On the road and around the world with Beggars of Life

Beggars of Life is the opening night presentation at this year's San Francisco Silent Film Festival! The acclaimed 1928 Louise Brooks film, directed by Oscar winner William Wellman and starring future Oscar winner Wallace Beery, will be shown on Thursday, June 2nd at 7:00 pm at the historic Castro Theater in San Francisco. The film will be shown with live musical accompaniment by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. More information, including ticket availability, may be found at HERE.

Beggars of Life was a big hit in the United States, and was perhaps even more popular abroad. Under its American title, documented screenings of the film took place in Australia, Canada, China, France, India, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, and the British Isles (England, Isle of Man, and Scotland).

Elsewhere, this motion picture was known to have been shown under other-language titles including Bettler des Lebens (Austria); Meias indiscretag (Brazil); Mendigos da vida (Brazil); Mendigos de la Vida (Chile); Žebráci života (Czechoslovakia); Žebráky živote (Czechoslovakia); De Lovløses Tog (Denmark); Menschen Zijn Nooit Tevreden (Dutch East Indies); Les mendiants de la vie (France); I mendicanti della vita (Italy); Bettler des Lebens (Latvia); Bettlers des Lebens (Les Mendiants de la Vie) (Luxembourg); Mendigos de vida (Mexico); Menschen Zijn Nooit Tevreden (The Netherlands); Zwervers (The Netherlands); Ludzie bezdomni (Poland); Mendigos da vida (Portugal); Strada cersetorilor (Romania); and Mendigos de vida (Spain).

Here are vintage advertisements for Beggars of Life which ran when it showed around the world.

Cape Town, South Africa – 1930

Calgary, Alberta, Canada – 1928

Sao Paulo, Brazil – 1929    

Paris, France – 1929

Warsaw, Poland – 1929

Kingston, Jamaica – 1929