''The Tiger Man'' is a 1918 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

directed by

William S. Hart William Surrey Hart (December 6, 1864 – June 23, 1946) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered as a foremost Western star of the silent era who "imbued all of his characters with honor and integ ...

, written by J.G. Hawks, and starring William S. Hart,

Jane Novak Jane Novak (born Johana Barbara Novak; January 12, 1896 – February 3, 1990) was an American actress of the silent film era. Background Jane Novak was born Johana Barbara Novak in St. Louis, Missouri to Bohemian immigrant Joseph Jerome Novak a ...

Milton Ross Milton Ross (December 2, 1876 – September 6, 1941) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1914 and 1948. Selected filmography * ''The Green Swamp'' (1916) * ''The Gunfighter'' (1917) * '' The Desert Man'' ( ...

, Robert Lawrence,

Charles K. French Charles K. French (born Charles Ekrauss French or Charles E. Krauss; January 17, 1860 – August 2, 1952) was an American film actor, screenwriter and director who appeared in more than 240 films between 1909 and 1945. Biography French was ...

, and

J. P. Lockney John P. Lockney (March 17, 1867, date of death unknown) was an American actor of the silent film era. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1915 and 1937. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Partial filmography * ''The Bride of Hat ...

. It was released on April 1, 1918, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. A print of the film is in the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, Hawk Parsons (Hart), escaping a sheriff's posse, comes upon Ruth Ingram (Novak) and a group of missionaries on their way to the frontier. The band is attacked by Indians and Parsons assists them until he sees the approaching cavalry, so he demands that the band sell Ruth for their freedom. Ruth agrees and leaves her sick husband so that the others might be saved. Through the innocence of the young woman Parsons finds his better self and returns her to her little party and husband, and then gives himself up to the cavalry.

Cast

as Hawk Parsons *

as Ruth Ingram *

as Connor Moore * Robert Lawrence as Reverend Luke Ingram *

as Sheriff Sandy Martin *

as Dick Hawkins

Preservation status

A copy is preserved in the

, New York.

Reception

Like many American films of the time, ''The Tiger Man'' was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors required a cut, in Reel 1, of all scenes of Hawk holding up the sheriff and his deputies, Hawk backing up sheriff and deputies into prison cell, view of Hawk outside prison cell and sheriff and deputies inside cell, Reel 3, the four intertitles "Them devils will close in on us with the dark — do you still say take her?", "The knife wasn't for you", "It was for myself when the time came", and "The passing of the brute — the birth of the man before the unafraid eyes of chastity", view of arrow lodging in man's shoulder, two closeups of young woman standing in doorway of bedroom frightened, the four intertitles "She's an angel from heaven, as pure as the day you sold her", "She's an angel of heaven, as pure as the day she came away", "She's the same good woman she was out there", and "Look at me, you'll see I'm not lying", and inserted the intertitles "The devils will close in the dark — I'm not taking any chances — she'll have to come with me as a hostage — you put the sheriff on my trail" and "It's a lie — she surrendered to me as a hostage".

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tiger Man, The 1918 films 1918 Western (genre) films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by William S. Hart American black-and-white films Surviving American silent films Silent American Western (genre) films 1910s English-language films 1910s American films