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Across the Plains

Name: Across the Plains
Director: Robert J. Horner
Released: 1928
Duration: 35 min

Representation Score

1.4/10

Minimal

1928

Passed

Director

Robert J. Horner

Runtime

35 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Across the Plains is a conventional silent-era Western that relies heavily on established genre clichés. The plot follows a standard romantic melodrama trajectory, prioritizing traditional social hierarchies and straight relationships. The film lacks intentionality regarding storytelling that reflects multiple aspects of identity. Instead, it reinforces the period's standard depictions of gender roles and racial homogeneity within the Western frontier setting. Ultimately, the narrative functions as a straightforward genre piece that adheres to the social norms of the 1920s without attempting to disrupt them.

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Category Breakdown

Does Across the Plains have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on a traditional heterosexual romance between Helen Williams and Jim Blake. It does not depict any non-straight identities or challenge the idea that everyone is straight.

How does Across the Plains portray gender?

Limited

Helen Williams takes control when dealing with a deceptive job situation, but her story ends with her integrating romantically with a man. The male lead upholds traditional masculine stereotypes.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Across the Plains?

Limited

Set in a cattle town, the film follows the era's typical depiction of Western expansion. There is no evidence of a diverse cast or non-white characters.

How does Across the Plains represent religion and culture?

Limited

The story centers on courtship, marriage, and ranching life. It upholds traditional romantic ideals and social structures without exploring alternative cultural perspectives.

Does Across the Plains include disability representation?

Minimal

The narrative contains no mention of characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Present on Screen

The female protagonist, Helen Williams, demonstrates ability to act when navigating a deceptive professional situation in the cattle town.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities, focusing exclusively on a heterosexual romance.
The narrative reinforces traditional gender hierarchies and masculine stereotypes.
There is no evidence of racial or ethnic diversity beyond the standard white frontier narrative.
The story lacks any depiction of characters with disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Helen Williams, lured to a wild cattle-town on the promise of a job learns that the job she has is not the kind she thought she had, and finds herself selling drinks and dancing with drunk cowboys in the saloon. She meets Jim Blake, the rough-and-ready foreman of the Bar-X Ranch and they fall in love. And face more than a few problems on the way to getting married.

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