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If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Director George B. Seitz was known more for the Pearl White serial "Plunder" until "The Vanishing American". Instead of portraying him as the usual plundering savage, the screenplay by Ethel Doherty (from a Zane Grey novel) tried to correct a lot of the myths about the Indian's warrior standing. Typical of the silent epic (in general) it had a mighty sense of history as the story was played out across a vast panorama beautifully photographed by C. Edgar Schoenbaum and Harry Perry. Titles refer to "the mighty stage" and the movie looked at life in grand terms but also with humanity. "The Vanishing American" was also the last Western feature for almost 2 decades to take a sympathetic look into Native American culture.After a very interesting prologue showing how the different peaceful cultures (ie Cliff Dwellers) were gradually overcome by the Indian fighters and warriors. They thought if they could only capture a White God (horse) they would be supreme kings, they had never seen a horse until the arrival of the white man. When the Spaniards used their guns, the Indians felt they (the Spaniards) were in league with the Gods and were eventually conquered and forced to live on reservations."The Vanishing American" defied stereotype, questioned tradition and was ahead of it's time. Hooper, the Indian Agent of Mesa is too caught up with bureaucracy and paper work to effectively help the Indians so it is left to his assistant Booker, and as played by Noah Beery, he is a villain of the first order. Blatantly lying about wanting to be the Indian's friend, he only wants to get in pretty teacher Marian Warner's (Lois Wilson) good books. Apart from old timer Bart Wilson, she is the only person who wants to understand the Indians and has even bothered to learn their language. There is also an "understanding" between her and Nophaie (Richard Dix), the leader of the tribe. Richard Dix plays Nophaie with dignity and believability, even when the story becomes a bit bogged down with biblical piety (he starts to question his native God as "foolish" putting his trust in the New Testament given him by Marian).The film shows the Indian as being truly mistreated, right through the ages, although as the story progresses it becomes trite as it shows the Native American at his noblest when he is trying to mimic the white man - joining the U.S. Army to help fight the War or becoming emotional when Marian told him he should be proud to be an American. When they return to the reservation after the War, things have changed for the worst, Booker is in charge and he and his henchmen have pilloried the land - and to make matters worse, Booker tells Nophaie that Marian has married recruitment officer Earl Ramsdale (Malcolm MacGregor)!!! That's not true and in a surprising twist, that would have been shocking for it's day, Marian comes back to the reservation to pledge her love to Nophaie.Shannon Day, a Cecil B. DeMille protégé, whose career did not survive the coming of sound played the tragic Indian maid. I am also sure that Richard Dix became involved in the Native American cause after his performances in this movie, "Redskin" and "Cimmaron" made him more aware.

What a great surprise this movie is. This silent is a sleeper, a classic, wonderful film that does all the great things a soundless movie is capable of doing. Most importantly, this may be one of the most genuinely sympathetic movies ever about American Indians, because it does so without preaching, without portraying them as these mystical, magical humans, that, because they do things like use every piece of the buffalo they kill, are somehow better than all of us. You know the stereotype. It seems like Hollywood has never found a smart middle ground when it comes to portraying Indians: they are either savages or god-like innocents, but never normal. In The Vanishing American, the Indians are just regular people, largely pushed and pulled by fate and the inexorable spreading of the white way of life.Here, we see the hurt inflicted on Indians in small ways, like a farm being taken by the Indian Agent from one man while he is away at war, or a tribe member taken to be a servant of the Agent, and dying in his service, and the pain this causes his survivors; we feel the sadness of the characters without being forced through a lecture.At the same time, the movie is epic in nature, taking us through several millennia of time, and staging those massive battle scenes containing hundreds of extras that the silents, to me, do more effectively than the talkies ever could (perhaps it is the inherently haunting nature of all silent film that makes it seem so).Richard Dix is acceptable as an Indian leader, but Noah Beery steals the show, playing one of the slimiest and sleaziest villains ever; he even kicks an Indian sitting at his office's doorstop, and not once, but twice, to get him out of the way!This movie also takes patriotism very seriously; tears come to the school teacher's eyes when her class of young Indians says the Pledge of Allegiance. Religion, too, is treated with seriousness, as modern Hollywood never does; Christianity and the New Testament are held with reverence, but again, not too preachy.I highly recommend this film to all silent film affectionados, as well as those interested to see a unique and oddly progressive film about Native Americans that was made in the 1920's.Some small thoughts: (1) Early in the film, some Indians meet up with Spanish Conquistadors. The Indians are much more naked than we normally see them; No clothing at all up their hips: a little unnerving! (2) During an early battle scene, an invading tribe is attacking the cliff dwellers; the invaders climb tall ladders to reach the upper ledges. At one point, several ladders full of climbing invaders are seen; one of the ladders is pushed back, and a ladder full of invaders falls backwards, the men on it doomed to fall to their presumed deaths; if you look closely, though, the men on that ladder are clearly dummies.(3) When Kit Carson's soldiers first hurry off to battle, the first carriage we see pulled by horses and supporting a cannon clearly loses a wheel as it flies down a hill. (4) Racial incongruity #1: The white Richard Dix, with make-up on to darken his features to make him look like an Indian, wearing a soldier's World War I uniform and fighting in the trenches. Racial incongruity #2: an Indian Chief introduced in a title, played by…Bernard Siegle! (5) When the Indian children in the school recite the Pledge of the Allegiance, they have their arms extended out in a manner that to modern eyes may seem like a fascist salute; is this how they used to do it? (6) At one point, Richard Dix is standing on one of the great stone arches of the American West, tossing feathers from his staff into the wind; the first feather he tosses is blown by the wind back to him, and sticks to his arm! He quickly swipes it away, though, and continues his scene.

Film adaptation of Zane Grey's western story "The Vanishing American"; once upon a time; this was considered a very sympathetic "History of the Indian Race". Presently, it's worth is much more subjective; it would be entirely appropriate for modern viewers to take offensive, especially Native Americans.The film's highlight is the opening prologue; for its time, a very nicely researched, and extraordinarily photographed, history of Native Americans. Edgar Schoenbaum and Harry Perry are the cinematographers capturing Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon, and other places looking exquisitely beautiful. Some of the footage seems excitingly authentic, for example, the "Cliff Dwellers" segments.As the film jumps to the present, Richard Dix (as Nophaie the Warrior) emerges as the "hero"; arguably, he neither looks nor acts like a real Native American. The "epic" story becomes a decidedly more boring tale involving horse thief Noah Berry (as Booker). There is a lovely white woman, of course, to turn Dix' head; she's Lois Wilson (as Marion Warner). Ms. Wilson also converts Mr. Dix to Christianity; and, he is certainly not a hard sell. ***** The Vanishing American (10/15/25) George B. Seitz ~ Richard Dix, Lois Wilson, Noah Berry

I remember seeing James Stewart in the 1950 film BROKEN ARROW and being impressed at the positive view of the American Indian shown. Stewart's love (and marriage) for an Indian maidin who is killed by vengeful white men, was powerful and very touching. The 1925 Paramount silent version of Zane Grey's THE VANISHING AMERICAN is even more of an eye-opener! This is not a run of the mill "B" Western as so many of the films based on Zane Grey works were. This is a major Western in the tradition of Paramount's famous 1923 film, THE COVERED WAGON. No film (not even the marvelous films of John Ford)have shown the Indian as he must of lived in former times. The locations are the real thing (and beautifully photographed) and the numbers of extras are huge. One sees hundreds of Indians living in the clift dwellings and riding among the spectacular areas of Arizona and Utah (made famous in the Ford films). The first portion of the film attempts to trace the history of the first people to populate this land and follows their changing conditions through history. Some tribes grow weak and are over-taken by more powerful tribes. Powerful tribes are taken in by the arrival of the white men under Cortez and there first view of a horse (actually THE BOOK OF MORMON, a second testament to Jesus Christ gives a more acurate account of where the horses came from) -- but the Indians believe the horse to be some sort of god and thus subject themselves to the white man. The main story takes up just before American enters World War I and shows the sorry stake of the American Indian, now living on reservations and being cheated out of anything of value that they still have. Richard Dix does a marvelous job playing an Indian who has great values and respect for his people. The film shows the U.S. Governments need and request from the Indians for horses to help in the war. Through Dix's efforts they gain not only horses but enlistment from many of the Indian men. They play an important part in the War effort, but when they return to their land it is to conditions that have worsened, not improved. Thus the climax is set up. Truly an unusal film to survive from the silent era -- and one well worth taking a look at. The surviving material is beautiful to look at, but does contain a degree of flicker caused by the deterioration of the nitrate film that it was printed on. A choice addition to my DVD collection!