Shawn Hall Most cinephiles know John Ford from his later classics like The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Searchers. But decades before those iconic films, Ford set out to make the ambitious The Iron Horse, an epic retelling of the American West. Released in 1924, The Iron Horse was voted #97 on Silent Era’s Top 100 Silent Movies List, which I’m reviewing as part of a weekly series sharing whether I agree with the film’s lofty ranking.
The Iron Horse dramatizes the building of the Transcontinental Railroad with a massive cast of extras, on-location shooting, and stunning photography. While plenty of Westerns aim to deliver a grand, sweeping narrative about the founding of the American West, what makes The Iron Horse special is how Ford never lets the larger story overshadow the individuals at its core. He blends heartfelt romance, thrilling action sequences, and his signature Irish humor with incredible ease.
Abraham Lincoln from Springfield to Washington
You can see that balance right from the film’s opening scene. We’re introduced to our two protagonists, childhood sweethearts Davey and Miriam, as Davey and his father prepare to move out West from Springfield, Illinois. In a wonderful bit of foreshadowing, a young Abraham Lincoln, long before his presidency, encourages their journey, hinting at his larger role later in the film.
By June 1862, Miriam is in Washington, D.C., now grown-up and meeting President Lincoln just as he’s about to sign the bill authorizing construction of the Union and Central Pacific Rail Line. One of his generals warns that the railroad could be a dangerous distraction from the Civil War. But Lincoln’s response becomes a thesis for the entire film: the challenges of war must not blind the country to the problems of peace. Connecting East and West is essential to reuniting the nation.
Working on the railroad
Rather than jumping straight into the railroad’s construction, Ford devotes a full 25 minutes to this setup. That exposition grounds the film’s emotional core and makes clear the characters’ motivations. Laying the backstory to the railroad’s construction marks the railroad as a larger symbol of American unity than just a new means of transportation. Ford even highlights the multi-cultural nature of the project, showing Irish, American, and Chinese workers forming a camaraderie while building the railway, a vision of America often ignored by other films in the genre.
While Ford had made several Westerns previously after getting his start in the late 1910s behind the camera, The Iron Horse was his first film made on such a large scale, and he knocks it out of the park. The cast is also delightful with George O’Brien and Madge Bellamy leading the way as our romantic couple with stellar performances from the comic relief and Ford regular J. Farell McDonald and the slimy villain Cyril Chadwick.
If you’re a fan of John Ford or classic westerns in general, this film is essential viewing. It takes the familiar tropes of corrupt businessmen, star-crossed lovers, and comic relief and recontextualizes them in a story that feels fresh, grounded, and emotionally rich. For me, it absolutely deserves its place on the Silent Era’s list, and honestly, if it were up to me I’d bump it up 10 or 20 spots.
In my next review in this series, I’ll be looking at another titan of Hollywood, Charlie Chaplin, and what many consider to be his best film #4’s City Lights.
