Broncho Billy has had a tough day escaping from jail. He is taking a cigarette break from being pursued by the sheriff and posse, when who should fall down unconscious beside him but little Eugenia Clinchard, the Sheriff's daughter.
The idea of the good bad man became common in popular American literature after the end of the Civil War. Dispossessed Southern aristocrats, according to the Dime Novels, turned to brigandage, cattle rustling and train robbery, but never lost their gentility. This also played into the Christian ideal of redemption and the American idea of a fresh start.
That's what this western is about, even if it played a bit melodramatically to the modern audience. Broncho Billy often played a character right on the edge of being being a good or bad man. It added dramatic tension to his performance and gave him a wider range, making the movie better.
Of course, in a couple of years, William S. Hart would come along and make the Good Bad Man, redeemed by Christian Faith, an integral part of most of his movies. However, Anderson, who came first, is pretty good in general and in this one.
The idea of the good bad man became common in popular American literature after the end of the Civil War. Dispossessed Southern aristocrats, according to the Dime Novels, turned to brigandage, cattle rustling and train robbery, but never lost their gentility. This also played into the Christian ideal of redemption and the American idea of a fresh start.
That's what this western is about, even if it played a bit melodramatically to the modern audience. Broncho Billy often played a character right on the edge of being being a good or bad man. It added dramatic tension to his performance and gave him a wider range, making the movie better.
Of course, in a couple of years, William S. Hart would come along and make the Good Bad Man, redeemed by Christian Faith, an integral part of most of his movies. However, Anderson, who came first, is pretty good in general and in this one.
