The Trail of '98

[Bruce Long]

I've always thought that most still photos during the silent era were static and poorly staged, but here's one that I thought was superb.

In the 1928 film The Trail of '98, there are dozens of extras scrambling for spilt gold at the feet of Ralph Forbes and Dolores del Rio, who only have eyes for each other.

This photo is from the photoplay edition book; it was a double-page photo inside the back cover. Of course the photo would be much better without the split in the center.