The Winning of Barbara Worth

Henry King directs this Western full of romance and heroics. Irrigation engineer Willard Holmes (Ronald Colman) is hired to build a water system for a parched Southwestern community. Barbara Worth (Vilma Banky), the adopted daughter of ranch boss Jefferson Worth (Charles Lane), falls for the debonair outsider, much to the annoyance of Worth Ranch foreman Abe Lee (Gary Cooper). This romantic rivalry leads to hardship and danger, all of which serves to empower local baron Greenfield (E. J. Ratcliffe). It is odd seeing Colman in a western setting, but he handles himself well enough in the milieu. Cooper, in his first starring role, is green but has undeniable screen presence. Banky is lovely and satisfactory. The most memorable sequence is the big finale river flood, and it's well executed.

Early in the 20th century a well-to-do settler in Colorado (played by Charles Lane) plans to divert the Colorado river in order to irrigate the desert. He wins an investor from the East, whose engineer (Ronald Colman) soon becomes interested in his adopted daughter (Vilma Bánky). In this, the engineer finds himself the rival of a local cowboy (Gary Cooper). There is a lot going on in this film. People are killed in sandstorms, dams are built and rivers diverted, cities founded and destroyed, there are gunfights etc. Etc. In short: there is everything a great epic movie needs - a movie of the kind I usually love. Still, 'The Winning of Barbara Worth' does not rock my boat. This is because so much stuff is happening that director Henry King pays as good as no attention to character development. None of the people mentioned above are more then empty cyphers. You could easily exchange the cowboy for the engineer - the story would work just as well or poorly. Cooper and Colman have exactly the same kind of character, meaning none at all except that they are handsome, courageous and considerate. The picture is heavily tinted, and this is another issue. Granted, the amber desert scenes are beautiful (not only because of the tinting but also because they are beautifully filmed), but in other scenes the colour is far too dominant. And while the pale grey-blue works well for dusk, the pink, for example, could have been applied more carefully. Still, this is a minor point compared to the weak character development. Essentially, it was that issue which spoilt the film for me.

An entertaining romantic triangle from the silent era, "The Winning of Barbara Worth" is set in the early 20th-century American Southwest; a land developer plans to dam the Colorado River to irrigate the desert for agriculture. Based on a 1911 novel by Harold Bell Wright, the 90-minute film with intertitles obviously condensed the more than 300 page book; after an introductory episode that provides a brief back story for the orphaned Barbara Worth and her childhood friend, Abe Lee, the film breathlessly flips through irrigation planning, financial swindles, gun battles, races against time, worker discontent, and dam construction, which leave little footage to develop character or a convincing romance. While Hungarian-born Vilma Banky plays Barbara Worth, the desert waif of the title, Banky is lovely, but unconvincing as the romantic pursuit of two handsome men. In contrast to most of the cast, her performance retains shades of the grand style, the exaggerated gestures and emoting prevalent in early silent films. Fortunately, Banky's suitors, Gary Cooper and Ronald Colman, both have a natural acting style that carried them successfully into the talkie era, while, hampered by a thick accent, Banky's career faded with the arrival of sound. Colman was already an established leading man by 1926, but the third billed Cooper enjoyed a breakthrough role as Abe that was actually more substantial than his fleeting appearance as Cadet White in "Wings" a year later. The climactic dam-bursting sequence, which depicts the 1905 formation of the Salton Sea in California, is exciting and justifiably famous; although dated, the special effects represent a high point for the period. The film's camera-work by two eventual Oscar-winning cinematographers, Gregg Toland and George Barnes, beautifully captures the desert landscapes, a raging sand storm, plodding wagon trains, a mass stampede of horses and wagons, and the expressive faces of the attractive leads. Helmed by Henry King, who would have a long and distinguished career as a 20th Century Fox contract director, "The Winning of Barbara Worth" is entertaining and occasionally exciting, and offers an early look at two actors, Colman and, especially, Cooper, who would attain stardom during the following decade, win three Oscars among them, and enjoy decades-long careers.

Engineer Willard Holmes (Ronald Colman) comes to the desert to build an irrigation system. He has to compete with cowboy Abe Lee (Gary Cooper) for the affections of Barbara Worth (Vilma Bánky). Colman and Bánky are great, and Cooper is impressive in a supporting role. The flood sequence at the end is extremely good, with some great special effects. There's some beautiful cinematography as well. First time viewing. 3/5

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.

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!!

A 1926 silent-era western. The Barbara in question is the adopted daughter of a western pioneer. His plan to irrigate his area from the Colorado river is picked up by a New York financier. One of my favorite actors, Ronald Colman is the engineer set to head up the project. He immediately becomes a love interest for Barbara. His main romantic adversary though, is Gary Cooper; a local hometown boy with unresolved feelings for the lady. Everyone, however, is faced with a bigger problem. The corporate financier is playing hardball and cutting financial ties with the settlers. While I've always loved Colman, and always hated Cooper; that becomes less relevant being that this is a silent film. Acting is not the biggest conveyor in the storytelling. The film here was remarkably well-preserved; some of it shot in Nevada locations. Not a genre I will be investigating fully, but a fun one-off nonetheless.

There is no mention of the source of the music, but Gaylord Carter played his improvised score for a special showing of The Winning of Barbara Worth on January 28, 1971, and it's a recording of that performance which turned up on the DVD. The instrument was a 36-rank Wurlitzer Pipe Organ. Henry King and Frances Goldwyn were in the audience and both spoke after the film. I was there. Mr. King described his search for a desert that looked like a desert, after finding the Mojave in bloom. He also recalled hearing Gaylord Carter play the organ at the Million Dollar Theatre in Los Angeles in the 1920's, soon after Harold Lloyd recommended Gaylord for the job.

Beautifully photographed epic silent western following the story of a toddler baby girl caught in a desert sandstorm that kills her mother, the child's only surviving parent on their family's wagon trek along a lonely desert trail. Rescued by a man named Jefferson Worth, soon little orphan Barbara becomes his adopted daughter - cut to fifteen years later, where our Barbara (played by Vilma Banky) is now a young beauty living with papa in the small desert town of Rubio City. Enter new arrival, Willard Holmes, engineer set to help bring water to the desert and turn it into a garden spot. Of course he's handsome (well, he's played by Ronald Colman, after all) - but Barbara already has a local fellow, Abe Lee (Gary Cooper), who is completely smitten over her (and extremely handsome too - how's a girl to choose?!). Holmes actively pursues Barbara while Abe Lee watches from the background - but soon a misunderstanding leaves the whole town believing Holmes is a money hungry bad man! This film is a stunning visual masterpiece showcasing images of wagons and people and horses moving against a backdrop of yellow-tinted sun-lit desert that looks absolutely gorgeous, not to mention the exciting flood climax featuring a fast-paced race on foot and wagon between the townspeople and the approaching roar of the Colorado river which is expertly brought to life. The DVD of this features a totally gorgeous tinted print that really makes the cinematography in this pop, plus a well done organ score done before a live audience (who you can sometimes hear laughing in the background). A really excellent film.

I cannot tell you how excited I was to find this DVD at my local library. I have the entire collection of Wright's books and recognized the title instantly. Amazingly, the director and screenplay writer took the story as it is in the book and relayed it beautifully. This is supreme acting when you can pretty well tell what's being said even before the words show up on the screen. BRAVO!!!! This would be a great story for the history buffs as well as silent screen aficionados. This is the first of many great films starring Gary Cooper and it is easy to see why he made it in the acting field. His rival for Barbara's hand is Ronald Coleman and what a dashing rival he makes! I was unfamiliar with the heroine but she too was a wonderful actress. This is a part of history I had not been aware of until I read the book. It is a must-see!