"The Iron Horse"
Lloyd Fonvielle
melodrama set against the epic backdrop of the building of the
transcontinental railroad, or as an epic poem about the building of that
railroad with some melodrama woven through it to give it a more coherent
structure.
In truth the film is both these things, simultaneously or alternately --
the two halves of its nature are never entirely reconciled.
The melodrama isn't at all bad -- it's entertaining and sometimes moving
-- though it has one of the lamest lovers' misunderstandings in all of
movies. (Interestingly, the international version of the film tries,
through rewritten intertitles, to make the misunderstanding more
plausible but just succeeds in making even lamer than it already was.)
The real problem is that the epic poem which hosts the melodramatic
narrative is one of the most sublime achievements of the silent cinema.
It's hard to imagine any melodrama which could holds its own with such
poetry. (It should be noted that Griffith faced the same dilemma with
"The Birth Of A Nation", and similarly failed to solve it.)
The epic poem within "The Iron Horse" has themes and developments
peculiar to itself. Ford is interested, as he often was, in the process
of things, which in this case centers on the land, the physical fact of
the land, which determined the challenge the road builders faced. Ford
is also interested in the moral development this challenge prompted --
specifically the uniting of diverse peoples in a national consciousness.
The inclusiveness of the film is notable, and notably modern. Building
the railroad unites former antagonists in the civil war between North
and South. It unites Eastern engineers with Western scouts and hunters.
It unites ethnic groups -- most specifically the Irish and the
Italians, though there are a few scenes demonstrating good-natured
camaraderie between Europeans and Chinese. It unites women and men, who
at one point take up arms together to rescue some besieged track layers
. . . and in the climax of that scene, a band of light cavalry rides to
the rescue -- not U. S. soldiers but Pawnee Indians, allies of the train
workers. The only people conspicuously absent from this American mosaic
are blacks -- probably to avoid alienating white Southern audiences of
the time.
The epic poem of America that's at the heart of "The Iron Horse" unfolds
at a stately pace, even though it's brimful of incident and exquisite
lyrical images. (There's enough pure cinema in this picture to supply a
dozen ordinary movies) Unless you surrender to its rhythms, are willing
to just sit back and enjoy the sheer spectacle of it, you are likely to
find The Iron Horse tough going. If you're primarily interested in the
melodrama, wanting Ford to get on with it already, you'll find it even
tougher going.
On the other hand, if you let Ford take you at his own pace, show you
want he wants you to see, you'll be deeply rewarded. Here is the
vernacular lyricism of "Leaves Of Grass" applied to a truly epic subject
and translated into visual terms that transcend its melodramatic
armature. It's an imperfect but genuinely awesome work.
The film is part of the new "Ford At Fox" box set, where it's presented
in two versions -- the American release and the somewhat abridged
international release, derived from a separate negative made up of
second-camera shots and alternate takes. The American version is far
superior but apparently better print material survives from the
international version. You really need to be familiar with both to
appreciate the film fully.
The international version on the set has a first-rate commentary by Bob
Birchard, filled with a wealth of information about the personalities
involved in the making of the film and about the production.
Mar de Cortes Baja
www.mardecortesbaja.com <http://www.mardecortesbaja.com/blog>
bbir...@earthlink.net
bbir...@earthlink.net
> Birchard, filled with a wealth of information about the personalities
> involved in the making of the film and about the production.
>
Thanks for the kind words.
Lloyd Fonvielle
The praise was most sincere -- your commentary was what commentaries
ought to be and rarely are, highly informative and b.s.-free. I
particularly enjoyed the quotes from your talks with O'Brien.
By the way, do you know what's happened to Ford's Norman Rockwell
portraits of cowboy stars? Seems like they'd make for a great little
art/movie book with commentaries by yourself.
sirmichaelcat
I am keenly awaiting your doco on THEDA BARA. Imdb lists it as 100
minutes but does not show if available on dvd
bbir...@earthlink.net
It's not my documentary on Theda Bara, I only appear in it as an
interview subject. It was produced and directed by Timeline films.
Check out their website.
sirmichaelcat
THANKS their web-site states that the doco on Theda Bara is due for
release in January