The Soul Herder (1917) User Reviews

First Film Together - Now Lost

[PamelaShort · 11 September 2014]

In this western, Harry Carey plays outlaw Cheyenne Harry, who is thrown out of town by the sheriff, after his wild drunken antics. Out on the trail he comes across an Indian attack, and meets a minister, John Marks ( Jean Hersholt ) hiding his little daughter from the attackers. He is killed and after the Indians have left, Cheyenne Harry takes charge of the child, who demands he dress like her daddy. When he begins to put on the parson's clothes, he discovers a note to Marks from his sister-in-law Jane ( Fritzi Ridgeway ) requesting he come to the town of Buckhorn. He arrives in town with the child, and Jane assumes that he is Marks, until he gets into a fight, it becomes clear he is not the minister. However, Cheyenne enjoys playing the part, giving money to the local prostitutes to leave and begin a new life, and forcing the the rest of the town to attend church services for hours to make up for missed time. The town thugs blame Jane for being forced to attend church, and they abduct her. Cheyenne must now shoot it out with them to rescue Jane, upon his triumphant return, he promptly closes down the saloon.

Directed by John Ford, billed as Jack Ford, this lost silent western, use a blend of typical cowboy action along with humor, results that greatly pleased audiences. This was the first of Ford's twenty-six westerns with Harry Carey and also Ford's first picture with Hoot Gibson. " Delicious humor, an excellent picture in every way." announced a review from Moving Picture Weekly, July 28, 1917. Sadly, the loss of this silent film is a tragic one in so many regards, for John Ford film followers, and fans of Harry Carey and Hoot Gibson, can only hope a copy someday resurfaces.

1857 to 1876

[Single-Black-Male · 17 June 2004]

John Ford is somewhat of a historian in his western films. Most of his material is set between the period of 1857 to 1876 when the Union had 36 stars. He's not an accurate historian, but by and large he happens to be the best of the western genre directors. I'm not too sure what it is that he brings to a film, but he certainly seems to get the best out of his actors and the story. It was probably in this film that he grasped the concept of treating the camera as a character. He learned that the camera should not be just a passive observer watching what's going on without intervention or having any opinion to penetrate the situation, but should be probing the action that is taking place in order to get behind the story.