The Movie:

The rousing, Westward-Ho drama The Winning of Barbara Worth is perhaps best known as the movie that gave Gary Cooper his first big break, although the film has several other things going for it. This late-period silent sports a somewhat creaky story of torrid love set against a power struggle in a Western desert town, but it's beautifully produced (shot mostly outdoors), with an expressive cast (headed by Cooper, Ronald Colman, and Vilma Banky), and a massive flood scene to end all flood scenes. The 1926 production has all the elegant hallmarks of producer Samuel Goldwyn, whose holdings have been recent, welcome additions to the Warner Archive collection of made-to-order DVD editions of lesser-known films.

Those who know Cooper from the Sergeant York-High Noon period might be pleasantly surprised to find that he plays exactly the same strong, silent type in Barbara Worth. As Abe Lee, a solemn ranch foreman who carries a torch for the same girl he knew as a kid, Cooper drips charisma even though his character is the third wheel in the film's main romantic coupling. Although Cooper was a pleasant bonus, Samuel Goldwyn primarily made the movie to promote the other two actors, who had already clicked in 1925's The Dark Angel - a youthful, dashing Ronald Colman and the alluring, semi-forgotten Hungarian actress Vilma Banky.

For The Winning Barbara Worth, famed screenwriter Frances Marion adapted Harold Bell Wright's best-selling novel to highlight the love triangle against this large-scale saga of Manifest Destiny. Banky's vivacious title character is an orphan raised by Jefferson Worth (Charles Lane), a banker who spearheaded a water reclamation effort in the dusty township of Kingston. The building of a nearby dam by an unscrupulous businessman named Mr. Greenfield (E. J. Ratcliffe) signals the arrival of Greenfield's stepson, Willard Holmes (Colman). Despite his shady intentions, Barbara takes to the dapper Easterner - which upsets Abe Lee (Cooper), the modest ranch hand who secretly loves her. When Mr. Greenfield okays a cheaply built intake at the river near Kingston, fleecing the townspeople of their money, the Worths convince most of the locals to move to another settlement with free land and water. Residents at the newly christened town of Barba find that their credit has been severed by Mr. Greenfield, however, which prompts the angry mob to go after Mr. Worth and Barbara. Holmes, who had been secretly negotiating with the bank on the Worths' behalf, joins with Abe Lee to make a dangerous nighttime trek to Kingston to retrieve the settlers' cash. While all this drama is transpiring, the shoddy dam near Kingston breaks, unleashing its fury on the unsuspecting townspeople.

Silly as its plot can get, The Winning of Barbara Worth nevertheless stands as elegantly made late-period silent cinema, an evocative watch along the same lines as The Wind or Lonesome or The Crowd. Director Henry King makes sure that the action is low-key, naturalistic and exciting (the sequence in which the town of Barba celebrates its first birth is a highlight in that regard). The film makes great use of outdoor locales, including a memorable opening set in a sandstorm and the stunning flash flood sequence. The lengthy, expensive-looking flood scenes utilized models, seamless edits, and other techniques which still look impressive.

Thanks to Frances Marion, Barbara Worth's story is suffused with interesting characters, played by a host of well-cast actors. Of course, you have the young, handsome Gary Cooper startlingly being as stoic and Gary Cooper-ish as can be, but I also enjoyed Ronald Colman's masculinity and the beautiful, expressive Vilma Banky. Having never seen any of Banky's other movies before, her vulnerability in this role makes me want to seek out more of her stuff (Banky was another actor who didn't transition well to talkies, due to a thick accent). The supporting characters are memorable as well, especially mustached comedic actor Clyde Cook as the Worths' trusted cowpoke friend, Tex.

In her autobiography, screenwriter Frances Marion enjoyably recalled Samuel Goldwyn's misgivings on Cooper's casting during the making of The Winning of Barbara Worth. She wrote that Goldwyn and Henry King weren't sure that a "gaunt, slow-moving, self-conscious young man with irregular features and hair that looked as if it were brushed by a whisk-broom" would appeal to audiences - until they showed his screen test footage to the Goldwyn company secretaries, who swooned at the actor's magnetism. And so a star was made.

The DVD:

Video:

The Winning of Barbara Worth's 1.33:1 visuals are well-mastered from a print which looks great, despite some flicker and light scratching. Some scenes appear more aged, quality-wise, than others. Aside from a wobbly image, however, the 4:3 picture has a good, crisp look. Carrying over from the film's previous release on Gary Cooper: M-G-M Movie Legends Collection in 2007, this Warner Archive release also presents the film with its original tinting in shades of orange, blue, red and pink.

Audio:

This edition of Barbara Worth uses the same mono track of mood music supplied for the 2007 DVD, a nice pipe organ score of original music. This evocative, period-correct soundtrack (on which laughter can occasionally be heard) was composed and performed by Gaylord Carter for a revival showing of the movie.

Extras:

None. A simple main menu with one Play option is provided.

Final Thoughts:

Expertly crafted, robust 1926 drama The Winning of Barbara Worth is a good example of expectation-defying cinema. Although the story has the potential to be hokey, there's a lot of enjoyment to be had with this Westward-expansion drama starring the dashing Ronald Colman, forgotten, charismatic actress Vilma Banky, and newcomer Gary Cooper. Sit back and show it to your friends who believe silent movies are creaky and boring. Recommended.

Matt Hinrichs is a designer, artist, film critic and jack-of-all-trades in Phoenix, Arizona. Since 2000, he has been blogging at Scrubbles.net. 4 Color Cowboy is his repository of Western-kitsch imagery, while other films he's experienced are logged at Letterboxd. He also welcomes friends on Twitter @4colorcowboy.