Tol'able David (1921)

David and Rocket in a quiet moment

Directed by Henry King
Starring Richard Barthelmess, Gladys Hulette, Walter P. Lewis
Produced by Inspiration Pictures

Over the mountains in a valley, you'll find a sleepy 'burg called Greenstream where the Kinemon clan herd cattle and live a peaceful existence.  The oldest son Allen delivers the mail and takes passengers around the valley as he dotes on his expectant wife Rose.  The youngest son David plays with his trusty dog Rocket, swims in the stream by their house and dreams of the day he'll take over Allen's job as the mail carrier.  He is also in love with the girl next door (though he does not even know that yet).

Into their idyllic existence come the Hatburns, a family of thugs on the lam.  When the three villains are run out of a neighboring state, they come to their cousin's house in Greenstream.  One day, as Allen is making his deliveries with Rocket, the dog chases a cat onto the Hatburn property.  One of the Hatburns grabs a board and strikes the dog dead.  Allen confronts the clan, but they throw a rock at his head, crippling him for life.

David's father collects his weapon to seek vengeance upon the Hatburns, but David argues with the man and his father falls dead, the victim of a heart attack. Now, David has a choice: does he seek revenge upon the Hatburns himself? Or does he put aside his anger to take care of his family?


Of all the films I've watched so far, this may be my greatest find.  I'm sure others more knowledgeable about film have this on their radar, but I had never heard of it.  I knew of Henry King though and have been impressed by Bartelmess' work thus far.

This is one of my favorites of the marathon to date.

Film is a visual medium and King gets that.  You could pause the movie on almost any frame and hang it on your wall.  King gets shot composition.  He takes complete advantage of his setting.  The town looks like a place we'd all want to live.  The creek near the Kinemon homestead is so picturesque, you wish you had a swimming hole of your own.

The imagery is all in service to a great story. In lesser hands, it could be melodramatic in a bad way, but in King's hands, it uses every episode to build to the climax.  After the attack on Allen it takes a breath, but only a breath, before continuing to tell its story.  When the Kinemons lose their home, you feel the loss because the film takes the time to make you fall in love with their way of life.  By the time you reach the film's climax, every moment feels earned.  Really first-rate film making.

Of course, the entire film hinges on Barthelmess' performance and he does not disappoint.  You believe him as a boy, you believe him in his rage and you you believe him as he begrudgingly is forced into manhood.  His David has moments of childlike mischievousness, anger at his family's fate and pride in fulfilling his obligations to his family and Barthelmess rises to every challenge.

Now that my friends is a villain!

The rest of the cast is fantastic.  David's mother (played by Marion Abbott) has a heart-breaking scene where she begs David not to seek retribution.  The rest of the Kinemon and Hatburn families are well acted, but Ernest Torrance as the most despicable of the villains is creepier than just about any bad guy I have ever seen.  He simply enjoys violence.

What I will remember most from Tol'able David are the quiet moments.  David imagining himself as the mail carrier while sitting on a fence post.  His leap into the water followed by him spitting a geyser into the air.  The exchange between David's parents as the father loads his rifle to seek justice.  David's joy when he finally gets to drive the mail cart.


There is one movie trope that I'd note because it's the first time I've seen it in an early film.  There's a scene when two of our characters engage in a fight.  At the end of the struggle, they both dive for a gun.  The film cuts away, but ultimately comes back to the front door of the home where the fight took place.  The door opens.  It is only when we see who emerges that we know who got to the gun first.  How many times have you seen that in a thriller (or its close relation: two characters struggling over the out-of-frame gun when it goes off, leaving those few seconds of uncertainty about who was shot).

I cannot recommend this one enough.  It brought me in from the first frame and kept my attention until the thrilling climax.  It's beautiful to watch, engaging to follow, with a lead performance for the ages.

***** out of *****

Photos from Mondo 70 and Awards Daily