspect ratio) presentation. Wear and tear is present throughout the viewing experience, which encounters speckling and scratches, and jumpy and frozen frames. Clarity is as good as expected with the age and relative rarity of the source, delivering mildly textured close-ups and decent detail with locations and interiors. Blacks also show their age, but delineation isn't concerning.

Beggars of Life Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix features a score by The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, "employing selections from the original 1928 Paramount cue-sheet." Instrumentation is clear and commanding, providing emotional movements and more pulse-pounding moods when onscreen action heats up.

Beggars of Life Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (eight pages) contains an essay by Nick Pinkerton.

• Commentary #1 features actor William Wellman, Jr.

• Commentary #2 features Thomas Gladysz, founding member of the Louise Brooks Society.

Beggars of Life Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Beggars of Life" dips some in its second half, which trades intimacy for action and tensions within the hobo nation. Beery is appropriately menacing, but the features loses suspense as it goes, though stunt work is impressive, sending actors to crawl all over speeding train cars as the cops and the homeless clash. "Beggars of Life" is better with character than spectacle, and more interesting with wounded hearts than hardened ones, but most of it comes through vividly, making something compelling out of this strange journey.