Cheap Toll Gate/His Bitter Pill (DVD) (William S. Hart, Anna Q. Nilsson) (Lambert Hillyer) Price
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William S. Hart was the first and arguably the most fascinating of silent-film cowboy stars. Hard and humorless, with a face that looked chiseled out of granite, he straddled the line between hero and criminal as the "Good Badman" of silent Western cinema. In The Toll Gate (1920), directed by Hart regular Lambert Hillyer, he plays Black Deering, the leader of a train-robbing gang sold out by one of his own men. Deering escapes with revenge on his mind, but he's wounded and seeks shelter in the lonely cabin of an abandoned woman (the beautiful Anna Q. Nilsson) where he considers the possibility of a new life, but only after he escapes not one but two posses, one of which is led by his betrayer. The stunning locations paint a hard, rugged West where Hart has practically stepped out of the craggy landscape, ruthless enough to take on the elements on their own terms and quietly driven by a harsh moral code that demands he put his own life on the line to save a boy. The only disappointment in this tinted and toned presentation is the sorry shape of the deteriorated master: rain-like scratches cover the picture in places, and burns, bleeding, washouts, and overexposures overwhelm the picture in particularly damaged spots. Also included (on the Kino video and Image DVD) is the Mack Sennett short His Bitter Pill, a slapstick parody that pokes fun at Hart's stony persona. --Sean Axmaker
| ACTORS: | William S. Hart, Anna Q. Nilsson |
| CATEGORY: | DVD |
| DIRECTOR: | Lambert Hillyer |
| THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: | 15 April, 1920 |
| MANUFACTURER: | Image Entertainment |
| MPAA RATING: | NR (Not Rated) |
| FEATURES: | Black & White, Dolby |
| TYPE: | Classics (Silents/Avant Garde) |
| MEDIA: | DVD |
| # OF MEDIA: | 1 |
| UPC: | 014381472820 |
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Customer Reviews of Toll Gate/His Bitter Pill
A Wonderful Western! Although I've never been a fan of Westerns, I'm glad I decided to get this great DVD because when it comes right down to it, the story and its message are what counts, regardless of the genre. I thoroughly enjoyed "The Toll Gate" for it's theme of the outlaw who isn't all that bad after all, tries to prove it and reaps the rewards. Right from the start, you already feel sympathetic towards the leader of the outlaw gang, and there's considerable suspense as the story unfolds, making you want to cheer him on to a happy outcome. It's a good storyline and it is presented quite well, but it's a shame that some parts of the film, notably the last 10-15 minutes are in rather bad condition. Still, if you focus on the excitement of that part you can almost overlook it and still thoroughly enjoy the entire film with its morale and message at the end.
The 20-minute parody "His Bitter Pill" is a nice way to finish one's viewing, having a simple but entertaining theme, so altogether I'd recommend this DVD, even to non-Western fans like me who would still enjoy a quality story in the silent film medium.
"They might call you Black Deering, but you're all white."
A poetic and moralistic Western; True to the spirit of the West because it's told by those, most notably Hart, who knew it firsthand.