Such Is Life (1924)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Mildly amusing take on "The Little Match Girl" theme has Baby Peggy playing an orphan out in the snow who decides to sell matches in order to buy food. While out on the street she gets picked on by a rich woman and her snob daughter but soon the two are going to be thankful for Peggy. As many other reviewers have pointed out, Baby Peggy was so popular in 1924 that it seems the studio was willing to put her in anything and it didn't depend on the quality. I've seen a couple films from this period and I really haven't been won over mainly because the films themselves are just cheap imitations of much better movies and stories. The "Little Match Girl" story is one of the greatest of all time but it's pretty much watered down here and the majority of the film rests on the shoulders of Baby Peggy. She's quite charming here as she stumbles in and out of the cold but even she can only do so much. The highlight of the film is a showdown she has with a snowman that comes to life. I must admit that I thought the look of this "snowman" was quite unique and I'm sure it creeped out quite a few back in 1924.