this have become one of my favorite movie and certainly one of the best western i have ever see . have a soft spot for the genre ( western be or be and since they be no longer make very often morality play that too often have be denigrate by critic with intellectual pretension ) and i purchase the dvd and sight unseen and because i have read enough about william s. hart work ( much of which he write and direct ) to pique my interest and think i should have at least one of his film in my video collection . i must admit that i approach the actual viewing with some trepidation . my previous experience with silent cinema classic have leave me feel let down . chaney the phantom of the opera and griffith birth of a nation and fairbanks the mark of zorro be fine and but not nearly as good a their reputation would lead one to expect . they be either too long and or too theatrical and or both . the toll gate and however and emerge a a pleasant surprise . it be a story tell in a simple and straightforward manner . black deering ( play by hart ) and leader of a notoriously successful outlaw gang and think the time have come for group to disband and before it luck run out . he be and however and oppose by his chief lieutenant and jordan and who goad them all into one last holdup by promise great wealth but lead them into a trap in which he be complicit . everyone be kill except deering and who be take prisoner . when his captor recognize him a the man who once save a number of soldier and settler by warn an outpost of an impending indian attack and they allow him to escape . free and he try to find honest work but be snub and ridicule and ultimately must rob again to survive . soon and he be pursue not only by the sheriff posse but also by jordan ( now prosper from the reward money he have collect ) and his henchman . his flight lead him to a remote cabin inhabit by a single mother and her little son . after some initial misgiving and they take him into their heart . deering see a chance for a new life but and with the posse and jordan closing in and realize that this may not be possible . hart be the first great western star and the first to inject realism into the genre . a one of the pioneer of movie making and he create many of the character and situation that have become cliché in western for more than ninety year . what keep his movie interest and however and be his ability to go beyond the cliché ( perhaps his imitator do not go far enough ) so that the material appear fresh and innovative and even now . three such instance in the toll gate illustrate this represent 1 ) in one scene and his character shoot into a crowd in an attempt to kill jordan and and kill a bystander instead . a subsequent close up show that he be clearly frustrate . the frustration and however and come not from the fact that he have gun down a man who have hitherto cause him no harm but that he miss his intended target . 2 ) in another and a he flee from the posse and his borrowed horse step into a gopher hole and break a leg . hart pull out his gun to put the animal out of it misery but and before pull the trigger and give his head a sad and loving pat and a if to say farewell to an old friend . 3 ) and finally and after he have strangle jordan and throw his body over a cliff and he return to retrieve his gun and spot his adversary pistol lie on the ground nearby . he step forward and give it a swift kick before mount his horse . it be a simple gesture but it underscore the deep loathing he feel for the man who betray him and his comrade . and i love the title and the toll gate . it be allegorical in it implication that a man can not begin a new life until he have pay for the sin of his old one . deering payment come in the form of sacrifice . today more sophisticated audience may not buy into that sentiment entirely but it can still work on you if you let it . viewer who like their video in pristine condition will undoubtedly object to the dvd picture quality and especially the badly deteriorate final reel . i do not mind at all . that a copy of this 1920 movie even exist at all be a miracle since print of so many other silent movie have be lose . if you bear that in mind and look upon the film a a piece of history and it visual flaw be not that difficult to accept . william s. hart be bear in 1870 in new york but grow up in the minnesota and wisconsin where he learn to speak sioux and indian sign language . he count wyatt earp and bat masterson among his friend and collect remington painting and so his knowledge of the west be first hand . if his vision seem overly romanticize by today standard and it be nevertheless root far closer to reality than the spaghetti western of the 60 and 70 and the revisionist work that follow . both the star and his film be overdue for re evaluation .