By the Law
| By the Law | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Lev Kuleshov |
| Screenplay by |
Viktor Shklovsky Lev Kuleshov |
| Based on |
“The Unexpected” by Jack London |
| Starring |
Aleksandra Khokhlova Sergey Komarov Vladimir Fogel |
| Cinematography | Konstantin Kuznetsov |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Language | Silent |
By the Law (Russian: По закону, translit. Po Zakonu) is a 1926 silent drama film. The film was directed by Lev Kuleshov and produced by the Soviet production company Goskino.[1][2]
The narrative is based on the Jack London short story "The Unexpected". The plot concerns a group of gold prospectors in the Yukon region of Canada during the Klondike Gold Rush.[3][4]
Plot
A group of five gold miners find a large deposit. One of the prospectors tries to usurp what he extracted and kills two of his comrades. The two who are left; the married Nielsen couple, disarm the killer, but they are faced with a dilemma: are they going to administer justice themselves or at their own risk try to return to civilization and transmit the offender to the public court?
Cast
- Alexandra Khokhlova as Edith Nelson
- Szergei Komarov as Hans Nelson
- Vladimir Fogel as Michael Dennin
Production
After trying his filmmaking skills in different genres, Lev Kuleshov decided to make a film using minimal resources and a strictly limited number of actors. After reading the Jack London short story "The Unexpected", he with Viktor Shklovsky wrote a script based on the narrative. Kuleshov and co-screenwriter Shklovsky initially thought that the studio would be interested in a low-budget feature with three actors in one setting. But the script was rejected and only after an article appeared in support of the picture in the magazine "Soviet Screen" the film was greenlit.[2]
For the role of Edith Nelson Lev Kuleshov cast his wife, actress Alexandra Khokhlova.[2]
The filming was done in the Moscow Oblast, not far from the Tsaritsynsky ponds. Coast of the Moscow River and two single trees standing near the water created the illusion of the wild northern Yukon. On the riverside a house of prospectors was placed in which the interior scenes were shot.[2]
Shooting conditions were extremely difficult; cold winter scenes were shot in April and inundation occurred. The decoration of the house was flooded, the whole crew was knee-deep in water and the actors were often electrocuted because of the damaged insulation of the wires.[2]
Reception
The film was received positively abroad in non English speaking countries; in Anglo-regions it was released only in 1939.[4]
Interesting Facts
- Original script of the picture was called "Three."
- For the shooting of the film high and warm "American" boots were sewn for Alexandra Khokhlova which the actress enjoyed so much that after she finished working on the film she ended up keeping them for herself.
- In the course of working on the film various options for the finale were examined, but in the end it was decided to leave Dennin alive.
References
- ↑ "По закону". Encyclopedia of Native Cinema.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "По закону". VokrugTV.
- ↑ Klinowski, Jacek; Garbicz, Adam (2012). Feature Cinema in the 20th Century: Volume One: 1913-1950: A Comprehensive Guide. United Kingdom: Planet RGB Limited. ISBN 978-1-62407564-3.
- 1 2 Jay Leyda (1960). Kino: A History of the Russian and Soviet Film. George Allen & Unwin. pp. 212–213.