Four years after the merger that made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and three years after The Big Parade, the film that established the new studio, executive Irving Thalberg and director King Vidor came together again for the astonishing The Crowd. It's hard to exaggerate the fusion of art and business boldness in this great film. For while it is an American attempt at the European art film, it actually did well enough at the box office. It's the story of a couple living with the anxiety that they will lose their own identity and become just part of the crowd. But what is most fascinating is the way this model is reflected in the nature of film itself-the bright screen and the anonymous, huddled mass. And so The Crowd raises a question, vital to most American art: can the individual stay himself, stay ordinary without becoming that true American virus-the celebrity, the star? Jay Gatz or The Great Gatsby?