The Toll Gate

The idea that westerns were all sweetness and light until the 50s and 60s falls apart when you examine the work of William S. Hart in the 1910s and early 1920s. He aimed for a general realism in his films and often played antiheroes who weren't above thievery, murder, and even rape before they discovered redemption in the second or third act. Of course, these films are also old-fashioned in their sense of old-fashioned religiosity and (usually but not always) passive heroines, but their grittier nature does make them ripe for critical re-evaluation, at least in my opinion.

The Toll Gate (1920) is a fine film, an ideal entryway into Hart's oeuvre. While there's nothing earthshaking from a technical point of view, its morally conflicted protagonist, a bandit leader constantly struggling to abandon the vagabond's life only to be pulled back by economic necessity or the allure of vengeance upon the man who betrayed him to the law, makes the story fascinating. Hart can be wooden at times, but for the most part, he is a restrained but powerful actor. Equaling him is the leading lady Anna Q. Nilsson, who, though stuck in a rather passive role, puts a great deal of subtlety into her character.

Worthwhile viewing and deserves rediscovery.

For the first half of this film I thought I was going to be more impressed than I was with TUMBLEWEEDS, the only previous Hart western I'd seen. The early scenes, showing his gang planning their last holdup, Black Deering's (Hart's) reservations about going through with it, and his betrayal by his most trusted lieutenant, were brilliantly done; the isolation that Hart feels as he is more or less forced back into crime, his desire for revenge on Jordan, the traitor become upstanding citizen in town -- all well-directed and even moving. Unfortunately, when Deering briefly takes up with a widow out on the edge of the border a simplistic Christian moralizing tone sets in: one passage from the Bible seems to set him off on a course of repentance and honesty. It's not completely unforeseen, as there are hints that Deering isn't quite as bad as he's portrayed by his ex-comrade and the law, but still the self-sacrifice and stoic acceptance of his fate in the last couple of reels seem a bit forced and unrealistic to me.

I watched the Kino VHS, probably at least 10 years old, with a bonus of the Mack Sennett "His Bitter Pill" at the end. There are definitely some problems with the print it was struck from...the fire scenes are nearly invisible and there is a lot of ghosting and edge distortion in the second half of the film, but it's certainly watchable. Recommended for Hart fans and silent film buffs, but forgettable on the whole.

Although not his best (see "Hell's Hinges", "The Narrow Trail" or "Wagon Tracks"), this is a fine example of a William S. Hart Western. He plays his patented role of the good bad-man, whose regeneration is progressed by the love of a pure woman. Here, it seems more of a personal battle of conscience, and there's the revenge plot.

The plot of "The Toll Gate" is not as tight as in other Hart vehicles, and, this one is excessively melodramatic. There's also some mild racism; moral goodness is equated to being white (as in Caucasian). On the other hand, there's nighttime photography and some nice use of tinting. The wear of age aggrandizes the odd, striking look of some of these scenes, such as with the glowing, red tinted silhouettes, or the blue sky from color deterioration in the final reel. The print, however, is in bad shape during the dénouement.

Hart's face was very expressive, and nowhere is that more visible than here. The refinements in film-making by 1920 help that and reflect the superior gloss and look of films at this time. Still, Hart's Westerns seemed outdated by then--not as entertaining and well constructed as just a few years ago.

"The Toll Gate" is a silent William S. Hart film and it's rather similar to several other Hart films I have seen. Unlike later cowboy heroes, Hart quite often seemed to play bad guys with some good in them. Perhaps it's just that these films are the ones that somehow survived or he played the parts a lot. All I know is that it's the 3rd or 4th film of his I saw where he played a bad guy...well, a sort of bad guy! The film begins with a western gang leader (Hart) announcing to his men that they should disband and go their separate ways, as they're bound to get caught thanks to all the attention they got through their banditry. However, one of the gang, Jordan, insists that they go on one final mission--and the rest of the gang agrees. So, Hart goes along--only to discover that Jordan set them up! He manages to escape--because the soldiers who caught him remembered his good deed when he saved the fort from attack some time ago.

Much of the rest of the film consists of Hart's character running from the law. Eventually, it leads to the home of a woman and her child--her no-good husband had abandoned them long ago. Again, Hart's character does good and so the woman agrees to hide him from the law. But, when Jordan and his new gang attack, it's up to Hart to help save the day.

Overall, this was a very good western and I was prepared to give it at least a 7. However, the ending was quite strange and anti-climactic. Decent acting, a good story and a print that varies considerably in quality. It's worth seeing but if you aren't familiar with Hart's film, perhaps you might want to see another one first--one with an ending that won't disappoint.

Anyone that thinks that Westerns didn't get tough and gritty until the 50s needs to see this excellent silent film starring William S. Hart (who also wrote the screenplay I believe). Hart plays an outlaw that goes gunning for revenge against the man who betrayed him, all the while trying to dodge local authorities. He comes across a single mother and her young son and wrestles with his conscience...something he thought he suppressed a long time ago. The plot is a direct precursor to the similarly-themed 'Shane' and 'Will Penny' and Hart is the forefather of the silent hard-ass (Clint Eastwood owes a lot to him). Beyond its historical value, this film is recommended just for being so damn good.