By 1920 the pace was beginning to tell on William S. Hart. Gone were the free and easy but busy days when he had called the shots over his little western company. He was now over 50 and had just finished two strenuous speaking tours in between films. He had also become involved in a number of lawsuits, one involving Triangle films, another with Thomas H. Ince. In addition he was looking to settle down to marriage with dreams of a large and loving family but unfortunately that wasn't to be. He had already proposed to a number of actresses and Anna Q. Nilsson, his co-star in "The Toll Gate" was one of them but maybe because of his "Victorian" type of manner he was always disappointed.
"The Toll Gate" is an allegorical term for the barrier that keeps desperate outlaw Black Deering (Hart) from the natural joys of family life. The gang has never been captured all thanks to Deering and his many devious ploys including water trails and having their headquarters in a hard to reach cave. Deering wants to disband, he feels they should quit before they're caught but there is dissension in the ranks as Jordan, a shifty outsider wants them to pull one last job which will net them over $40,000. That's because he has betrayed them to the local sheriff and instead of a straightforward train robbery they ride into a blood bath. The captain recognises the captured Deering as the man who rode 80 miles to warn the fort of an approaching Indian attack and the guards, who remember what might have happened to their wives and children if not for Deering, help him escape!!
He finds himself in Rincon which just happens to be where Jordan has bought himself a saloon with his "blood money" and is the real villain of the town according to the sheriff, him and his band of Mexican riders. There is a blazing gun battle - Deering fires at Jordan but hits a townsman but in his effort to get to the border is waylaid when he saves a cute little tyke who has fallen in the river. The mother Mary returns the favour by helping him pose as her deserted husband, hopefully to send the police on a false trail but they are suspicious of the pair and settle around the homestead for the night.
The critics of the day were full of praise for the realism of Hart's depiction of the West. Hart had announced in another paper that it was the best western he had produced but "Wids" (Apr. 25, 1920) felt that statement was "a little strong". With "The Toll Gate" Hart turned more and more to domestic happiness and Richard Headrick, the cute little boy whose cries of "Daddie" were the catalyst for Hart's surrender, often featured in his films.
The climax comes when Deering, realising that the missing husband is really Jordan and again that Mary has never really known a good man, prepares to do the "white" thing (that phrase abounds in this movie) by giving himself up - a very unconventional ending and why Hart's westerns are so far above the average. There is also a chance to see Hart's legendary pony Fritz being put through his paces.
Highly Recommended.
"The Toll Gate" is an allegorical term for the barrier that keeps desperate outlaw Black Deering (Hart) from the natural joys of family life. The gang has never been captured all thanks to Deering and his many devious ploys including water trails and having their headquarters in a hard to reach cave. Deering wants to disband, he feels they should quit before they're caught but there is dissension in the ranks as Jordan, a shifty outsider wants them to pull one last job which will net them over $40,000. That's because he has betrayed them to the local sheriff and instead of a straightforward train robbery they ride into a blood bath. The captain recognises the captured Deering as the man who rode 80 miles to warn the fort of an approaching Indian attack and the guards, who remember what might have happened to their wives and children if not for Deering, help him escape!!
He finds himself in Rincon which just happens to be where Jordan has bought himself a saloon with his "blood money" and is the real villain of the town according to the sheriff, him and his band of Mexican riders. There is a blazing gun battle - Deering fires at Jordan but hits a townsman but in his effort to get to the border is waylaid when he saves a cute little tyke who has fallen in the river. The mother Mary returns the favour by helping him pose as her deserted husband, hopefully to send the police on a false trail but they are suspicious of the pair and settle around the homestead for the night.
The critics of the day were full of praise for the realism of Hart's depiction of the West. Hart had announced in another paper that it was the best western he had produced but "Wids" (Apr. 25, 1920) felt that statement was "a little strong". With "The Toll Gate" Hart turned more and more to domestic happiness and Richard Headrick, the cute little boy whose cries of "Daddie" were the catalyst for Hart's surrender, often featured in his films.
The climax comes when Deering, realising that the missing husband is really Jordan and again that Mary has never really known a good man, prepares to do the "white" thing (that phrase abounds in this movie) by giving himself up - a very unconventional ending and why Hart's westerns are so far above the average. There is also a chance to see Hart's legendary pony Fritz being put through his paces.
Highly Recommended.