After about a twenty-five year stretch I re-watched "Riders of the Purple Sage" (1931) with George O'Brien. I'm a great fan of the 1925 silent with Tom Mix, a Western that really showcased the best of Mix and the silent Western. O'Brien stars along with Marguerite Churchill, Noah Beery, Sr., Yvonne Pelletier, James Todd, Stanley Fields, Frank McGlynn, Jr., and others. The photography in many places is absolutely superb! The story is exciting and well mounted by director Lynn Reynolds. All the actors give very high caliber performances. If one is familiar with the 1925 version, the story will slightly disappoint because it doesn't give enough early material to focus just who Lassiter (O'Brien) is, or why he's the man he is now, or what his purpose of being where he is - is. Nevertheless, the way the story's told here makes the mystery of Lassiter really play out, and O'Brien is just the man for the part. He gives a great performance. The show only lasts 56 minutes, and it's 56 minutes crammed full of good action wrapped around a really great story. The one disappointment for me - and I'm comparing it again with the 1925 silent - is that the secret valley is barely seen at all, and nothing like the ideal place it was made to seem to be in the silent. Oh, well, it is still a wonderful Western, one of O'Brien's best! Recommended for those who love the oaters.
Top.
Top.