The Crowd (1928)

Occasionally my mind wanders back to a silent film I watched when I bought my first video cassette player (it didn't record). King Vidor's The Crowd (1928) dates back to the movie era right before sound but is a classic because its story of lucklessness is pretty freaking universal. The young couple at the center of the picture are nice as they can be even though John is a big talker (well, you know what I mean) and Mary has big hopes for them and is not real good at hiding her disappointment -- especially when his successful buddy is around. The marriage doesn't seem to be working when Mary gets pregnant. John commits to sticking with it and doing better, but he's a faceless drone in an insurance company, another suit in a New York office, and can't seem to make his mark -- until, a detergent company buys his contest-winning slogan for 500 smackers. Now he and Mary and their kids will be on Easy Street! Except, when the happy parents call their kids from their apartment window to come see the presents Daddy has bought with his winnings, the littlest one gets hit by a truck while crossing the street. Yes, it's a festival of unhappiness (albeit with a fairly bright ending) that puts all of the news of pandemic pain and misery in a new light.