Movie spotlight
The Rainbow Trail
Following in his dad's footsteps, Shefford devotes himself to freeing his community from the grip of a particularly despotic Mormon sect. In so doing, he rescues his foster sister Fay Larkin, who is coveted by lecherous Mormon elder Wagoner. As was the case in Riders of the Purple Sage, the Mormons are villains simply because they are Mormons.
Insights
Plot Summary
A young prospector, believing he has killed a man in self-defense, flees to the wilderness and encounters a Native American tribe. He falls in love with a tribal maiden and lives among them. However, his past eventually catches up to him, forcing him to confront the consequences of his actions and his true identity.
Critical Reception
Information regarding the critical reception of "The Rainbow Trail" from 1918 is scarce due to the nature of film archiving and review practices of that era. However, silent Westerns of this period were generally popular, and films that offered dramatic narratives and romantic elements often found an audience.
What Reviewers Say
Early silent Westerns often emphasized adventure and moral lessons.
Films featuring inter-racial romance, while sometimes controversial, were a recurring theme in early cinema.
The landscape and spectacle were often key elements in attracting audiences to Westerns of this era.
Google audience: Audience reviews for silent films from this period are not available in a format comparable to modern review aggregation.
Fun Fact
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Zane Grey, a prolific author known for his Western stories.
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