An amazing movie - for its time and for all time!

I have been avoiding silent movies forever. How good could they possibly be? The answer is, they can be great! This is my first and only silent so far so I can't speak to the entire genre but as far as this particular movie, The Hoodlum, is concerned, I LOVE it!! If it's reflective of the genre, I will be watching a lot more silent movies from now on.

Both funny and dramatic, it's a really good story that's easy to follow and makes sense. Mary Pickford is brilliant and believable in each transformation. The acting, for all roles, is not overdone, as one might expect, but is done in a way that makes it easy for us to follow what's going on and understand exactly what the characters are thinking and feeling. The visual effects in the movie are amazing and not what I expected to see. The flashback, dream sequence, and imagining scenes are so well done they rival those seen in modern movies.

Since there are few words, the 'picture' we see on the screen needs to help tell the story. The set design people, if that's what they were called then, did a fabulous job. The sets are dressed with so many details we get it; we see what the conditions are on Craigen street, and can feel what life there must be like. One of the things that stands out is how the diversity of the area is properly reflected in the actors used in the movie. I do think I spotted an extra in black-face but, if it was done, I think they had good intentions and not done to ridicule. For the most part, the various groups are shown co-existing well. And all those chubby cheek little babies, how scrumptious!

The 'dialogue' in the movie is impressive as well. The way the words are used to show accents, the lack of education and an inability to speak English is imaginative and effective. Sure, there are a lot of slurs but they reflect the time and area so they should be taken in context. The fact they're written prevents modern-day Political Correctness types from trying to beep or edit them out. That's a good thing.

I feel everyone associated with the picture played their part well; both in front of and behind the camera. It's obvious in how everything comes together into a smooth, seamless, entertaining movie. In my opinion, there was nothing lacking; no holes in the plot; no questions left unanswered. It all works!

I can't say enough about this movie. It's entertaining, informative, historic (in a way), and there's a moral to the story too. It's so good I was sorry to see it end.