The Woman Who Robbed the Stagecoach

One of 12 Westerns made in 12 months during 2020, this film tells the true story of Pearl Hart, played by Lorraine Etchell, a woman who goes through a series of bad relationships with men, eventually turning to a life of crime with a European drifter named Joe Boot (Travis Mills). Together they decide to rob a stagecoach, leading Pearl to be one of the most famous female outlaws of all time. 

The cast features Lorraine Etchell, Travis Mills, Kevin Goss, Michael Estridge, Michael P. Walker, John Schile, and John Marrs. 

The Eighth of 12 Westerns: Director’s Note

The story of Pearl Hart was a tough nut to crack. Though a proper feature film has never been made about her, I could not decide how I wanted to approach her tale. Ultimately, the decision was made to use the iPhone as our filming tool, hoping to give the film a kind of French New Wave realism. Another bold move was made in the casting: a non-actor was chosen for the lead role. Lorraine had never made a film before or even taken an acting class. Again, this relates back to the New Wave and the Italian Neorealist movement before it in which non-actors were often chosen for the protagonists. 

Even if this movie was not as fun to make as The New Frontier and Counting Bullets, I will always be proud of these decisions and feel they’ve led to a new kind of Western we haven’t seen before. 

-Travis Mills