Cinema
By the Law
По закону
Lev Kuleshov · 1926
Synopsis
During the gold rush, five prospectors from Europe work a rich claim in the Far North. Michael Dennin, who does the heavy labour and found the gold, feels he is treated as a subordinate and, in a fit of rage, shoots two of his companions. The survivors, Hans Nelson and his wife Edith, overpower him and tie him up. Cut off in their cabin by the snow, far from any court, they must decide how to apply the law to him.
Context
The screenplay by Viktor Shklovsky and the director adapts Jack London's short story “The Unexpected”. Alexandra Khokhlova plays Edith, Sergei Komarov her husband and Vladimir Fogel the murderer. Produced by Goskino, the film was released on 3 December 1926. According to the Cinémathèque française, Kuleshov put into practice in it his theories of editing and of the actor's performance, in a chamber piece imposed by nature.
Who it is for
A silent film of about an hour, tense and almost without sets, which is watched as a psychological drama.
Prizes and reception
The Larousse and AlloCiné also give it the Latin title Dura Lex, alongside By the Law.