The author's strong point is character drawing

Jim Ralston, a western mining engineer, and Faith Miller, a New England school teacher, are the characters played by Wallace Reid and Anita King in "The Golden Fetter," a five-reel Lasky photoplay written by Charles T. Jackson. The author's strong point is character drawing. He has peopled his play with an interesting assortment of human beings, several of them endowed with a well-developed sense of humor and able to furnish ample comedy relief to the sterner moments of the picture. These are often highly dramatic and end with an attempt to hang the hero, who is saved by the little school teacher telling the truth at the risk of compromising her good name. A worthless mine, in which she has invested nine thousand dollars, is the cause of the trouble and the means of her coming west. Right here, it is only fair to warn Charles T. Jackson that persons acquainted with the New England character are going to find it a little difficult to believe in Faith Miller's mine deal. Massachusetts school ma'ams are a cautious set, where money is concerned, and would require a good deal of "showing" before investing nine thousand dollars in a silver mine on the word of a stranger. Once Faith Miller makes such a move, her conduct, after she meets the mining engineer, is just what a spirited young woman would consider was right in the line of her duty, and she deserves to marry the man she saves and live happy ever afterward. The atmosphere in all the scenes, out West and down East, is preserved with fidelity, the acting of the entire cast having much to do with this result. Wallace Reid looks and acts Jim Ralston with equal success, and Anita King makes the school teacher a most likable young woman. Tully Marshall sustains his past reputation as the "slick villain" of the drama, and Guy Oliver and Walter Long play a pair of second heavies that come very close to being the real thing. Mrs. Lewis McCord fills every specification laid down for the part of the warm-hearted Irishwoman Big Annie, and C.H. Gelder, Larry Payton and Lucien Littlefield are a trio of sure 'nuff Westerners. – The Moving Picture World, February 10, 1917

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

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The romance genre features the theme of romantic relationships and emotional connections between characters. These stories focus on the development of love, desire, and intimacy between protagonists, often exploring the challenges, conflicts, and triumphs that arise in their relationships.

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The Western genre features stories set primarily in the 19th-century American Old West and often depict the rugged frontier life, exploring themes of individualism, justice, morality, and the clash between civilization and the untamed wilderness. The genre has its roots in the historical context of westward expansion and the challenges faced by pioneers, settlers, outlaws, and lawmen.

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Schoolteacher Faith Miller inherits $10,000. Edson, McGill and Slade, three enterprising crooks, own the Moonflower, a worthless mine. Slade goes East to unload, and hearing of Faith's good fortune, he approaches her and finds her easy prey: she buys a share in the mine for $9,000. Advised by friends to take a rest, Faith goes to inspect her mine. Arriving at the town, she is insultingly approached and the man who has annoyed her is knocked down by Jim Ralston, a young mining engineer. She goes to the home of Big Annie, who tells her that the mine is worthless. The miners, touched by her beauty and helplessness, engage her to teach their school, the only available pupils being Pete, a half-wit, and Jim, who is held in connection with a hold-up committed by Edson and McGill. At first Jim rebels, but when he sees the teacher, he becomes a willing student. Faith recognizes him as her protector. Jim conceives the idea of salting the mine, and wires Slade to the effect that the mine is rich with silver and not to sell. Slade returns. Edson and McGill, pursued by a posse, reach the schoolhouse and persuade Jim to conceal them. Flynn, at the head of the posse, accuses Jim of hiding the bandits and is killed by a shot from an unseen hand. Jim is arrested as the murderer. Faith intercedes, begs him to flee and is handcuffed to him. They escape and take refuge in a mountain cabin. Jim shoots the fetter apart, breaking his wrist, and insists that Faith return home. As Jim tells Slade of Faith's whereabouts, Slade notices the fetter on his hand, takes him to the outskirts of the town and the miners prepare to bang him. Faith sells her interest in the mine back to Slade, and Pete, as he delivers a note to her from Jim, also tells Faith of Jim's peril. The outlaws, Edson and McGill, are shot as they resist arrest, Edson's dying confession of Flynn's murder reaching Jim's executioners just as they refuse to listen to Faith's pleading for her lover's life. Faith, weakened by the trying ordeals through which she has passed, sinks to the ground, only to be taken into the waiting arms of the man she loves.

Anita King and Wallace Reid in The Golden Fetter (1917)

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