Starring: Harry Carey, Duke R Lee, Neva Gerber, Vester Pegg, Joe Harris
Writers: Jack Ford & Harry Carey (based on a story by Harry Carey & Eugene B Lewis)
Cinematography: Ben F Reynolds
Music: SILENT (Blu-Ray score by Zachary Marsh)
B&W, 53m. 1.33:1 presentation.
Released on July 6, 1918 by Universal Film Manufacturing Company
My experience: Kino Lorber Studio Classics Blu-Ray
I suppose I'm in the minority when it comes to this one. Many of the reviews I've read online discuss how Hell Bent is a giant leap forward for Jack Ford, and while I don't deny that it has its moments, it seems to me that at times Ford is playing in a toy box. Having discovered different ways of filming and telling his story, I feel that Ford is throwing everything he's learned up to that point into a blender and seeing what sticks.
The story, as with many of that day and age, is simply told. We are introduced once again to Harry Carey as Cheyenne Harry, a card sharp who arrives in the town of Rawhide after running from the law after a poker game shootout. He falls in love with Mary (Neva Gerber) -- for some reason called Bess on the Blu-Ray cover and on IMDB -- whose brother Jack (Vester Pegg) has been fired from his job at Western Union. Jack, unfortunately, is a lazy ne'er do well, and Mary must take a job as a dance hall girl at a saloon in order not only to make ends meet, but to send money to their mother, who needs money for an operation. Through the course of the film, Harry and Mary fall in love, Harry becomes best friends with fellow good-bad guy and kindred spirit Cimarron Bill (Duke R Lee), and runs afoul of stagecoach robber Beau Ross (Joe Harris) and his gang, which now includes Mary's brother Jack. All's well that ends well of course, as they usually do in these silent westerns, but perhaps not for everyone?
The film starts off in a pretty self-reflective way for its time, as it begins with a letter stating that the public is tired of a perfect man, and wants ordinary protagonists who have both bad and good in them. It then cuts to a really cool shot in which the camera zooms in on the painting "A Misdeal" by Frederic Remington, and with some exquisite posing and matchwork, becomes a live action representation of said painting, from which the action proceeds forthwith. Good start so far, but Ford doesn't seem to know when to quit, as he uses a massive amount of irises and screen matting, which while I understand to a certain extent why he does it, is almost too much of a good thing, and draws too much attention to its usage.
There is a wonderful meet-cute between Harry and Cimarron Bill, as they take turns kicking each other out of a hotel room before becoming fast friends. Their relationship contains a much-needed sense of humour to the film, as well as some bittersweet moments. I don't know if audiences of the time were aware, or if it was even intended by Ford, but there seems to be a slight tinge of homoerotic longing on the part of Cimarron Bill for Cheyenne Harry. Early in the film, the two drunkenly sing a duet of the classic song "Sweet Genevieve", which seems like a one-off attempt at humor but pays itself off in heartbreaking style at the end of the film. Many of Ford's film are notable for being classic examples of male bonding, and focuses on the closeness of the male characters, often to the exclusion of the women in the film, but this is the strongest case I've found yet for potential romantic longing in such a case (that's portrayed in a serious, honest way and not the usual overly effeminate depiction of homosexuality in classic Hollywood films).
There are some cool shots in the film. The wagon chase down a hill is particularly effective and excitement-inducing, and there is also a really cool shot of the shadow of horses on a hill. The camera is pointed at the ground, and at first the audience is not quite sure what they're looking at, and then the shadows creep across the screen, and it's a glorious moment.
I also need to point out the rousing, rollicking and yes, sentimental score by Zachary Marsh on the Kino Lorber Studio Classics Blu-Ray. There are a few themes and through lines he uses throughout the film, that call earlier scenes back to mind, and I definitely appreciated it. Many contemporary silent film scores, while very good in their own right, focus on the action itself, almost as if someone is playing at a piano or conducting a band while watching the movie live (which makes sense, as this is often the way they did things back in the silent era). Marsh makes this movie feel *scored*, and it really adds a lot to the film.
Parts of the film are hard to follow, especially during Harry and Beau's trek through the sand dunes, and I never really got the attraction between Harry and Mary. So while I don't think I enjoyed this film as much as others, it still has something to offer, and at less than an hour long, is short enough that if it's not for you, it's not a complete waste of your time.
Five and a half connubial cowboys out of ten.
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