Ben Blair

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

When a young woman deserts her rancher husband and, with her son Ben, goes to live with the drunken Tom Blair. Blair raises Ben as his son, but kills Ben's mother, causing the boy to return ... Read allWhen a young woman deserts her rancher husband and, with her son Ben, goes to live with the drunken Tom Blair. Blair raises Ben as his son, but kills Ben's mother, causing the boy to return to his natural father. There, Ben falls in love with Florence Winthrop. Later, Ben gains r... Read allWhen a young woman deserts her rancher husband and, with her son Ben, goes to live with the drunken Tom Blair. Blair raises Ben as his son, but kills Ben's mother, causing the boy to return to his natural father. There, Ben falls in love with Florence Winthrop. Later, Ben gains revenge for his mother's death by killing Tom, but he loses Florence, who decides to live i... Read all

Director
- William Desmond Taylor
Writers
- William Otis Lillibridge
- Julia Crawford Ivers
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.6/10

YOUR RATING

Director
- William Desmond Taylor
Writers
- William Otis Lillibridge
- Julia Crawford Ivers
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

User reviews3

Featured review

5/10

Muddled Adaption

Dustin Farnum grew up orphaned out west, when bad man Fred Burns burned down the shack his mother's corpse was in. Fortunately, he was rescued by Frank Bonn. Was and is the foreman of Lamar Johnstone's ranch. Johnstone had to come out west for his health, which his wife, Virginia Foltz resented. She has raised their daughter, Winifred Kingston, with a yearning for civilization. When the family leaves because Johnstone's father has died, Farnum pursues them because he loves Miss Kingston.

The copy of this William Desmond Taylor movie has extensive damage in the second reel. However, by the third, it looks almost pristine, showing off Homer Scott's striking compositions. Alas, the same cannot be said for the story itself, which wanders back and forth over subplots that were, I imagine, better handled in the novel this was based on.