One of my top picks for pre-sound westerns is the William S. Hart 1920 production, "Sand". (There is no exclamation mark after the title. The entry in the Library of Congress is wrong. "Sand" is the name of Hart's horse, who has an important role to play in the plot). Using a story by Russell A. Boggs as a kick-off, director Lambert Hillyer has fashioned a very interesting script with a well-developed plot and realistically full-blooded characters, set against rugged backgrounds with lots of fascinating details. For instance, I love the bit where hero Hart deliberately allows a really nasty bushwhacker to escape. And of course all the railroad lore had me locked in a seventh heaven. The acting is great. Bill Hart, Mary Thurman, G. Raymond Nye (and to a lesser extent, the lovely Patricia Palmer who made nearly 150 movies between 1913 and 1929) turn in engrossingly realistic performances. Production values are first class, with a special nod for Joe August's fine camera-work.
Review of Sand
