The lineaments of the plot are the same, although names have been changed. He strikes it rich and rules over the town he has made, Kingdom Come. Enter the New Man, Dalglish, a surveyor laying the railway. Enter the sold wife. So it goes.
Producers hate unhappy endings.
The achievement of Winterbottom's film is essentially visual. It is a photographer's movie. Old towns are burned down, new towns spring up in stunning montage. At times, one can't believe one's eyes. A price is paid.