William S. Hart was once the biggest bankable star in movies. Starring
in a series of 2 reelers at first, he gained fame as being the first great
cowboy star, paving the way for the likes of untold actors throughout the decades who
would attempt to continue on the tradition of the cowboy. Of course Hart took things to more levels than most of the big screen cowboys…..not
only acting, but writing, directing and producing his films as well. Watching
his films today provides insight for me into how the movie going public became
to be attached to the concept of the western and what it meant back in the 1910’s to see these movies. Hart’s fantastic early cowboy
masterpiece, Hell’s Hinges, just might be his greatest film and a great
introduction to this era’s concept of the western.
Hell’s Hinges was apparently directed by Charles Zwicker, with
uncredited directing credits going to Hart, and Clifford Smith. It’s about a
minister named Rev. Bob Henley (Jack Standing) who moves out west to a lawless
town with his sister Faith (Clara Williams) in order to help reform the town.
In actuality, the Reverend has daydreams thinking about all the dance hall
girls he’s going to meet. Once they get to town, the saloonkeeper hires a
gunman named Blaze Tracy (Hart) to get rid of the minister. However, in a
reversal of fortune, Blaze becomes reformed, as he falls in love with Faith and
in turn finds salvation, while Rev. Henley becomes a heathen, falling prey to a
local dancing girl, getting drunk, and generally losing all control of himself..... to the point
he’s ready to burn down the church! Blaze must stand up for Faith and his
newfound salvation by attempting to stave off complete disaster at the hands
of the town rabble who are ravenous for sin and destruction.
Hart’s brand of western tends to be tinged heavily with moral
implications and a general goodness of humanity on display from his character.
Even though he plays a “bad guy” here, he’s clearly the good guy. This positioning can also be seen in The Bargain, another fantastic Hart western from this era. Even
though his cowboy hat tends to look a bit like a park ranger hat, I forgive him because he’s got this amazing sequence near the end of Hell's Hinges as he
stands in the midst of the church’s doorway, while the entire church behind him
is engulfed in flames. It’s a flamboyant, movie star type moment, the hot
flames burning all around him while he maintains his cool. It’s without a doubt
one of the great bits of action sequence from this era. That’s not to mention
the sequences around that moment involving the crowd that has gone out of the
control. Recalling Griffith to a degree, the framing of the confusion and the
collective insanity of the ravenous crowd is fantastic and remarkably
well edited to allow for the action to unfold coherently and with continuity....which is more than I can say for many films released these days.
Hell’s Hinges balances on a precipice between extreme moralism and
gleeful abandon and it succeeds for how well it blends the two. It’s remarkable how open the film is to portraying a ribald
sense of humor, as we see the Reverend’s day dreams of dancing girls, how he
relishes the idea of giving a sermon to these women once he gets the
opportunity, and how he is so quickly charmed by a cute woman who throws him
the classic line of “Can’t I see you alone sometime, so I can learn more about
your work?” Additionally, the conflict between reform and gunfighting, and
between religion and sin is played out as effective as in any film I've ever seen. But in Hart’s
world, it’s the cowboy, the gunfighter amongst all the heathens and the
destructive fire that ironically becomes the savior….while the reverend falls
away at the slightest temptation. Though Hart would go on later to make what
many consider is his masterpiece, Tumbleweeds (1925), there’s an economy of
storyline, a quick wit, and sense for action that is really irresistible in
Hell’s Hinges.
Yet another fantastic review of an essential western silent Jon, and one I do plan on catching up with ASAP. Quite true what you say about Willian S. Hart there, and I agree that TUMBLEWEEDS is a masterpiece. The first sentence of the final paragraph really does seem to say it all. Great work Jon!
ReplyDeleteHey thanks Sam hope you get to watch it soon!
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