That first of realistic western novels The Virginian gets another silent film treatment in this western which starred Kenneth Harlan as the man only known by the state he comes from. The Virginian which had nothing less than an endorsement by the cowboy in the White House Theodore Roosevelt was written by TR's friend Owen Wister and its success led to people like Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour and the western novel genre of fiction.
The story is familiar enough to lovers of the western novel. Pretty new school marm Florence Vidor arrives in frontier Wyoming and falls for the foreman of Judge Henry's ranch, The Virginian. But she also can't comprehend the western ways in an area where there's no organized law and those out there have to enforce it on their own. It's the sum and substance of the book and all the film adaptions.
Villain Trampas is played by Russell Simpson and the Trampas character also set a standard for western villains. That will be a revelation to many who remember Simpson as I do who usually played good guy old codger rustics in many films. He was a regular in those roles in many John Ford films. But he's a nasty customer here.
Cecil B. DeMille's second film was a silent version of The Virginian and Harlan does well in this second silent version as a strong silent hero. But we'd have to wait until Gary Cooper and Joel McCrea in their talkie versions to really get this one right.
The story is familiar enough to lovers of the western novel. Pretty new school marm Florence Vidor arrives in frontier Wyoming and falls for the foreman of Judge Henry's ranch, The Virginian. But she also can't comprehend the western ways in an area where there's no organized law and those out there have to enforce it on their own. It's the sum and substance of the book and all the film adaptions.
Villain Trampas is played by Russell Simpson and the Trampas character also set a standard for western villains. That will be a revelation to many who remember Simpson as I do who usually played good guy old codger rustics in many films. He was a regular in those roles in many John Ford films. But he's a nasty customer here.
Cecil B. DeMille's second film was a silent version of The Virginian and Harlan does well in this second silent version as a strong silent hero. But we'd have to wait until Gary Cooper and Joel McCrea in their talkie versions to really get this one right.