God in the Saddle
Silent Western Films as Protestant Sermons
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.v21i3.318Keywords:
Protestant, Western filmsAbstract
In this paper, I argue that the Protestant middle-class was brought into the cult of silent moving pictures in large measure by the inclusion of religious themes and symbols in a genre of Western films. A remarkable series of films by Gilbert M. Anderson and William S. Hart followed a late nineteenth century literary trend of evangelical novels and, borrowing their moral and religious sensibilities, incorporated Protestant doctrines of sin, repentance, and grace into their engaging scenarios. As moving pictures had already invaded the church, moving picture theatres were now primed to persuade various Protestant congregations into converting into movie audiences. The sermons that compelled them to come in were these Western films of the 1910s, films that the French complained were too religious.References
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Filmography
All Quiet on the Western Front (1931, dir. Lewis Milestone)
The Apostle (1997, dir. Robert Duvall)
The Bargain (1914, dir. Reginald Barker)
Broncho Billy and the Baby (1915, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy and the Parson (1915, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy Begins Life Anew (1915, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy Gets Square (1913, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy Reforms (1913, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy’s Bible (1912, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy’s Christmas Deed (1913, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy’s Christmas Spirit (1914, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy’s Conscience (1913, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy’s Judgment (1914, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy’s Last Spree (1911, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy’s Mission (1914, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy’s Redemption (1910, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy’s Sentence (1915, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy’s Sermon (1914, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy, Shootin’ Mad (1918, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
Broncho Billy’s Teachings (1915, dir. Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’ Anderson)
The Cattle Thief’s Escape (1913, dir. William Duncan)
Civilization (1916, dir. Thomas Ince)
The Conversion of Frosty Blake (1915, dir. William S. Hart)
The Disciple (1915, dir. William S. Hart)
Father Brown, Detective (1934, dir. Edward Sedgwick)
The Great Train Robbery (1903, dir. Edwin S. Porter)
Hell’s Hinges (1916, dir. Charles Swickard)
In Her Daddy’s Footsteps (1915, dir. unknown)
In His Father’s Footsteps (1915, dir. unknown)
In His Father’s Steps (1912, dir. Bannister Merwin)
Jordan is a Hard Road (1915, dir. Allan Dwan)
On the Night Stage (1915, dir. Reginald Barker)
The Re-Creation of Brian Kent (1925, dir. Sam Wood)
The Scourge of the Desert (a.k.a. A Reformed Outlaw) (1915, dir. William S. Hart)
Selfish Yates (1918, dir. William S. Hart)
The Shepherd of the Hills (1919, dir. Louis F. Gottschalk and Harold Bell Wright)
The Silent Man (1917, dir. William S. Hart)
Sins of the Children (1936, dir. Karl Brown)
Sparrows (1926, dir. William Beaudine)
The Tiger Man (1918, dir. William S. Hart)
Toll Gate (1920, dir. Lambert Hillyer)
Tools of Providence (1915, dir. William S. Hart)
Tumbleweeds (1925, dir. King Baggot)
Wagon Train (1919, dir. unknown)
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