Sat 22 Jan 2011
A Movie Review by Walter Albert: WILD HORSE MESA (1925).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , Silent films , Western movies[4] Comments
WILD HORSE MESA. Famous Players-Lasky, 1925. Jack Holt, Noah Beery, Billie Dove, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., George Magrill, George Irving, Edith Yorke, Bernard Sigel, Margaret Morris, Eugene Pallette. Based on the novel by Zane Grey. Director: George B. Seitz. Shown at Cinefest 28, Syracuse NY, March 2008.
The fellow who introduced the film referred obliquely to a very warm relationship between Zane Grey and female star Billie Dove. You can’t blame Grey. She’s very appealing, and after some initial palling around with Fairbanks, she finally settles on the character’s older brother (Jack Holt) when he shows up to get the plot really moving along.
Noah Beery is the totally reprehensible villain, but he’s matched (if not in charisma, at least in villainy), by another of Dove’s admirers, Bert Manerube (played by George Magrill).
Manerube conceives the dastardly plan of driving horses into a canyon whose exit is blocked by a barbed wire fence that he argues will bring the horses up short. They won’t, he claims, run into the fence in their eagerness to escape their pursuers.
When Holt points out the fallacy in this plan, Manerube joins forces with Beery and the action doesn’t let up until the final romantic fade-out. Among the film’s many pleasures are the performance by the magnificent white stallion who leads the wild horses and the beautiful photography by Bert Glennon, who would be a member of John Ford’s regular crew, with Stagecoach among his credits.
January 22nd, 2011 at 6:22 pm
Jack Holt was a big silent star in serials and features and carried over into talkies before becoming a much loved character actor.
According to some sources his character in the talkie thriller BEHIND THE MASK was the model for Fearless Fosdick in LIL ABNER.
January 22nd, 2011 at 9:54 pm
This film is quite prestigious, praised by William K. Everson. But it is rarely shown, and I’ve never had a chance to see it.
I did like a Seitz silent, The Vanishing American. This deals sympathetically with Native Americans.
Also to Seitz’ credit: An early talkie with good train sequences, Danger Lights.
Plus two little B-movie mysteries Shadow of Doubt (with grand dame Constance Collier having fun as an amateur sleuth) and Gallant Sons, with a bunch of teenagers trying to clear one of their fathers of murder.
Seitz got his start with serials, including some Craig Kennedy ones.
December 17th, 2016 at 1:50 pm
This is now available on DVD & Blu-ray thru Grapevine Video. Haven’t seen it yet but this sounds like a film worth seeing.
December 17th, 2016 at 4:19 pm
Thanks for the update on this, Hunter. I appreciate it!