Beggars of Life poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Wallace Beery, Louise Brooks, Richard Arlen, Blue Washington, H.A. Morgan ... see more see more... , Mike Donlin , Roscoe Karns , Johnnie Morris , George Kotsonaros , Robert Brower , Frank Brownlee , Jack Chapin , Bob Perry , Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams , Andrew Clark

Wallace Beery appeared in this silent film with intertitles, a dark drama of hobo life. Jim (Richard Arlen), a wanderer, comes upon young Nancy (Louise Brooks), who has just killed the guardian who wa... read more read more...s trying to rape her. Disguised as a boy, she takes off with Jim and rides the rails to a hobo camp led by Arkansas Snake (Robert Perry). When Oklahoma Red (Beery) takes over the camp, he begins to pursue Nancy, but before he can take her from Jim, the detectives show up to arrest her. He engineers a daring escape that nearly kills them all, but allows Nancy and Jim to get away -- but Red is still interested in her, and still following them; as resourceful as ever, he steals a car and some girl's clothes for Nancy, to throw the police off the trail, and tries to convince Jim to light out on his own. When he sees how much they actually love each other, however, he suddenly decides to let them go. But Red knows that the police won't give up their pursuit of an accused murderer, unless they think she's dead -- and he plans one last, very risky ruse to get the detectives to walk away. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Flixster Users

66% liked it

633 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 20 min.

Directed by: William A. Wellman

Release Date: September 22, 1928

Invite friends to see

Stats: 35 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Richard Arlen and Louise Brooks Beggars of Life Louise Brooks, Richard Arlen and Wallace Beery Wallace Beery, Richard Arlen and Louise Brooks Jim, Richard Arlen and Louise Brooks Beggars of Life Beggars of Life Beggars of Life (1928) Beggars of Life Beggars of Life Beggars of Life Louise Brooks and Richard Arlen Richard Arlen and Louise Brooks Wallace Beery and Louise Brooks
Upload a Photo | View All Beggars of Life Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (35)

  • rubystevens
    March 1, 2011
    rubystevens
    a gritty and fascinating study of hobo life on the rails. louise brooks plays a girl who kills her abusive guardian and goes on the run dressed as a boy in the company of a young tramp. their journey through hobo jungles and hopping freights was mostly filmed on location with som... read moree great stuntwork. this was an experimental sound film but the brief talking sequences, and even a song by wallace beery, are now lost. wellman reportedly invented the boom mike on this picture. a forerunner of the depression era cinema and louise turns in an affecting performance, considered her best in an american film. it was her biggest part to date and her last before leaving for europe to make her mark in the films of georg wilhelm pabst. this film is on the internet archive in decent quality
  • columbiatch
    March 15, 2009
    columbiatch
    I enjoyed the first half well enough, with Brooks and Arlen just walking together and hopping trains. The scene in the haystack was really great. The more plot heavy 2nd half didn't interest me as much, and Beery's sudden change of heart is unconvincing. It would have been better... read more without all the heroics at the end, which was actually not bad for its unsentimental ending. Louis Brooks was great here, especially dressed as a man. Even though the print was atrocious and really hurt the film's visual appeal, the night scenes early on were beautifully shot.

View All Beggars of Life Reviews

Critic Reviews

No recent reviews.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Sullivan's Travels
    Sullivan's Travels (100%)

More Movies like Beggars of Life

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Beggars of Life : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Beggars of Life. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Beggars of Life to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?