High Voltage

Eighty six years before Tarantino made THE HATEFUL EIGHT, Pathé used a remarkably similar story to made this surprisingly modern claustrophobic study of what happens when five strangers take refuge together from a blizzard in an abandoned church.

OK, this is a very early talkie but it doesn't display the characteristic problems which a lot of 1929 pictures suffered from. The sound recording, the use of sound effects and the modern approach of hearing different people speaking at the same time and from different rooms makes this feel newer than most very early talkies. Similarly the acting, although still "old school" is so much more natural than you'd expect from a 1929 film. If you didn't know when this was made you might guess it was from the mid-thirties?

This isn't just something to watch out of academic interest. Whilst it's interesting to see what Pathé Exchange were doing before they were taken over by RKO, it's actually worth watching because it's entertaining. It's a little silly to compare this with THE HATEFUL EIGHT but the tension Tarantino created and the intensity and sense of immediacy is skilfully embroidered into this too. For such an old film it's refreshingly intelligent with a script that explores how real believable people (not lazy, one-dimensional stereotypes) interact. Imagine a 1929 version of the tv programme, Big Brother!

William Boyd gives a particularly impressive performance and had he not evolved into a cowboy actor, based on this, you could imagine him becoming a major star. Carol Lombard, although not quite there yet, isn't too bad either especially considering that this was her first talking role - however by 1929 standards, she's brilliant!

Made in 1929 when talking films were still finding their feet, most of the action in this claustrophobic film takes place in an abandonded church.

Several people take shelter from a snow storm when their bus breaks down. Carol Lombard plays Billie, "the girl", who is being taken back to prison. Owen Moore plays "the detective". Diane Ellis (who tragically died in 1931 on her honeymoon) plays "the Kid".Handsome William Boyd plays "the boy", an escapee, who at first is gruff but then becomes a big help to the snow bound inmates. He and Lombard fall for each other and have real chemistry in their scenes together.

It is short on action and very long on talking (and corny dialogue at that) but at 70 minutes it is mercifully short.

Carole Lombard was at the start of a super career when she made this film. She had been in a few shorts including "The Campus Vamp" and "The Swim Princess".

William Boyd had been a successful leading man in the 20s and the next year (1930) would see him in his first western - "The Painted Desert" - after which he would have a long career as Hopalong Cassidy. He proves, in this film, he had a flair for dialogue and a very natural acting style. Both he and Lombard try hard to rise above the trite dialogue. It is clear that they are destined for bigger things.

Owen Moore, who had been in films from the earliest days and was Mary Pickford's first husband plays the detective.

Billy Bevan, a silent comic, was the bus driver.

In spite of the fact that this film stars Carole Lombard, I recommend that you pass on this one. The story is that a bus is trying to cross Nevada's alkali flats when a winter storm hits and forces the passengers to take refuge in an abandoned church miles from the nearest town. Carole Lombard plays Billie, a young woman being taken to prison. The other passengers include the cop that is accompanying Billie, a young girl, a banker, and, of course the bus driver. The group enters the church to find they are not alone. Bill (William Boyd) has found shelter there too, has a large stash of food, and wants to order everyone around.

This is one of those films in which a bunch of characters of diverse backgrounds are forced to sit through a crisis and talk about themselves. However, "Petrified Forest" this is not. Because it is an early sound film the director seems to think somebody has to be saying something all of the time, whether or not it is interesting or done in a non-monotonous tone. It will be the longest hour in your life. The only thing worse than boring stilted conversation is boring stilted conversation you can't hear well.

It's now 2021, 16 years since OP voiced his review, and I agree 100%. This film is 92 years old, and having just recently watched John Wick: Parabellum, I think I'd still rather watch hokey little films like this. Folks in 1929 were still in awe of moving and talking pictures, some called it a fad that wouldn't last. Imagine their shock that 92 years later we can watch the same film on a little screen that we can hold in our hand. I love the scenes of the stranded travellers playing on the frozen lake, even with the poor sound consistency.

And, that BUS! Wow! Wish I owned one of those babies!

Plot- when their bus can go no farther in the heavy snow, five dissimilar people are trapped in a deserted nowhere and must seek refuge in a strange isolated church. So, how will their personalities play out in one room confinement. And what about that extra guy hiding out in the church's back.

I wish we knew where the snowy scenes were filmed. They're convincing as heck, distant figures slogging across a huge snowy expanse, with arctic-like mountains in the far horizon. To me, these riveting visuals amount to the movie's high-point, with no evidence of special effects. Then there's the lonely church plunked down like a tiny island in the midst of that icy ocean, making me wonder where the worshippers could come from. Trouble is once the five refugees from the snow-bound bus enter the lonely refuge, the promising story collapses into endless talk with little real character development, except for Boyd and Lombard's budding romance. Apparently the writers had little idea how to generate drama from one-room confinement with six people. At the same time, there's those awful piano and singing moments that almost had me reaching for the off- button.

Seems like there should be some backstory to all this. But I guess 1929 was just too far for IMDB to reach back for detail. Then too shouldn't forget the church background of moral renewal that subtly underlies the climax. All in all, the vintage flick amounts to a visual oddity that unfortunately fails to develop its dramatic elements. Nonetheless, it's a good thing Lombard went on to a big-time career before an untimely passing, while Boyd got lifetime employment as the one-and -only Hopalong Cassidy.