JohnHowardReid SYNOPSIS: Jefferson Worth's dream is to turn the desert wasteland into a garden paradise. To bring this worthy project to fruition, he turns to the Wall Street financier, James Greenfield, and his step-son, engineer Willard Holmes. Unfortunately, Greenfield is a crook.NOTES: Although he figures way down the cast list, Gary Cooper (in his first credited movie appearance) is in reality playing the second male lead. (In fact, he has actually been bumped up into third position on the current DVD). This role was originally slated for cowboy star, Harold Goodwin. Unfortunately for his own career, Goodwin was delayed at Warner Brothers where he was making The Better 'Ole with Syd Chaplin. A replacement had to be found in a hurry. Henry King remembered a screen test he'd seen of Gary Cooper whom he'd signed on as an extra at $50 a week. So King offered Cooper the role and an additional $15 a week.COMMENT: Although it only intermittently captures the religious flavor and fervor of Harold Bell Wright's 1911 novel, The Winning of Barbara Worth proves a grand movie experience, with winning performances all around in a fast-moving plot that cascades into an unforgettable climax. The photography is outstanding and King's direction both forceful and fluid. Production values are particularly rich with awesome location footage and thrilling action scenes involving hundreds of extras. Even Clyde Cook's comic relief seemed mildly amusing. And as for the clash of leading men, personally, I thought the charismatic Cooper easily outshone hard-working Colman. (DVD from M-G-M. Quality rating: 10 out of 10).

anches-725-976306 Previous reviewers have covered the plot of this film, so i will limit myself to saying that it left me a little disappointed. I did not find the effects particularly impressive, especially when compared to "Noah's Ark". What I liked better were the scenes when the towns men are preparing to go on the rampage if their pay doesn't arrive; Barbara is particularly vulnerable when one of the bad guys takes a shine to her, however, all turns out well in the end. Having read oldblackandwhite's comments about how close we can get to experiencing these movies as a silent era audience would, I suspect that this will never be truly possible, as modern audiences simply don't have the life experiences of our predecessors. I find that when I have been to presentations of silents, the audience, by and large have gone to gawp at an old curiosity, rather than to enjoy a work of art. I pity the fools!!

bkoganbing During the silent screen years Ronald Colman and Vilma Banky were a popular screen team and The Winning Of Barbara Worth was their first film together. Neither Colman or Banky was particularly happy with doing a western and certainly neither are players you would think of for a western. But in the days of the silent screen you could not hear Colman's cultured English tones or Banky's thick Hungarian accent which killed her career in sound films.The Winning Of Barbara Worth is a modern western set in 1926 Arizona where Banky's father is the local head honcho in a small town. Father Charles Lane has a dream of building a dam and irrigating the desert and turning it into an agricultural paradise. But he puts his trust and the hard earned cash of his people into the hands of the unscrupulous E.J. Ratcliffe who cut many corners and built one inferior dam. His chief engineer Ronald Colman points that out to him and his fired for his trouble.Undaunted, Colman gets new backing from millionaire Fred Esmelton and goes to work on a new dam. Which does not fit in Ratcliffe's plans and he tries to stop Colman by fair means or foul. Colman also has eyes for Banky, but she's already got Gary Cooper courting her. And Coop's the jealous type and does not think Colman is on the up and up.Henry King whose career in films spanned over 40 years and was the top contract director at 20th Century Fox during sound did a great job both with his live players and the cinematography. The overflowing dam and subsequent flood was of DeMille like quality.Maybe Ronald Colman and Vilma Banky aren't what many would consider western names, but that sure can't be said about Gary Cooper for whom this was his first featured role. Coop had done many bit roles in silents up to this time, but he was a complete unknown at this time and The Winning Of Barbara Worth was his first part with billing. You probably could not have made this film during sound with the voices of Colman and Banky, but when Cooper uttered his first screen words in Wolf Song, this man's voice perfectly suited the characters he had been playing on the screen already. In fact both Colman and Cooper went on to far bigger careers because of sound unlike poor Vilma Banky who barely spoke any English.In the scenes he's in Gary Cooper steals the film and there was no doubt this man was going to be a major star. The Winning Of Barbara Worth holds up very well as drama and with Gary Cooper a star was born.

kidboots When sound films came in Vilma Banky's career was over. She hadn't learned to speak English that well and had a very thick accent, but besides she didn't really care. She had married Rod La Roque a couple of years before and their marriage proved to be one of the happiest in Hollywood. So she was quite happy to retire. Samuel Goldwyn had discovered her on a talent hunt through Europe and bought her to Hollywood where she was frequently co-starred with Ronald Colman. She also co-starred with Rudolph Valentino in "The Eagle" and "Son of the Sheik", and then it was back to Ronald Colman for "The Winning of Barbara Worth". This was one of the great epic Westerns of the 20s, along with "The Covered Wagon" (1923) and "The Iron Horse" (1924). Neither Colman nor Banky where keen about going to Nevada for location shooting and Gary Cooper was only signed for his role a few days before filming began.Set around the turn of last century in Kingston, a south western desert town, when civilization was fast encroaching on the old west and it's ways. Automobiles were owned and trains could make traveling to the big cities easier. The story is about bringing irrigation to the dry West.The first thing I noticed was the beautiful tints and the stylized images, certainly in the opening sequences. While a woman (Vilma Banky) has just buried her husband in the unforgiving desert, Jefferson Worth has come West with the dream of bringing irrigation to make the barren land into a paradise. During a terrible dust storm (a really stunning sequence) Jefferson finds the little girl "Barba", kneeling by her dead mother.Fifteen years later Jefferson realises his dream to bring water to the parched desert and has pride in his adopted daughter Barbara Worth (Vilma Banky). Abe Lee (Gary Cooper) son of Jefferson's old friend is in love with Barbara, but after she has a riding accident, Holmes (Ronald Colman), partner of a newly arrived land developer, offers his assistance. Gary Cooper looks so gorgeously young, it is unbelievable that Barbara would choose the rather stuffy Ronald Colman.Mr. Greenfield, his partner has been hired to build a dam for the town of Kingston. The vast panorama of the desert, complete with the burnished amber tints make this film, to me, a "vision splendid". The scene where the dam is filled is wonderful. Greenfield is a charlatan and has skipped town rather than spend money re-enforcing the dam. He also sacks all of Worth's people for spreading malicious "lies" about a flood that will destroy the town. So most of the townsfolk go in search of safer ground. Jefferson founds a new town - Barba, built high on a mesa but because of Greenfield's blockade, he finds he cannot meet his payroll. Holmes, who is completely innocent of Greenfield's plans, is secretly appealing to the bankers on Worth's behalf. When the people realize they cannot be paid, they want to burn down the town. Barbara is left alone but some of the men are in Little Rosebud's gang and she is attacked. Abe has been entrusted with the payroll but on the way he is shot by one of Rosebud's gang and realises that Holmes is decent and on the level when he saves Abe's life and delivers the payroll himself.The flooding of the Colorado River is spectacularly done. As the residents of Kingston flee to the high country of Barba, there are some amazing images of people escaping the flood ravaged town. Little bedraggled children, a man sleeping on the roof, a man running out of his bath, a man trying to escape on his wheelchair and a donkey going wild and upending a load, while the relentless river engulfs the town.It is a spectacular film, worthy of a re-look. An interesting scene showed a cushion embroided with a swastika - originally a native American symbol of good will. I also thought I saw Clarence Wilson in a bit as a barber and Clyde Cooke, a silent film comedian, played Tex, a comic sidekick. On my copy Gaylord Carter provided the organ accompaniment.Highly Recommended.