A lot of people I know won't even watch silent films, because the think that they're old-fashioned, creaky, exhibit overblown acting, they aren't in color, and there are no explosions or violent deaths. People like that should watch "The Land Beyond the Sunset", a little silent gem with a touching (and sad) story.
Joe is a poor newsboy in a big city who makes a pitiful living selling papers and who is horribly abused by his drunken grandmother. She confiscates Joe's meager earnings to buy more alcohol, beats Joe in her drunkenness, and forces him to sleep on the floor.
One day Joe obtains a ticket for a Saturday children's outing arranged by the Fresh Air Fund, which introduces him to the world outside the inner city for the first time. Joe is enthralled by the beauty of the country, and is befriended by a young teacher and several of the children. A preacher reads the children a story about a land beyond the sunset, in which a child was abused but rescued and sent by boat to a beautiful faraway land, where there is only happiness. Finally the children and the adults leave to go home, but Joe hides and stays behind. He finds a rowboat and drifts away into the sunset.
This irresistible silent film goes from Joe's wretched and impoverished existence to a beautiful place full of loving people, then ends with a haunting shot of a distant boat drifting away on the sea. No matter how one feels about silent films, this one is a must-see. It's original, touching, and haunting...and you'll never forget it.
Joe is a poor newsboy in a big city who makes a pitiful living selling papers and who is horribly abused by his drunken grandmother. She confiscates Joe's meager earnings to buy more alcohol, beats Joe in her drunkenness, and forces him to sleep on the floor.
One day Joe obtains a ticket for a Saturday children's outing arranged by the Fresh Air Fund, which introduces him to the world outside the inner city for the first time. Joe is enthralled by the beauty of the country, and is befriended by a young teacher and several of the children. A preacher reads the children a story about a land beyond the sunset, in which a child was abused but rescued and sent by boat to a beautiful faraway land, where there is only happiness. Finally the children and the adults leave to go home, but Joe hides and stays behind. He finds a rowboat and drifts away into the sunset.
This irresistible silent film goes from Joe's wretched and impoverished existence to a beautiful place full of loving people, then ends with a haunting shot of a distant boat drifting away on the sea. No matter how one feels about silent films, this one is a must-see. It's original, touching, and haunting...and you'll never forget it.