The Virginian

THE VIRGINIAN (Paramount, 1929), directed by Victor Fleming, from the popular 1902 story by Owen Wister, stars Gary Cooper in his talking movie debut. Having made an impression with theater audiences in a small role from the silent World War drama, WINGS (Paramount, 1927), that earned the distinction of becoming the first Academy Award Best Picture winner, Cooper was soon elevated to leading roles in other silent features, some being westerns, before a whole new career opened for him when his spoken voice was heard for the first time. As the title character, Cooper's success in talkies was assured, even without an Academy Award nomination for a western role that was honored earlier to Warner Baxter playing The Cisco Kid in IN OLD ARIZONA (Fox, 1929).

The plot development set in Wyoming introduces the nameless cowboy known to all simply as The Virginian (Gary Cooper) mainly because he's from Virginia. Working as a foreman of the Box H Ranch near Medicine Row, his best pal, Steve (Richard Arlen), a free-spirited cowboy, believes there's a better way to earn money than working. It so happens that, unknown to the Virginian, Steve is connected with Trampas (Walter Huston, in traditional villain role of thick mustache and dark hat) and his gang of cattle rustlers. Arriving from the Union Pacific train is Molly Stark Wood (Mary Brian), the new schoolteacher in town. Her beauty finds The Virginian and Steve rivaling for her affection. At first Molly dislikes The Virginian and devotes her attention to Steve, even with these two acting like little boys playing jokes on one another. Eventually the laughs come to an end as Steve, Pedro (Charles Stevens) and Jim (James Mason) are caught by a posse for cattle rustling, forcing the Virginian to take leadership in their hanging execution the next morning. Before Steve dies, he leaves The Virginian his name engraved gun. Because Trampas is responsible, The Virginian sets out to get him, but on the very day of his wedding to Molly, Trampas threatens the Virginian to leave town before sundown, causing the future groom-to-be faced of being branded a coward or forced to go against Molly's wishes and risk losing her by going on the one on one showdown with Trampas. Others in the supporting cast include: Helen Ware (Mrs. Taylor); Eugene Palette (Honey Wiggen); Chester Conklin (Uncle Hughey); Victor Potel (Nebrasky); George Chandler, Ed Brady and Nena Quartero in smaller roles.

Regardless of its age and familiarity, THE VIRGINIAN is an oldie but a goody. "When you call me that, SMILE!" and "Get out of town by sundown" are the film's most famous quotes. Notable scenes include the Virginian and Steve's greeting each other to the whistling sound of a quail; Molly's reaction to her schoolroom of children singing "Three Blind Mice" off-key; Virginian and Steve switching infants in separate room prior to their christening; The Virginian's reaction when having to participate in Steve's execution and hearing an actual quail's whistling prior to it; tense moments between the Virginian and Trampas, among others. Unlike early talkies of the time, THE VIRGINIAN is well paced for 90 minutes, and refrains from actresses, mainly Mary Brian, from overacting in the silent film tradition by allowing her to give a more natural performance. Aside from scenes set in bars or hotel rooms, much of it outdoor scenery appears authentic rather than a closed set with phony painted background. THE VIRGINIAN may seem strange to contemporary viewers where underscoring is non-existent, unless one counts the mooing sounds of cattle steer heard during the opening credit titles. Unlike some early talkies, there's no inter-titles depicting what's to take place in the next scene to come.

Next to The Marx Brothers comedy, THE COCOANUTS, THE VIRGINIAN seemingly appears to have been the only other Paramount theatrical release from 1929 made available to broadcast television with frequent revivals in the sixties, seventies and onward, indicating its popularity decades after its initial release. When distributed to video cassette in the early 1990s, the clam-shell box labeled the 1929 edition as the original version, overlooking the fact that there were two earlier silent editions that preceded it: 1914 (Dustin Farnum) and 1923 (Kenneth Harlan). Paramount remade the newly Technicolor and underscored edition of THE VIRGINIAN (1946) starring Joel McCrea, Brian Donlevy and Barbara Britton in the Cooper, Huston and Brian roles, with more emphasis on Molly than on the titled character. THE VIRGINIAN also became the basis of a television series starring James Drury in the 1960s.

Unseen on cable television since its presentation on American Movie Classics (1994-1999), THE VIRGINIAN (1929), along with other frequently shown screen adaptations as the 2000 TV movie, turns up occasionally on Encore Westerns, most commonly after sundown where programs directors smile when they do that. (***)

The coming of the talkies is often looked on as a sad time, when silent stars were washed up, stalwart filmmakers tried and failed to fight the change, and movies in general became a little awkward. But for every tragic failure there was a success story, and there were just as many actors and directors who were able to adapt and even thrive in the new medium.

One such star was Gary Cooper. Coop had been around a while, working his way up from bit parts in the silent era, eventually garnering a few lead roles but not making a huge splash. The Virginian was his third sound picture but it was the one to make him a star. The title role allows him to show off the two main facets of his appeal – an assertive (but not uncouth) manliness, and a charming shyness around the opposite sex. However it is the quality of his voice that completes the persona, one of the warmest and most trustworthy voices ever recorded. You would happily follow that voice into battle, or let it talk to your kids. Such is Cooper's effortless demeanour and naturalism, you could believe he is an old pro, and he shows none of the stiltedness associated with early talkie performances.

On the other side of the camera we have director Victor Fleming, a man who has been largely ignored by film historians despite his importance, although thankfully that trend is starting to be reversed. Fleming did not compose the most elegant shots or weave in clever bits of symbolism, but his pictures are almost invariably excellent. His overriding principle seems to have been to never let the audience get bored. It's documented that Fleming coached his actors a fair bit, and it appears the main thrust of his coaching was to make them act at a snappy pace. There are few pauses in a Fleming picture, and sound is particularly useful to him, because we can hear the actors spit their dialogue at each other or punctuate the drama with gunshots and slammed-down whiskeys. Whenever a scene threatens to drag, Fleming literally keeps it moving. For example, when Cooper and co. first meet Mary Brian, the train she is on keeps chugging along, keeping some constant movement in the shot. Whenever the actors stand still, he has a horse or an extra trot past in the background.

But Fleming is wise enough to know when to calm things down, and indeed the more sedate scenes have a greater impact after the usual flurry of action. When Cooper and Brian sit together among the trees, the only movement is the wind gently rustling their clothing, giving a quiet tenderness to the moment without quite allowing things to be completely still. The real highlight is the overwhelmingly poignant hanging scene, composed almost entirely of facial close-ups, highlighting the different emotions. The sequence seems eerily drawn out, but again without the drama slowing to a standstill.

The view of the Old West we get in this version of The Virginian is not quite the romantic evocation of freedom tinged with danger that we normally see in the genre. While the picture does display a kind of moral simplicity (notice for example how all the good guys wear white, and the bad guys black, with the occasional moustache just to clarify) it is an incredibly mature and almost bitter portrayal. Fleming, Cooper and the rest of the cast have really brought out the tragic aspects of Owen Wister's novel, the sense of loss and betrayed friendship. But this is far from a melancholy meditation. They have also given punch and excitement to the presentation, something which works equally well for action sequences like the tense final standoff, as it does for dramatic scenes, such as the verbal showdown between Mary Brian and Helen Ware. You will not be bored for one minute. And who says the talkies were static?

Very early "talkie" western, and Gary Cooper's first sound film, the one that started him as a big star. It follows Owen Wister's classic novel of the same title, although in a more streamlined fashion. All the big moments in the book are here, but the book is a sprawling epic, and in the movie everything is more rushed, including the romance between the foreman and the schoolmarm. In general, there's much more time for character development in the book.

Here, the narrative is always direct and to the point, never losing sight of what needs to come next to get to the end. The scenes are short, in a blunt style that reminds of the silent era rather than of more modern movies, but that's part of the charm when you watch it now, almost a century after it was filmed. Nevertheless, Victor Fleming makes good use of the newfound ability to use dialogue to tell an effective story.

The quality of the prints that have reached us is not perfect, but good enough to appreciate this early western, from just when Hollywood was starting to use synchronized recorded sound.

Gary Cooper delivers, with a formidable supporting cast, an excellent performance which struck a cord with audiences who had seen it way back when. Victor Fleming adds life and mobility to the camera that many directors were struggling to find through the cramped constraints of the early talking picture. Fleming knew that disc recording wasn't going to make it in the movies for much longer and decided to use the improved Western Electric sound-on-film system. $425,000 later, it proved a decision he was glad he had made. Mary Brian is gorgeous as the loved but lonely heroine from Vermont, stranded and alone in a world so wide open and unpredictable that Coop's presence (after much deliberation) proves warm and protective. Richard Arlen, who was billed way above Coop in "Wings" (1927) makes a fine supporting character in the role of Steve, a cocky cattle rustler thirsting for adventure in all the wrong places, much different from David Armstrong, the character he portrays in "Wings". This proves his ability to adapt to different roles, which is to me, a film-maker myself, one of the most important qualities an actor can possess. Such is the case of Walter Huston, who doesn't even LOOK or SOUND like Walter Huston here. Of all the actors in the picture, I think his performance is probably the best; his make-up, his voice, his devilish smile make him a formidable adversary for our man Coop. This picture deserves a DVD release for more reasons than I care to list, if only to lend itself to a new generation of an audience. If you happen to find it in any format, I hope you shall agree with me on at least giving it a DVD release.

Directed by Victor Fleming. Starring Gary Cooper, Mary Brian, Walter Huston, Richard Arlen, Eugene Pallette, Chester Conklin, Helen Ware, E.H. Calvert, Victor Potel.

Virginia-born cowhand Cooper woos schoolmarm Brian in small Wyoming town, tangles with roughneck outlaw Huston. First talkie for both Cooper and director Fleming, adapted from the book of the same name (considered one of the first true western novels), which had already been turned into a play and a pair of silent movie versions. Cooper struggles with the accent, but cuts an upright, stoic figure even this early in his career; Huston is barely recognizable but makes the grade as an appropriately hissable black-hat. Uneven pacing in the first half, including a few obvious instances of padding (such as the baby-swapping prank), gives way to more compelling later episodes, including a harrowing resolution to a difficult decision the protagonist makes in regard to some cattle rustlers. Even in its restored format, the picture and sound quality of current prints is somewhat lacking, but the movie is still a worth a watch for anyone who enjoys old-timey oaters.

62/100