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Directed by Ruth Ann Baldwin, '49–'17 leans on a strong ensemble — Joseph W. Girard, Leo Pierson, William Dyer — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about western titles of 1917.
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A cattle-vs.-sheepman feud loses Connie Dickason her fiance, but gains her his ranch, which she determines to run alone in opposition to Frank Ivey, "boss" of the valley, whom her father Ben wanted her to marry. She hires recovering alcoholic Dave Nash as foreman and a crew of Ivey's enemies. Ivey fights back with violence and destruction, but Dave is determined to counter him legally... a feeling not shared by his associates. Connie's boast that, as a woman, she doesn't need guns proves justified, but plenty of gunplay results.
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