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Hell's Hinges

  • 1916
  • Unrated
  • 1h 4m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
Hell's Hinges (1916)
DramaRomanceWestern

In the wayward western town known as Hell's Hinges, a local tough guy is reformed by the faith of a good woman.In the wayward western town known as Hell's Hinges, a local tough guy is reformed by the faith of a good woman.In the wayward western town known as Hell's Hinges, a local tough guy is reformed by the faith of a good woman.

  • Directors
    • Charles Swickard
    • William S. Hart
    • Clifford Smith
  • Writer
    • C. Gardner Sullivan
  • Stars
    • William S. Hart
    • Clara Williams
    • Jack Standing
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    1.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Charles Swickard
      • William S. Hart
      • Clifford Smith
    • Writer
      • C. Gardner Sullivan
    • Stars
      • William S. Hart
      • Clara Williams
      • Jack Standing
    • 25User reviews
    • 12Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win total

    Photos12

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    Top cast13

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    William S. Hart
    William S. Hart
    • Blaze Tracy
    • (as W.S. Hart)
    Clara Williams
    Clara Williams
    • Faith Henley
    Jack Standing
    Jack Standing
    • Rev. Robert Henley
    Alfred Hollingsworth
    Alfred Hollingsworth
    • Silk Miller
    Robert McKim
    Robert McKim
    • A Clergyman
    J. Frank Burke
    J. Frank Burke
    • Zeb Taylor
    Louise Glaum
    Louise Glaum
    • Dolly
    John Gilbert
    John Gilbert
    • Rowdy Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Jean Hersholt
    Jean Hersholt
    • Bartender
    • (uncredited)
    Fritz the Horse
    • Tracy's Horse
    • (uncredited)
    Bob Kortman
    Bob Kortman
    • Rowdy Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Wheeler Oakman
    Wheeler Oakman
    • Rowdy Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Leo Willis
    Leo Willis
    • Rowdy Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • Charles Swickard
      • William S. Hart
      • Clifford Smith
    • Writer
      • C. Gardner Sullivan
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews25

    6.71.1K
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    Featured reviews

    cbass-2

    Catalyst for other Westerns

    Though a silent picture, this movie had a huge influence on Westerns after it. It reveals several characters which exist in almost any good Western: the hooker with the heart of gold, the tough cowboy, the religious, weak dude, the petticoat brigade, and the redemptive woman. Though not a great Western, it was exceptional for its time and extremely revolutionary. It's definitely a must-see for anyone studying the Western.
    Snow Leopard

    Grim, Somber Western With Several Strengths

    The grim, somber tone of this Western does not at all keep it from being a watchable and interesting feature. William S. Hart's screen presence is put to very good use, and the tension is built up steadily. The atmosphere is effective, and along with the story, it is interesting in its contrast with the usual expectations of the genre.

    Hart is well-cast as the stoical gunslinger who becomes fascinated by the purity of a preacher's sister. The character's transformation might be a little too abrupt, and it might have been an even better movie if 'Blaze' had changed more reluctantly, but Hart himself is quite effective in the role. Jack Standing also does a good job as the weak-willed preacher whose folly leads to so much havoc.

    The story is quite moralistic in its way, but it is nevertheless pretty interesting. The conflicts and tensions are of a much different nature than westerns usually feature, and the tone is unrelentingly serious and foreboding. Things are built up carefully into a harrowing finale that is filmed with a lot of detail.

    Features like this show why Hart rose to such popularity. His persona seems to have been a good one for the times, and his strengths as an actor show up well in silent cinema.
    hitchcockthelegend

    Plane Center-Hell's Hinges.

    Hell's Hinges is an early silent William S. Hart Western that sees Hart co-direct himself with Charles Swickard. He stars as Blaze Tracy, a gun-slinger who falls for a pastor's sister (Clara Williams) when she and her inadequate brother arrive in Hell's Hinges to preach the gospel. Once he catches her eye, this town will never be the same again.

    "Shoot first and do your disputin afterwards"

    Although a touch too heavy on the religious moral retribution angle, where the good-badman has his epiphany and the town of Hell's Hinges becomes a battle of the church against, well, this devil's den of iniquity, Hell's Hinges flies by. Acted superbly by Hart, a one time stage performer who was a hugely popular silent star of the time, film is full of action, often violent and closes down with a memorable bang. Jack Standing is suitably shifty as the hopeless parson (by parental pressure) easily led astray, and Williams provides some much needed emotional thrust when the film veers to being over preachy. 7/10
    Michael_Elliott

    Classic Western

    Hell's Hinges (1916)

    *** 1/2 (out of 4)

    Historic Western has William S. Hart playing "Blaze" Tracy, a notorious gunfighter who is evil pure through until he meets a young woman (Clara Williams) arriving in town with her Reverend brother (Jack Standing). Blaze is immediately attracted to the woman and soon he begins to have thoughts about changing his ways but the bad folks in town are trying to turn the Reverend into one of them. This is a pretty strong little movie even if it barely runs an hour and spends way too much of that time on top of a soap box. I was really impressed with what this film had to offer and I think it's fair to say that it deserves every bit of its reputation and status of being one of the first classics from the genre. The film is about good versus evil and religious versus non-religious and there's no question what side the film is on. I think the film spends too much time preaching to us but this is a small problem and one that isn't overly distracting. With that said, the film contains some very memorable shots including the first look at the town known as Hell's Hinges. I love the high shot overlooking the town where we get a good look at all the evils going on within this short take. The scene will take your breathe away as it's such a terrific shot and it lets you know everything you need to know about this place. We also get another terrific shot towards the end of the movie when the church is attacked and we get to see it's aftermath. Hart is terrific in his role and he does very good job at showing off the evils of his character but the actor also makes us believe his changing. I think the change happens too fast but there's no question Hart owns this role and really makes it a memorable character. Williams and Standing are also very good as is Alfred Hollingsworth in his role. Jean Hersholt is somewhere in the film but unspotted by myself as is John Gilbert in his first screen appearance. Apparently Hart directed the majority of the film even though he doesn't get credit for it and I must say that the entire film is quite an impressive achievement even if it doesn't run as long as some of the films were starting to do at the time. The movie contains some memorable characters, some terrific shots and a rather rousing ending and all of this makes it a must see.
    8utgard14

    "Then fell the purple shadows of the western night..."

    Fascinating silent western about a gunslinger who is reformed by the love of a woman newly arrived in the lawless and Godless town of Hell's Hinges with her weak-willed brother, the town's new preacher. William S. Hart directs and stars as the gunslinger, Blaze Tracy. An appropriate name for his character given the fiery climax of the film, which is a little reminiscent of the western High Plains Drifter made many decades later. A really good movie made during Hollywood's infancy. One of the first westerns to show what the genre could be capable of. Well-paced with fine performances from Hart and the rest of the cast. If I had one complaint, it's that there are a lot of intertitles with a lot of text to read. A minor complaint, really. The film holds up very well today, despite its age. Man, over a century old. Crazy.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance
    John Wayne and Harry Carey Jr. in The Searchers (1956)
    Western

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      A complete village was built near the Inceville studios and then burned down for the climax of the film.
    • Quotes

      Blaze Tracy: I reckon God ain't wantin' me much, ma'am, but when I look at you, I feel I've been ridin' the wrong trail.

    • Alternate versions
      The preservation print from the Museum of Modern Art shown on Turner Classic Movies had a piano music score and ran 64 minutes.
    • Connections
      Edited from That Girl: Phantom of the Horse Opera (1966)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 5, 1916 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • None
      • English
    • Also known as
      • I mästarens fotspår
    • Filming locations
      • Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Kay-Bee Pictures
      • New York Motion Picture
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 4m(64 min)
    • Sound mix
      • Silent
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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