Gordon Mullen has lost the money for his father's new church at the roulette table. He decides to dress up as the stage-coach bandit, the Scourge of the Desert .... who, unknown to anyone is William S. Hart, the boyfriend of Mullen's sister, Rhea Mitchell.
This story of how Mr. Hart is redeemed by the love of a Good Woman was a favorite subject for Hart's westerns, and its presence here in brief form allows us to admire the elegance of its form. Unfortunately, the reissue print that the Museum of Modern Art offered this afternoon is fairly battered and heavily edited; it's not always clear what is going on and the presence of only two titles indicates it was not a careful editing job. Nonetheless, watching Hart at the beginning of his career is a pleasant occupation.
This story of how Mr. Hart is redeemed by the love of a Good Woman was a favorite subject for Hart's westerns, and its presence here in brief form allows us to admire the elegance of its form. Unfortunately, the reissue print that the Museum of Modern Art offered this afternoon is fairly battered and heavily edited; it's not always clear what is going on and the presence of only two titles indicates it was not a careful editing job. Nonetheless, watching Hart at the beginning of his career is a pleasant occupation.
