The Virginian reminded me of an old "I can't pay the rent!" melodrama. Gary Cooper is the romantic hero, with an enormous amount of eye makeup and an "aw shucks" demeanor that's supposed to win the girl over. The simpering heroine is Mary Brian, a new school teacher in the small western town. She has no character development and easily transfers her affections to whichever guy happens to be around. Walter Huston, with an enormously fake mustache plastered to his lip, is the villain, who actually utters the line, "I'll give you 'til sunset to get out of town."
The movie was made in 1929, so what more do you want? In this very early talkie, it's easy to imagine it as a silent film, with an afternoon of reshoots to record some dialogue. If you pressed mute, you'd still get what was happening in the movie. You can give it a whirl if you think Gary Cooper was cute when he was younger, or if you like silent westerns. If you're careful, you can catch Eugene Pallette in an early role, as well as Randolph Scott in a cameo!
The movie was made in 1929, so what more do you want? In this very early talkie, it's easy to imagine it as a silent film, with an afternoon of reshoots to record some dialogue. If you pressed mute, you'd still get what was happening in the movie. You can give it a whirl if you think Gary Cooper was cute when he was younger, or if you like silent westerns. If you're careful, you can catch Eugene Pallette in an early role, as well as Randolph Scott in a cameo!