Very disappointing...

Instant Favorite.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

"Hell's Hinges" is one of William S. Hart's better known westerns. He always strived for authenticity in the settings and costumes in his films. The town of Hell's Hinges looks like those depicted in old 19th century photographs and the costumes match the scenario as well.A newly ordained minister Reverend Bob Henley (Jack Standing), who is less than committed to his job, is assigned to a town in the west, with the hope that he will strengthen his faith among the people there. His young diminutive sister Faith (Clara Williams) decides to accompany him. Arriving in the sin laden town that was re-named Hell's Hinges, the pair are greeted by the "good" citizens of the town. Town baddie Silk Miller (Alfred Hollingsworth) fears that the new parson might undermine his hold on the evils of the town. In order to rid the town of the parson, Miller brings in gun man Blaze Tracy (Hart) to run him out of town.Tracy at first, relishes his assignment but relents when he meets the virginal Faith. When the parson attempts to deliver a sermon in a makeshift church, Miller and his cronies try to disrupt the service. Tracy intervenes and drives the intruders away. Over the next few weeks, the congregation builds a new church.Miller, sensing that the parson is less than committed to his job decides to employ different tactics. He lures the parson to his saloon and offers him a drink and the company of saloon girl Dolly (Louise Glum). Faith becomes worried and asks Blaze to find out what has happened to her brother. They find him in a back room of the saloon drunk and in the arms of Dolly.Miller rallies his supporters, including the parson, to march on the church and set it ablaze. Blaze in turn becomes enraged and..............................Hart was in his fifties when this film was made but could still hold the audience's interest with his cold and serious personality. His sudden change from a two gun evil doer to good Samaritan is a little hard to believe, though you are still with him.In the unbilled cast are John Gilbert in his first film as one of Miller's rowdies. Future "B" western bad guys Robert Kortman and Wheeler Oakman are also cast as rowdies. And yes, that's Jean Hersholt as the bartender.Although Hart was not as flamboyant as his contemporaries, Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson et al, his westerns were nonetheless entertaining and authentic looking. He would ride into the sunset in 1925 with "Tumbleweeds" at the age of 60.

In 1914 William S. Hart came to Hollywood when he was a mature 49 year-old man. Born during the American Civil War, he knew the real West, as he had lived in the Dakota Territory in the 1880s. Tall and stern-faced, but also round-shouldered, Hart knew Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson. Hart and Tom Mix were the greatest heroes of the silent screen westerns. "Hell's Hinges" is a western movie with a religious message: moral retribution. Robert Henley (Jack Standing), unfit (weak and selfish), was coerced by his forceful mother to become a clergyman. The church elder parsons, aware of Henley's misgivings, arrange to send him to a parish in a western prairie ("where the people live simply and close to God") to free him from the temptations of a large eastern city. Henley arrives at the dusty western hamlet of Placers Center (Hell's Hinges) with his strong-willed sister Faith (Clara Williams). Hell's Hinges is lawless; the title card describes it as "a gun-fighting, man- killing, devil's den of iniquity." Saloon owner "Silk" Miller (Alfred Hollingsworth) and gunfighter "Blaze" Tracey (Hart) are quite different in character but have one thing in common: law and religion do not exist for them. Two-gun Tracey's philosophy is "Shoot first and do your disputin' afterward." But when he gets his first look at the pure Faith, he is smitten and instantaneously transforms into a moralist. What does Tracey see in that diminutive and plain woman, one may ask? Anyway, the saloon crowd – drunks, bullies, and wild women – threaten the church-going families (called "The Petticoat Brigade") when they hold their first services in Taylor's barn. Tracey springs into action and says that he will not tolerate anyone interfering with the religious folk. He even assists in erecting a new church building. This change does not sit well with Silk.Pretending to be friendly with Parson Henley, Silk invites him over to his place to preach to the saloon girls (prostitutes). But after several meetings the weakling parson is duped by Dolly (Louise Glaum), who gets him to drink booze, after which she seduces him one night. Henley continues to drink so much that he is unable to conduct the morning services. Blaze has ridden to the next town to fetch the doctor. Notice that whenever Silk goes anywhere, he is often followed by his saloon entourage. When Henley somewhat revives, he staggers over to the saloon where the throng gives him more liquor. When the drunken and rowdy men and women of the saloon decide to torch the church, Henley helps them. But in a raucous gunfight the drunken parson is killed. The outnumbered churchgoers fight back, but are unable to stop the destruction of their new church building. Dead bodies are strewn everywhere, and only a few of the original congregation survives. When Tracey returns he becomes outraged. After shooting Silk and a supporter, he proceeds to burn down the whole town, which is comprised of wooden structures. Townsfolk scatter in every direction. After burying Henley, Blaze tells Faith, "Over Yonder hills is the future – both yours and mine." Blaze has reformed from a gunslinger to a respectable person of faith.There is plenty of symbolism. For instance the burning town represents the inferno (hell), Silk is obviously evil, the saloon crowd is the fallen, Blaze is redemption, and Faith is goodness. The flight of the congregation into the surrounding desert reminds one of the Israelites three thousand years ago. The popular Hart acts with his stone-face and a few gestures; he was a trained stage performer. Note the scene at the 50:30 mark, where Blaze rides on the ridge around the low crater and his horse takes a tumble. Hart (or his double) and his steed topple partway down the hill. Quickly brushing off a fall that could have had a serious consequence, Hart remounts and continues his ride towards the doomed town. Future silent screen star John Gilbert can be seen at the 12:16 mark laughing at Blaze's jest (he's on the right with a white hat and scarf). He is also easily spotted elsewhere throughout the film. The feature is preserved in the archives of the National Film Registry as culturally significant.

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.

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.