Wagon Tracks (1919)

Set in 1850, a desert guide (William S. Hart) leads a wagon train through the Santa Fe Trail to New Mexico. His young brother (Leo Pierson) died under mysterious circumstances and there are three travelers on the wagon train who know the truth and he intends to find out what really happened. The travelers are a young girl (Jane Novak), her brother (Robert McKim) and her fiance (Lloyd Bacon). Directed by Lambert Hillyer (DRACULA'S DAUGHTER) and starring the legendary western star of silent cinema, William S. Hart. Hart was already in his 50s when he became a star and this western epic isn't a typical western but more of a revenge drama set in the Old West. There aren't any gunfights and the Indians are a peaceable lot. I'll confess that this was my first Hart western and judging from what I've seen here, he wasn't much of an actor and his "charisma" was lost on me. As to the film itself, it's a solid effort with excellent visuals and landscapes courtesy of Joseph H. August (GUNGA DIN).