The Bargain | 1914 | Western

Title: The Bargain | 1914 | Western Director: Reginald Barker Studio: New York Motion Picture Corporation Starring: William S. Hart, J. Frank Burke, Clara Williams, J. Barney Sherry, Joseph J. Dowling Release Date: December 3, 1914 Runtime: 70 Format: Silent, black-and-white; 35mm; 1.33:1 Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Western, Drama --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Stagecoach ambush 00:13:30 Refuge and recovery 00:28:00 Vow to reform 00:44:00 Sheriff’s wager 01:00:00 Flight to the border --- Summary: An infamous outlaw, Jim Stokes, executes a daring stagecoach robbery and is wounded fleeing across the Arizona desert. Nursed back to health by miner Phil Brent and his daughter Nell, Stokes marries Nell and resolves to return the stolen money and abandon crime. When he is recognized and pursued, the local sheriff seizes the money and promptly loses it gambling, forcing a desperate pact: Stokes will steal the funds back if the sheriff grants him a chance at freedom. The bargain sets up a tense chase to the border and a test of honor, redemption, and frontier justice. --- Background: Produced by Thomas H. Ince for the New York Motion Picture Corporation and distributed by Paramount, The Bargain was William S. Hart’s first feature-length starring vehicle and helped establish his reputation for realism in the Western genre. Location filming took place in Arizona’s Grand Canyon region, with widely noted stunt work and sequences that contemporary accounts praised for integrating action with coherent storytelling. The film has circulated under the alternate title The Two-Gun Man in the Bargain and was later added to the U.S. National Film Registry in 2010. Preservation draws on a 35mm paper print deposited at the Library of Congress for copyright in 1914, which served as the basis for modern restoration work. --- Trivia: Working titles and rereleases included The Two-Gun Man and The Two-Gun Man in the Bargain; Hart’s own company reissued a shortened version in 1920. Variety in 1914 singled out Hart’s hazardous horse-and-rider tumble down a steep bank as a breath‑stopping stunt, emblematic of the film’s emphasis on practical action. Portions were filmed north of the El Tovar Hotel at the Grand Canyon after a six‑week location shoot, with veterans from the Sawtelle soldiers’ home appearing as extras in studio-shot scenes. A 1918 submission to the Chicago Board of Censors led to revisions removing scenes of the sheriff releasing a prisoner and adding intertitles indicating punishment of the wrongdoers. The Library of Congress holds the film; a 35mm paper print deposited for 1914 copyright provided the most complete source for restoration. The film is in the public domain in the United States; contemporary sources list standard 35mm and the 1.33:1 silent-era frame. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: December 3, 1914 Original Studio / Distributor: New York Motion Picture Corporation / Paramount Pictures Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: No --- Hashtags: TheBargain WilliamSHart ReginaldBarker SilentFilm Western PublicDomain NationalFilmRegistry Paramount 1914 Source page: https: //www.loc.gov/item/2012600311/ Direct media URL: https: //tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/mbrs/ntscrm/00087201/00087201.mp4