WAGON TRACKS is not one of William S. Hart's better known films which is why this recent Olive Films release comes as a something of a surprise. The print from the Library of Congress is in excellent shape. In fact it is the best looking of any William S. Hart print that I have ever come across (not that there are that many quality prints out there). My only criticism is that some of the tints are a little oversaturated but that can be easily adjusted by your TV remote. It's made me wonder how many more quality silent prints are in the Library of Congress. It would be marvelous to have a quality print of THE TOLL GATE or especially TUMBLEWEEDS. There is another quality LOC print out there of 1916's HELL'S HINGES but it's part of a much larger box set TREASURES FROM AMERICAN FILM ARCHIVES. Any of those three films would be worth your time.
By 1919 when this film was made, the movie industry was changing. It had relocated from the East Coast to the West Coast and the emergence of the Studio System was just around the corner. Hart was to have been one of the original partners in the formation of United Artists (along with Chaplin, Fairbanks, Griffith, and Pickford) but he pulled out at the last minute. It was a decision he always regretted. Westerns were changing as well with Hart's rough hewn, intractable loner giving way to the likes of much flashier cowboys such as Hoot Gibson and Tom Mix. In WAGON TRACKS we see a kinder, gentler William S. Hart at first. He's amiable and chatty until he learns of his brother's "accidental death". He then becomes emotional and vows to find out the truth. As the plot would have it, the murderer is on the wagon train that Hart is heading up. A confrontation can't be far behind. While the story is your basic revenge melodrama and WAGON TRACKS is essentially a one man show, there are precursors of big movies yet to come.
The wagon train setting would be expanded in the COVERED WAGON 4 years later while the wandering in the desert looks ahead to Erich von Stroheim's GREED finale. Hart was the silent era's Clint Eastwood. He's at his best when he's the taciturn man of action. Being emotional doesn't suit him. No antihero turned hero this time around, He's the good guy from the get go and that's just not as interesting. Still Hart's westerns play better to a modern audience because of their authenticity. Hart was a stickler for details and you feel as though you're watching history. A 21st century audience will find some of the "manifest destiny" and/or religious themed title cards hard to take but they are a product of their time and are beautifully rendered. The fact that the Indians are treated with respect will come as a surprise to many. While not his best, WAGON TRACKS is a good introduction to Hart especially in this gorgeous print which has a new and appropriate score by Andrew Earle Simpson. I hope that Olive Films plan to release more silent films in the future and that they will look as good as this one...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.
