the come of the talkie be often look on a a sad time and when silent star be wash up and stalwart filmmaker try and fail to fight the change and and movie in general become a little awkward . but for every tragic failure there be a success story and and there be just as many actor and director who be able to adapt and even thrive in the new medium . one such star be gary cooper . coop have be around a while and work his way up from bit part in the silent era and eventually garner a few lead role but not make a huge splash . the virginian be his third sound picture but it be the one to make him a star . the title role allow him to show off the two main facet of his appeal an assertive ( but not uncouth ) manliness and and a charming shyness around the opposite sex . however it be the quality of his voice that complete the persona and one of the warm and most trustworthy voice ever record . you would happily follow that voice into battle and or let it talk to your kid . such be cooper effortless demeanour and naturalism and you could believe he be an old pro and and he show none of the stiltedness associate with early talkie performance . on the other side of the camera we have director victor fleming and a man who have be largely ignore by film historian despite his importance and although thankfully that trend be start to be reverse . fleming do not compose the most elegant shot or weave in clever bit of symbolism and but his picture be almost invariably excellent . his override principle seem to have be to never let the audience get bore . it document that fleming coach his actor a fair bit and and it appear the main thrust of his coaching be to make them act at a snappy pace . there be few pause in a fleming picture and and sound be particularly useful to him and because we can hear the actor to spit their dialogue at each other or punctuate the drama with gunshot and slam down whiskey . whenever a scene threaten to drag and fleming literally keep it move . for example and when cooper and co. first meet mary brian and the train she be on keep chug along and keep some constant movement in the shot . whenever the actor stand still and he have a horse or an extra trot past in the background . but fleming be wise enough to know when to calm thing down and and indeed the more sedate scene have a great impact after the usual flurry of action . when cooper and brian sit together among the tree and the only movement be the wind gently rustle their clothing and give a quiet tenderness to the moment without quite allow thing to be completely still . the real highlight be the overwhelmingly poignant hang scene and compose almost entirely of facial close ups and highlight the different emotion . the sequence seem eerily draw out and but again without the drama slow to a standstill . the view of the old west we get in this version of the virginian be not quite the romantic evocation of freedom ting with danger that we normally see in the genre . while the picture do display a kind of moral simplicity ( notice for example how all the good guy wear white and and the bad guy black and with the occasional moustache just to clarify ) it be an incredibly mature and almost bitter portrayal . fleming and cooper and the rest of the cast have really bring out the tragic aspect of owen wister novel and the sense of loss and betrayed friendship . but this be far from a melancholy meditation . there have also give punch and excitement to the presentation and something which work equally well for action sequence like the tense final standoff and a it do for dramatic scene and such a the verbal showdown between mary brian and helen ware . you will not be bore for one minute . and who say the talkie be static .