La conquête de Barbara Worth

Early in the 20th century a well-to-do settler in Colorado (played by Charles Lane) plans to divert the Colorado river in order to irrigate the desert. He wins an investor from the East, whose engineer (Ronald Colman) soon becomes interested in his adopted daughter (Vilma Bánky). In this, the engineer finds himself the rival of a local cowboy (Gary Cooper). There is a lot going on in this film. People are killed in sandstorms, dams are built and rivers diverted, cities founded and destroyed, there are gunfights etc. Etc. In short: there is everything a great epic movie needs - a movie of the kind I usually love. Still, 'The Winning of Barbara Worth' does not rock my boat. This is because so much stuff is happening that director Henry King pays as good as no attention to character development. None of the people mentioned above are more then empty cyphers. You could easily exchange the cowboy for the engineer - the story would work just as well or poorly. Cooper and Colman have exactly the same kind of character, meaning none at all except that they are handsome, courageous and considerate. The picture is heavily tinted, and this is another issue. Granted, the amber desert scenes are beautiful (not only because of the tinting but also because they are beautifully filmed), but in other scenes the colour is far too dominant. And while the pale grey-blue works well for dusk, the pink, for example, could have been applied more carefully. Still, this is a minor point compared to the weak character development. Essentially, it was that issue which spoilt the film for me.

There is no mention of the source of the music, but Gaylord Carter played his improvised score for a special showing of The Winning of Barbara Worth on January 28, 1971, and it's a recording of that performance which turned up on the DVD. The instrument was a 36-rank Wurlitzer Pipe Organ. Henry King and Frances Goldwyn were in the audience and both spoke after the film. I was there. Mr. King described his search for a desert that looked like a desert, after finding the Mojave in bloom. He also recalled hearing Gaylord Carter play the organ at the Million Dollar Theatre in Los Angeles in the 1920's, soon after Harold Lloyd recommended Gaylord for the job.

This is a great example of a silent film that captures some of the original pioneering spirit of those American settlers determined to make a go of it - even in the harshest of circumstances. Charles Lane is "Jefferson Worth" - a rancher who rescues orphaned "Barbara" (Vilma Bánky) and brings her up as his own daughter. Years pass and as she grows, so do the ambitions of the territory - and when a developer arrives with an engineering project that could irrigate the arid land, they jump at the chance. Problem is, the developer skimps on the construction of the dam, and so at the first heavy rainfall upstream it all goes a bit awry. Meantime, both the stepson of the crooked developer "Willard" (Ronald Colman) and her father's ranch foreman "Abe" (Gary Cooper) are fighting for the favour of "Barbara" and it's not long before everything comes to a head. Technically, the imagery is super - the film copes well with what must have been very intense sunlight, and the detail is perfect. Maybe just the odd too many inter-titles that can break up the pace a bit, but in the round it's a well made, enjoyable piece of cinema history with a decent story and lovely score from Ted Henkel played on the Wurlitzer to boot.

Henry King directs this Western full of romance and heroics. Irrigation engineer Willard Holmes (Ronald Colman) is hired to build a water system for a parched Southwestern community. Barbara Worth (Vilma Banky), the adopted daughter of ranch boss Jefferson Worth (Charles Lane), falls for the debonair outsider, much to the annoyance of Worth Ranch foreman Abe Lee (Gary Cooper). This romantic rivalry leads to hardship and danger, all of which serves to empower local baron Greenfield (E. J. Ratcliffe).

It is odd seeing Colman in a western setting, but he handles himself well enough in the milieu. Cooper, in his first starring role, is green but has undeniable screen presence. Banky is lovely and satisfactory. The most memorable sequence is the big finale river flood, and it's well executed.

I cannot tell you how excited I was to find this DVD at my local library. I have the entire collection of Wright's books and recognized the title instantly. Amazingly, the director and screenplay writer took the story as it is in the book and relayed it beautifully. This is supreme acting when you can pretty well tell what's being said even before the words show up on the screen. BRAVO!!!! This would be a great story for the history buffs as well as silent screen aficionados. This is the first of many great films starring Gary Cooper and it is easy to see why he made it in the acting field. His rival for Barbara's hand is Ronald Coleman and what a dashing rival he makes! I was unfamiliar with the heroine but she too was a wonderful actress. This is a part of history I had not been aware of until I read the book. It is a must-see!