The Wilderness Trail

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The Wilderness Trail
The Wilderness Trail.jpg
Directed by Edward J. Le Saint
Written by Charles Kenyon (scenario)
Based onThe Wilderness Trail
by Francis William Sullivan
Starring Tom Mix
Colleen Moore
Frank Clark
Cinematography Friend F. Baker
Distributed by Fox Film Corporation
Release date
  • July 6, 1919 (1919-07-06)
Running time
50 minutes
CountryUnited States
Languages Silent
English intertitles
Still with Colleen Moore, Frank Clark, and Tom Mix The Wilderness Trail (1919) - 1.jpg
Still with Colleen Moore, Frank Clark, and Tom Mix

The Wilderness Trail is a 1919 American silent Western film directed by Edward J. Le Saint and starring Tom Mix and Colleen Moore. It was one of the first of two films that featured Mix and Moore. The Wilderness Trail is based on the 1913 Western novel of the same name by Francis William Sullivan and was adapted for the screen by Charles Kenyon. [1]

Contents

No prints of The Wilderness Trail are known to exist and the film is now presumed lost. [2] [3]

Plot

Set in the Northwoods of Canada, Tom Mix stars as Donald MacTavish, the newly appointed head commissioner of the Hudson's Bay Company. This promotion infuriates MacTavish's rival Angus Fitzpatrick (Frank Clark) who wanted the job. Angus Fitzpatrick takes his anger and resentment out on MacTavish then sets out to get MacTavish fired. Fitzpatrick accuses MacTavish of stealing furs that were actually stolen by a group of thieving traders led by Sergius (Sid Jordan). To complicate matters, both MacTavish and Sergius are in love with Fitzpatrick's young daughter Jeanne (Moore). After Sergius kidnaps Jeanne, Angus Fitzpatrick attempts to rescue his daughter but is injured by the thieving traders. MacTavish rescues Jeanne and the two return home to Angus Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick forgives MacTavish and the two work together to catch the group of thieving traders who kidnapped Jeanne.

Cast

Production

The Wilderness Trail was shot in and around Flagstaff, Arizona from February 3 to February 24, 1919. Interior shots were filmed in Los Angeles. [4]

Reception

Variety's review was positive, praising Friend F. Baker's cinematography for the fights and beautiful exterior shots. The reviewer found the plot to be "clear and reasonable" and the acting adequate. [5]

See also

References

  1. Progressive Silent Film List: The Wilderness Trail at silentera.com
  2. Codori, Jeff (2012). Colleen Moore: A Biography of the Silent Film Star. McFarland. p. 256. ISBN   978-0-786-44969-9.
  3. "The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film: The Wilderness Trail". May 7, 2024. Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  4. Codori 2012 pp. 47-49.
  5. Variety. New York: Variety Publishing Co. July 11, 1919. p. 60.