''The Mine with the Iron Door'' is a 1924 American silent

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film directed by

Sam Wood Samuel Grosvenor Wood (July 10, 1883 – September 22, 1949) was an American film director and producer who is best known for having directed such Hollywood hits as '' A Night at the Opera'', '' A Day at the Races'', '' Goodbye, Mr. Chips'', '' ...

and produced by

Sol Lesser Sol Lesser (February 17, 1890 – September 19, 1980) was an American film producer. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 and was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1961. Biography In 1913, while living in San F ...

. The film is based on the novel of the same name by American author

Harold Bell Wright Harold Bell Wright (May 4, 1872 – May 24, 1944) was a best-selling American writer of fiction, essays, and nonfiction. Although mostly forgotten or ignored after the middle of the 20th century, he had a very successful career; he is said to hav ...

that was published in 1923. In 1936 it was remade as the sound film '' The Mine with the Iron Door''.

Plot

As described in a review in a film magazine, Bob Hill (Murray) and Thad Grave (Woodruff), two aged prospectors, find a little girl in the hut of a bandit Sonora Jack (Lewis) and take her away, but are unable to locate her parents. When Marta (Mackaill) grows to womanhood, Hugh Edwards (O'Malley) appears on the scene and they fall in love with each other. Natachee, an educated Indian who hates the white race, learns that Edwards is an escaped convict who was convicted for embezzling funds. Edwards saves his life and in return Natachee shows him the location of the lost mine with the iron door, formerly worked by the Dominican priests and filled with gold. Just then Sonora Jack returns and, unable to find the mine, kidnaps Marta to hold her for ransom. Hugh and Natchee overtake him and kill him while rescuing Marta. Papers prove that Marta is the daughter of the man for whom Hugh was falsely sent to prison, and that he has since died confessing his guilt. Hugh and Marta find happiness in their love for each other.

Cast

Production

''The Mine with the Iron Door'' was shot on location in the Tucson Arizona Valley, Oracle, and

Mount Lemmon Mount Lemmon, with a summit elevation of , is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It is located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, United States. Mount Lemmon was named for botanist Sara Plummer Lemmon, who ...

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. While shooting the film, the cast and crew stayed at the Triangle L Ranch and the Wilson Ranch (Rancho Linda Vista) outside of Oracle off of Historic U.S. Route 80. It was filmed in Tucson at the insistence of the author Harold Bell Wright, who lived there at the time.M. Scot Skinner (Sep. 30, 2010),
Back on screen, 86 years later
, ''Arizona Daily Star'' The film premiered at the Rialto Theatre in

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

Preservation

A print of ''The Mine with the Iron Door'' is preserved in

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and Archives Du Film Du CNC, Bois d'Arcy, France. In 2010 the French copy of the film was tracked down by historian

Demion Clinco Demion Clinco is an American politician, historic preservationist, philanthropist, and business leader from the state of Arizona. Clinco's social innovation included reestablishing the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation in 2008 and launchin ...

and shown by the

Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation The Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the historic, architectural, as well as cultural heritage of Tucson, Arizona. Through advocacy initiatives, educational programs, a ...

at the Rialto Theater. As part of the screening, the English

intertitle In films, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (i.e., ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred to as "dialo ...

s were recreated and an original musical score composed by New York-based conductor and composer Brian Holman.M. Scot Skinner (Sep. 30, 2010),
Foundation works to save Tucson history
, ''Arizona Daily Star''

References

External links