Lev Kuleshov's "By the Law" is a largely psychological piece that suffers from some poor narrative choices. In the film, the frustration of a group of prospectors in the Alaskan wilderness turns quickly into joviality at the discovery of gold, and then unexpectedly degrades into sudden and chaotic violence. The remainder of the story, while not thematically complex, is an exercise in emotions. Each character descends into his or her particular brand of madness, emphasized by the silent, cramped, and (due to the weather) inescapable quarters in which the majority of the film talks place. Dennin, the murderer, displays spasmodic rage, and later, acceptance, with perhaps a degree of repentance. Nelson, the group's leader, shows a righteous but disturbing form of anger against Dennin, which he expresses through strangely repetitive or violent action. Edith, his wife, remains a defender of civilized justice, but suffers the most visible strain from remaining the voice of reason, and becomes progressively more frazzled, exhausted, and prone to attacks of grief. These driving psychological themes suffer, however, from strange choices in timing and storyline. Poignant scenes that might have better established the characters' growing exhaustion and stress tend to be rushed and frantic, leaving a lot of the emotional content ungrounded. The motivation for Dennin's crime is revealed late in the film, which is an interesting choice, but it turns out to be disappointingly hollow in comparison to the emotional weight of the preceding scenes. The crushing grief Edith displays after bending her previously steadfast morals to her husband's version of trail justice is likewise frustratingly undercut by the inscrutable decision to bring Dennin back to life after his ostensible death. Overall, "By the Law" is a good piece of psychological drama, but fails to present a satisfying narrative.
Review of By the Law
By the Law
(1926)
By the Law is a good emotional exploration with some narrative issues
9 February 2013
Warning: Spoilers