The Silent Man (film)

The Silent Man is a 1917 American Western silent film directed by William S. Hart and written by Charles Kenyon. The film stars William S. Hart, Vola Vale, Robert McKim, Dorcas Matthews, J. P. Lockney, George Nichols, and Gertrude Claire.[1][2] It was released on November 26, 1917, by Paramount Pictures. The movie premiered in Los Angeles at Sid Grauman's Million Dollar Theater.

The Silent Man
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Directed byWilliam S. Hart
Produced byWilliam S. Hart
Thomas H. Ince
Screenplay byCharles Kenyon
StarringWilliam S. Hart
Vola Vale
Robert McKim
Dorcas Matthews
J. P. Lockney
George Nichols
Gertrude Claire
CinematographyJoseph H. August
Production
company
Famous Players-Lasky Corporation
Artcraft Pictures Corporation
William S. Hart Productions
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • November 26, 1917 (1917-11-26)
Running time
61 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Plot

As described in a film magazine,[3] 'Silent' Budd Marr (Hart) comes to the town of Bakeoven to spend some of the gold for which he had labored so hard. Through Handsome Jack Pressley (McKim) he gets into a fight, and is confined to bed for a couple of weeks during which his claim is stolen. All efforts to regain his property are unsuccessful, so when he finds the claim jumpers loading their loot on the stage coach, he holds it up, and at the same time rescues Betty Bryce (Vale), a young woman Pressley had lured with the promise of marriage to work in his dance hall. As the girl learns the true nature of Pressley she is thankful and soon falls in love with Bud. A stranger known as Uncle Grubstake (Lockney) has become friendly with Bud and Betty's brother David (Goodwin), and when the citizens attempt to hang Bud for robbing the coach, Grubstake reveals his true identity as a federal agent, and has the evidence that gets Pressley and his gang arrested. Bud and Betty end up happy.

Cast

Reception

Like many American films of the time, The Silent Man was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors required a cut, in Reel 1, of the intertitle "Region God left unfinished and cursed" etc., to flash five snake scenes, cut two scenes of young woman drinking at bar with men, five roulette scenes, flash adjustment of roulette wheel, from the intertitle "You ought to remember this dress" etc. remove the words "when I was good", Reel 2, the shooting of Hart, Reel 3, change holdup scenes to eliminate actual theft, Reel 4, eliminate three intertitles "Go get the change" etc., "You made a thief of me" etc., and "Now I will expose your hand" and replace with "You forced the act which made me appear a thief", and, Reel 5, two scenes of horse dragging Pressley.[4]

Preservation

Copies of the film are in the Library of Congress and UCLA Film and Television Archive, and it has been released on DVD.[5]

References
  1. "Silent-Man - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - NYTimes.com". nytimes.com. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  2. "The Silent Man". afi.com. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  3. "Reviews: The Silent Man". Exhibitors Herald. New York: Exhibitors Herald Company. 5 (25): 26. December 15, 1917.
  4. "Official Cut-Outs by the Chicago Board of Censors". Exhibitors Herald. 6 (1): 31. December 29, 1917.
  5. Progressive Silent Film List: The Silent Man at silentera.com
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