The Pitch o' Chance (1915) User Reviews

Second Time Isn't The Charm

[boblipton · 4/10 · 9 February 2022]

Frank Borzage is man who will gamble on anything: whether a fellow will fall while carrying a load, whether a fly will land on his coin first, or whether he can draw the better poker hand against gambler Jack Richardson, with the bet his stack of winnings against Helene Rosson, Richardson's girl. She doesn't love him, but won't leave out of fear; so saloon girl Lizette Thorne, who does, stacks the deck against Richardson. When Richardson realizes the deck is cold, he decides to take his vengeance against Borzage.

It's Borzage's second time as director -- he had helmed a short in 1913 -- and the story of this three-reeler is pretty chaotic, with one beauty shot of a campfire at night, courtesy of K. Guy Wilky. Borzage doesn't do much with a haphazard story. He would, of course, learn to do better.

Necessary To Watch For Completists

[FerdinandVonGalitzien · 4/10 · 16 July 2010]

Aristocrats have few worries in their youth as they know that luxury and excess await them. Commoners, on the other hand, must face many uncertainties and choose between different paths, often facing many troubles before they make the right decision for themselves.

"The Pitch o'Chance" (1915) was Herr Frank Borzage's first film as a director and as such reflects his rawness and inexperience. There is none of his later style here but it was still important as a learning experience for him and in the development of the professionalism that would result in a more defined directorial style by the end of the 1910s.

"The Pitch o'Chance" is a small scale two reel production showing little artistry. It's a western wherein the cowboy hero has a fondness for girls and gambling (he'll bet on anything). The cowboy (played by Herr Borzage himself) must choose between two girlies ( Frau Helene Rosson und Lizette Thorne) who have very opposite characters. Of course our madcap hero will finally change his way of living in that savage land.

Precisely the most interesting aspect in the film is the way that the two different women characters are depicted; one is conventional and a conformist and the other a rebel and untameable. They are two very strongly outlined feminine characters, ja wöhl!.

Obviously Herr Borzage did not have a large budget for his first film (Besides starring, he also wrote the script and edited the film.). With neither money to spend or time to spare, the story must make do with an Indian, a music hall girl and a quick-but effective-shootout. However, the use of the camera is certainly modern and the film narrative intense, including at the end of the film a kind of flash forward wherein our hero promise his girl that he will leave behind a life of gambling and vice for a conventional one with marriage and children ( from bad to worse, certainly… ).

"The Pitch o'Chance" is an interesting Herr Borzage early film, necessary to watch for completists and in order to observe the artistic progression in the career of one of the most important Amerikan film directors of the last century.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must bet on which rich heiress loves him the most.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien