John Ford's The Iron Horse (1924), which was the biggest grossing film of its day, is an epic silent western about the building of the first transcontinental railroad. The main thrust of the movie is when an Old West surveyor (James Gordon), who dreams that one day the entire North American continent will be linked by railroads, sets out with his son (Winston Miller) to find a viable trail through the Rocky Mountains. When they're ambushed by a tribe of Indians led by a white savage (Fred Kohler), destinies change for them all.

Peggy Cartwright &

 Winston Miller

The movie starts in Springfield, Illinois where Davy (played as a young boy by Miller) and the young neighbor girl Miriam Marsh (Peggy Cartwright) are best friends. When Davy's dad leaves with him to begin their adventure Miriam sheds crocodile tears, while her father Thomas (William Walling) voices his doubt about the success of the adventure.

Fred Kohler

After Davy's dad is killed and he's rescued, the movie transitions to Davy (George O'Brien) as a young man working for the Pony Express. One day as Indians are chasing him, he rides along the train and jumps aboard only to be reacquainted with Miriam (Madge Bellamy) and her father who is now building a railroad due to the legislation President Lincoln signed unite the country by rail.

George O'Brien, William Walling & Madge Bellamy

Cyril Chadwick

While excited to see Miriam still beautiful but grown, he's disheartened to learn she's engaged to her father's engineer Jesson (Cyril Chadwick).

What transpires for the remaining of the film is built around the bad and good in men, the struggle between the Indian and the white man and what is know as Manifest Destiny and the unification of America. The film is dedicated - "To the ever-living memory of Abraham Lincoln, the Builder - and of those dauntless engineers and toilers who fulfilled his dream of a greater nation."

I was fortunate enough to see Fox's newly restored John Ford classic on a big screen at a benefit screening at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park in San Diego. Accompanying the film was composer Christopher Caliendo (Q & A with Caliendo) who created a new score for the film. His music and use of several orchestras worked well to depict all that was going on in the film - from the political undertones of racism and the hardships of the times to the visuals of how relentless early Americans were in their struggles to make America a better place.

While the movie seems long at 120 minutes for a silent, the film itself looks fine. I loved the depiction of the characters, particularity as enhance by Caliendo's score. As with all silent movies there are mouths moving and saying words you know you'll not see in the scene title captions, but you get enough to know what's going on.

All the drama and adventure never gets stale; there's always lots going on. And there's a real feeling of gratification when that last golden spike is driven in the ground at Promitory Point to unite the Central and Union Pacific railroad
lines in 1869.

The movie is also a solid example of John Ford's (also called Jack Ford) style of moving making. He shot The Iron Horse, his 52nd film, in Monument Valley, Arizona. Rumors were it was his response to James Cruze's 1932 The Covered Wagon starring Lois Wilson and Alan Hale.

The Iron Horse was and is still talked about as a significant western and silent film. I was recently watching The Smart Set (1928) and there was a reference made to the movie in one of the character's dialogues.

The Iron Horse is part of  FORD AT FOX, 20th Century Fox's DVD  collection that  features 24 films as well as the new documentary Becoming John Ford by Academy Award nominated documentary maker and Ford historian Nick Redman. The beautifully packaged collection also includes an exclusive hard-cover book which features rare, unpublished photographs from Ford's career, lobby card reproductions, production stills and an in-depth look at this maverick's work.

Director: John Ford

Writers: John Ford, Charles Kenyon (story & senario), John Russell (story), Charles Darnton (titles),

Cast Members: George O'Brien, Madge Bellamy, Fred Kohler, Charles Edward Bull, Cyril Chadwick, William Walling

Rating: Unrated - fine for all ages

Run Time:120 minutes

Studio: MGM/Fox

Black & White

Photo credits © Fox Home Entertainment