Film 6: The Iron Horse (1924)

Netflix plot summary: In this epic silent Western from John Ford, railroad surveyor Davy Brandon (George O'Brien) must find a route through the Rocky Mountains and carry on the dream of his father, who died before he could see the country linked by a transcontinental train line. As the Union Pacific construction crew battles fierce weather and hostile Indians, Davy also tries to track down the mysterious two-fingered man who killed his father.

Filmsite.org review:  One of the great silent screen epics, John Ford's The Iron Horse, about the building of the transcontinental railroad, still packs a wallop today. In fact, there is almost too much of everything: Brave men fighting for the right of settlers to settle despite never-ending Indian attacks; nasty landowners attempting to misdirect the railroad for their own financial gain; more Indian attacks; quaint Irish characters singing quaint Irish songs when not battling the elements and each other; and still more Indian attacks. All of it filmed with John Ford's legendary feel for the land and its people. And in true Ford style, none of the grandeur is allowed to overshadow the human elements. Only in a Ford film will a fallen Indian be mourned by his faithful dog, as happens here. And only Ford would create an astonishing scene such as the one in which the laborers, without missing a beat, continue their arduous job of building the iron trail mere moments after having quelled a bloody raid by the evil Cheyennes. by Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Film viewing date: 3/02/10

Next film released 3/03/10