Review of Wolf Song

There are three Gary Cooper westerns I have been looking for. The Spoilers, Only The Brave and Wolf Song. I did a Google Search last night, and to my surprise under Gary Cooper Wolf Song there it was ( you do have to type Gary Cooper Wolf Song because there is another Movie out called Wolf Song). I have to say Wolf Song is the strangest of Gary Cooper's westerns ( and one of the rarest). First off, he has curly hair and really does not play the Gary Cooper hero in this movie. His character Sam Lash is a mountain man who prefers the outdoors and his friends ( Guillion ( Louis Wolheim) and Thatcher ( Constantine Romanoff)) to the ladies. He is basically a "Love them and leave them" type ( until he meets and marries Lola Salazar (Lupe Velez). Lola definitely gets the best of him. One major plus is casting an actual Mexican in Lupe, because Lola is Mexican. Lupe dominates the movie and is by far the stronger character in the movie, and spoilers ahead: Sam abandons her for the outdoors and then comes back ( wounded and crawling to her ( she has him so hooked she is in his every thought when he is away)), and surprise surprise, the point Lola makes that love is the most powerful thing on Earth rings true and they end up happily ever after. Again, this movie can be found online, so if you are a Cooper completist like me ( or a Lupe fan ( again like me)), it is worth watching. I do think it is the weakest of his westerns (with the exception of a couple of scenes such as Sam versus the Indians it is more romance then western) but it is above average. Again watch it because it is very rare and for Lupe Velez. Here, she really stands out, playing a very different character then her usual Mexican Spitfire. What type? Very soft, loving, devoted and passionate, yet proud of who she is. As far as Cooper is concerned, this is number 7 of his silents which I have seen. As such I give it 7/10 stars: Mostly for Lupe, but also for seeing yet another Cooper Western that had eluded me.