“One
who is evil, looking for the first time upon that which is good.”
The most basic of movie plots is good versus evil. It has
been done since the beginning of the movie industry. One genre of film that
uses the plot the most has been Westerns. The wild west of the late 1800s/early
1900s was a hot bed of sin and corruption, according to the movies anyway. With
all this sin and corruption a priest/preacher/parson was needed to keep the
town in line. But this holy person could never really do it alone so the one
decent tough guy in town that both the good and bad respected comes in to keep
the peace. Usually this holy person has a sister or daughter and the somewhat
good, somewhat bad guy falls in with. Basically, I just told you half the plot
of the silent film Hell’s Hinges.
Robert Henley is a parson in a small town. His preaching
is uninspiring because he does not fully believe what he is saying and therefore
the people of the town do not believe him either. The other parsons want to
send him away to a Midwestern town that desperately need a holy figure in their
town to fight off the sin. Robert does not imagine being a righteous spiritual leader
helping the faithful of the town, he imagines being the object of attention
from the local women. His sister Faith has volunteered to go with him to help
him get settled.
The town Robert and Faith travel to is officially called
Placer Center but to the locals it is called Hell’s Hinges. It is full of sin
and corruption and a place many travelers are told to stay away from. To the
corrupt in town, the respectable people are called “The Petticoat Brigade.” This
“brigade” are the ones who called for a new parson.
One man in the town of Hell’s Hinges is neither good nor
bad. Blaze Tracey (William S. Hart) has done his fair share of killing and
roughing but he can also have a nice side. The local big bad guy Silk Miller,
who runs the saloon, has put Blaze in charge of running the new parson out of
town. When Robert and Faith arrive, everyone in the town crowds around them to
see the new blood. They are immediately taunted by the ruffians. Blaze comes
over as well. As soon as he sees Faith is left speechless. For him it is love
at first sight. He even takes his hat off in front of her to show some respect.
That Sunday a swarm of townspeople come to a barn where
Robert is holding service to throw him out. Blaze comes and makes everyone
leave. He winds up staying for the service but it is not to hear the word of
God. He is moved by Faith’s kindness and love.
Robert had forgotten about his other “mission” to find
women. He heads to the saloon under the guise of wanting to reform some of the
women working there. The following morning he is not at the church for the
service. One of the local bad guys tells the followers their new parson was
down at the saloon all night and is a wild drunk. Blaze knows that Silk put
Robert up to drinking. Robert spends the day in the saloon. Someone there calls
to burn the church down. The sinful townspeople drag Robert out of the saloon
to the church. A torch is put in his hand so he can burn what he had come to
town for. The male followers of the church run to the building to try to
peacefully hold off the others. Unfortunately a skirmish breaks out between the
faithful and the evil. Robert is shot and killed. The church is set on fire.
All the good people of the town are driven out into the desert.
Blaze was out riding in the desert as everything was
happening. He sees some of the people running away. Someone tells him that the
church has been set on fire and that Robert is dead. All Blaze is worried about
is Faith. He thunders into town on his horse. He finds Faith mourning over her
lost brother. In revenge, Blaze goes to the saloon. Silk was tipped off that
Blaze had come back and is looking for revenge. Silk is ready for the reformed
cowboy to come for him. With two guns in each hand, Blaze goes to the saloon. It
is quiet, he knows what to expect. He opens the doors and fires immediately
killing Silk. He holds up the entire bar. As he walks closer to the crowd of
heathens and they walk backwards away from him, Blaze shoots the oil lamps down
setting the saloon on fire. He tells them all they should get used to the fire because
where they are all going that is all that will surround them.
Blaze, along with all the corrupt people, make it out of
the saloon before it comes down. The entire town is now alight and everyone
panics in the streets. Blaze finds Faith and takes her out of the town. In the
mountains, far away from the town, Blaze watches Hell’s Hinges burn to the
ground. Faith has buried her brother and cries for him over his grave. Blaze
walks away and looks up to the sky and asks God to make Faith happy again.
Hell’s Hinges
was a decent silent Western. I just recently finished my thesis for my MA in
Museum Registration on actor-based museums and whether they can stay in
operation. One of the museums I wrote about was the William S. Hart Ranch and
Museum out in Newhall, California. It is a very interesting museum and was one
of the first actor-based museums in the United States. When Hart passed away he
left his ranch and house to the state of California. Everything in the main
house and the ranch house are all original from when Hart occupied it. I wrote
about the museum and William S. Hart without having ever seen the actor in a
film before. I had read about him before and had seen him in a photograph that
was taken of him with Mary and Jack Pickford. I believe I had also read about Hell’s Hinges a few years ago either in
a book or on a program on the history of the movie industry and since that time
I had been very interested in watching it. It is a good movie. The action was
decent. Hart made a very good cowboy. I can see why he is considered one of the
quintessential movie cowboys. He had the look for a good guy cowboy. Hell’s Hinges is a silent film I recommend
seeing despite the typical plot.
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