This is what archive DVD should be about - the restoration and reissue of classics that haven't seen the light of a projector beam in eons. Photoplay has done its typically exemplary job in polishing up and scoring John Ford's 50th and finest silent picture.
A pioneering railroad tale that established the tropes that would become Western bywords, this is not just a rousing adventure, but also a cinematic landmark. George Schneiderman and Burnett Guffeyís imagery still shimmers, while Fordís handling of location and showpiece is little short of magisterial.