A Desert Wooing

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A Desert Wooing is a 1918 American silent drama directed by Jerome Storm. It stars Enid Bennett, Jack Holt, Donald MacDonald, J. P. Lockney, and Charles Spere. The screenplay is by J. G. Hawks, and it was produced by Thomas H. Ince. Paramount Pictures released the film on June 23, 1918. The movie runs about 50 minutes.

Plot in simple terms:
Avice, the daughter of a very rich but spoiled family, learns her mother is arranging a marriage for her. She agrees to marry Masters, a wealthy west Texan, even though she still loves Dr. Van Fleet, a flashy society man. At Masters’s ranch, Van Fleet tries to intrude on Avice, but Masters stops him and throws him out. Masters tries to crush Avice’s pride, while Avice’s brother and Masters’s friend Keno Clark try to spark jealousy by hinting that Masters has another woman. Avice decides she will return to the East and leave Masters. In revenge, Van Fleet shoots Masters, wounding him. Realizing her true feelings, Avice asks the doctor to tend Masters’s wounds, and when he recovers, they find happiness together.

Cast:
- Enid Bennett as Avice
- Jack Holt as Masters
- Donald MacDonald
- J. P. Lockney
- Charles Spere
The film also features Irene Rich in her screen debut in an uncredited role.

Release, preservation, and reception:
The film was released by Paramount Pictures on June 23, 1918, and is about 50 minutes long. It has survived and was released on DVD in 2012. Viewers and critics at the time praised various aspects: The Exhibitors Herald lauded the photography and settings and Bennett’s leading performance. Photoplay magazine complimented Bennett’s lively, pretty portrayal and noted a touch of suggestiveness. The Moving Picture World praised Bennett’s stronger performance and highlighted the camerawork of Edwin W. Willat as visually beautiful.

Censorship note:
The Chicago Board of Censors cut several scenes from the film, including a line of dialogue, two choking scenes, a close-up of a man looking at a woman through a window, and all bed scenes before the heroine appears in a robe.