The Crowd

King Vidor - 1928
I'm very underdone on silent Hollywood, so this mught apply very generally; we have longer shots, longer than plan americains, and lots of short takes, cutting back and forth from closer views. Also there are a few long takes, i.e. the wonderful emotion picture at waterfall.
Throughout, especially the earlier stages, we have a focus on that beeming, overexposed face.
The framing of the individual is interesting. There are some great tracks, and staging decsisions, usually to show either connection or disconnection from the crowd. Often using a kind of V-shaped formation, the lead can move higher to cover the camera view of the crowd, to be individuated. This is clearest perhaps in the early scene at the stairs; an early example of a longrunning motif, that only a day of tragedy (never a week) can let one temporarily be distinguished. From then on, higher framings and staging decisions have a sinking into this V,
We have some fastish montages of different crowds moving (continuity of direction), often against quite abstract backgrounds. These scenes are some of the most beautiful with the film, edited close to the spectacular simplicity of entry to new york; a few views of skyscrapers, a long reverse on him looking. As far as the streets go, the high angles at the crossroads can first be referred to Vertov, or perhaps 'Berlin: Symphony Of A City'.
Narrative wise, there is so much shading going on. There may not be 'great' incidents, but the use of excitment-conventions makes the sheer ordinariness seem remarkable; yet then we reflect, we again see ordinariness.
This is really a pretty remarkable study of urban alientation, caused, after all, by capitalism. His dreams of the advert are ridiculous, but shared by so many, is the abiding message. It is cruel at times; the last shot has a Langian sarcasm on entertainment, a harshness to it. We can love John, but that's no succour to the world.