In this rarely seen offering from Lon Chaney, he has no grotesque makeup or withered limbs. He plays an illiterate French-Canadian Trapper/miner named Gaspard the Good. He is completely happy what with his gold mine which he works every spring and his beloved Thalie (Dagmar Godowsky) whom he hopes to marry .
Into the mix comes city slicker Benson ( a slim and trim Alan Hale) who announcers to Gaspard that he has gained ownership of Gaspard's mine. It seems that Gaspard's father had not properly filed his claim on the mine. To make matters worse, Benson runs off and marries Thalie leaving poor Gaspard despondent and vengeful.
The local priest (Herbert Standing) councils Gaspard, "Thou Shalt not Kill" according to God's law. Gaspard decides to use other means to exact his revenge. Seven years pass and Benson is on the verge of ruin due mainly to Gaspard's sabotage of the mine.
One day in the local bar, Gaspard enlists town tough, the slightly retarded Pierre the Bully (Dick Sutherland) to attack Benson. Benson shoots the man down and is then arrested by the local "red coat" (Frank Campeau) and taken off to jail. Gaspard hopes that Benson will hang if Pierre dies but is disappointed when he is only sentenced to a jail term when Pierre survives.
Gaspard goes to see Thalie but finds her on her deathbed. Gaspard takes and adopts her and Benson's young son (Stanley Goethals). At first he treats the boy shabbily making him sleep on the floor. Gradually, He begins to develop an affection for the boy even enrolling him in school under the guidance of the teacher (Irene Rich).
Just as things are beginning to go his way again, Gaspard learns of the impending release from jail of Benson, the boy's father. Not wanting to lose the boy, Gaspard devises an elaborate trap in his cabin designed to ensnare Benson within under attack from the "devil-wolf Toto. But things don't go exactly as planned and............................................................................
Chaney as always, gives his usual great performance. With that expressionistic face of his he goes from happiness to bitterness to sadness to revengeful with ease. The scene where Gaspard taunts Benson in his jail cell is especially poignant. Alan Hale would go on to be one of the busiest and most popular character actors of the 30s and 40s. And I'm sure that I spotted a young Lon Chaney Jr. among the young people crowded around Gaspard, at the beginning of the story.
Into the mix comes city slicker Benson ( a slim and trim Alan Hale) who announcers to Gaspard that he has gained ownership of Gaspard's mine. It seems that Gaspard's father had not properly filed his claim on the mine. To make matters worse, Benson runs off and marries Thalie leaving poor Gaspard despondent and vengeful.
The local priest (Herbert Standing) councils Gaspard, "Thou Shalt not Kill" according to God's law. Gaspard decides to use other means to exact his revenge. Seven years pass and Benson is on the verge of ruin due mainly to Gaspard's sabotage of the mine.
One day in the local bar, Gaspard enlists town tough, the slightly retarded Pierre the Bully (Dick Sutherland) to attack Benson. Benson shoots the man down and is then arrested by the local "red coat" (Frank Campeau) and taken off to jail. Gaspard hopes that Benson will hang if Pierre dies but is disappointed when he is only sentenced to a jail term when Pierre survives.
Gaspard goes to see Thalie but finds her on her deathbed. Gaspard takes and adopts her and Benson's young son (Stanley Goethals). At first he treats the boy shabbily making him sleep on the floor. Gradually, He begins to develop an affection for the boy even enrolling him in school under the guidance of the teacher (Irene Rich).
Just as things are beginning to go his way again, Gaspard learns of the impending release from jail of Benson, the boy's father. Not wanting to lose the boy, Gaspard devises an elaborate trap in his cabin designed to ensnare Benson within under attack from the "devil-wolf Toto. But things don't go exactly as planned and............................................................................
Chaney as always, gives his usual great performance. With that expressionistic face of his he goes from happiness to bitterness to sadness to revengeful with ease. The scene where Gaspard taunts Benson in his jail cell is especially poignant. Alan Hale would go on to be one of the busiest and most popular character actors of the 30s and 40s. And I'm sure that I spotted a young Lon Chaney Jr. among the young people crowded around Gaspard, at the beginning of the story.