The Desert Man (1917): Besetzung, Handlung & Streaming

Released in 1917, The Desert Man is a western film directed by William S. Hart, running about 50 minutes.

What it’s about. William S. Hart directs and stars in a film that is a typical Western of the era. He plays Jim, a prospector who lands in the town of Broken Hope, and the name pretty much describes its inhabitants. Jim meets and falls in love with Jennie (Margery Wilson), whose father (Walt Whitman) is gravely ill. Jim rounds up a reluctant doctor from another town to tend to the old man, but he dies anyway. The doctor, however, gains Jennie's trust and she runs off with him. Only then does he tell her he's already married. She leaves immediately, but is too proud to go home so she finds work as a dance hall girl at Tacoma Jake's saloon. Jim, meanwhile, finds gold near Broken Hope, which raises its inhabitants' attitudes considerably. But the bad element is still there, and Jim is chasing after a group of kidnappers when he enters Tacoma Jake's saloon and sees Jennie. Jim not only overcomes the bad guys, he gets the girl, too.

Who’s in it. The Desert Man stars William S. Hart as Jim Alton, Margery Wilson as Jennie, Buster Irving as Joey and Henry Belmar as Razor Joe, among others.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Desert Man page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Desert Man tend to enjoy Zwei glorreiche Halunken, Django Unchained, Spiel mir das Lied vom Tod and Für ein paar Dollar mehr.