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The Call of the Heart

Name: The Call of the Heart
Director: Francis Ford
Released: 1928
Duration: 50 min

Representation Score

0.4/10

Minimal

1928

Passed

Director

Francis Ford

Runtime

50 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Francis Ford’s Western film follows traditional hero archetypes and moral binaries common in early Hollywood. The story focuses on land ownership and homesteading rights in a frontier context. The film upholds established social and gender hierarchies without challenging them. Ultimately, it lacks complexity in representing multiple aspects of identity and relies on the conventions of silent-era cinema to tell a localized story of survival and conflict.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Call of the Heart have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any characters with LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight relationships. The storyline revolves around homesteading and territorial conflicts, reflecting the social norms of the 1920s.

How does The Call of the Heart portray gender?

Limited

Molly O'Day plays a key role in the struggle but is portrayed primarily as needing protection. The presence of Jerry Wilson emphasizes traditional gender roles and hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Call of the Heart?

Minimal

The film depicts the American frontier in a homogeneous manner, typical of 1920s cinema. There is no indication of a diverse or non-Anglo-Saxon cast.

How does The Call of the Heart represent religion and culture?

Limited

Themes center on individual property rights and the resilience of settlers. The film does not critique or subvert Western institutional norms.

Does The Call of the Heart include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence of characters with visible or invisible disabilities in the narrative.

Present on Screen

Includes a central female character, Molly O'Day, involved in the homesteading struggle.

Limited or Absent

Does not represent LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight relationships.
Depends on traditional gender hierarchies where male characters have primary influence.
Lacks racial and ethnic diversity in the frontier setting.
Does not feature characters with disabilities.
Does not challenge or subvert traditional Western institutional norms.

Official Synopsis

Molly O'Day and her brother, Josh, are homesteading on and trying to make a living on a piece of government land, but local rancher Dave Crenshaw claims the land is part of his holdings, and he and his henchmen try to drive the O'Days off. Cowhand Jerry Wilson and his dog, Dynamite, come to their aid against Crenshaw.

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