The law of the north
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The law of the north |
| Original title | La loi du nord (1940) (Sweden) La piste du nord (1942) |
| Country of production | France |
| original language | French |
| Publishing year | 1939 (planned), 1942 |
| length | 110 (French original) 90 (German version) minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Jacques Feyder |
| script |
Alexandre Arnoux Jacques Feyder based on the novel Telle qu'elle était en son vivant (1936) by Maurice Constantin-Weyer |
| production | Adolphe Osso |
| music | Louis Beydts |
| camera | Roger Hubert |
| cut | Roger Spiri-Mercaton |
| occupation | |
| |
The Law of the North is a 1939 film melodrama by Jacques Feyder, set in Canada, starring Michèle Morgan and Pierre Richard-Willm .
action
Somewhere in the icy, snow-covered north of Canada. The focus of the story is the statuesque Jacqueline, who is coveted by three very different men, Robert Shaw, Corporal Dalrymple and Louis Dumontier. One, Robert Shaw, is a murderer; he has emotionally killed his wife's lover and fled with Jacqueline, his secretary and lover, into the wilderness in the hope of being able to go into hiding. He was pursued by the second man, a police corporal who quickly reveals both identities and now wants to bring Shaw back to civilization as his prisoner, to the nearest city prison. The third is a fur hunter. Louis Dumontier believes that the newcomers are a film team that wants to shoot here.
In the life-denying wilderness the four are on their own and have to help each other in order to survive, despite all rivalry and enmity. While Shaw no longer wants to flee and instead even saves the life of his pursuer, the corporal, Louis, the trapper, is of great help to everyone with his experience of surviving in the wild. But Jacqueline, who is not used to this great exertion of strength in the freezing cold nowhere, falls ill as a result of excessive exhaustion and finally dies. Now every reason for Robert to want to escape his fate is gone, and he faces the situation. The men decide to return to civilization.
Production notes
The Law of the North , filmed in wintry Sweden (outside in Lapland ) at the beginning of 1939 and in the studios of Saint-Maurice (inside) in the Marne Valley, was originally supposed to be presented at the first Cannes Film Festival in September 1939. However, these were canceled due to the Second World War, which had now broken out. After the occupation of France by the Wehrmacht , the film disappeared into the French archives for two years, but found its way into Swedish cinemas on December 26, 1940, where it apparently had its world premiere. It was not until March 7, 1942 that La loi du nord was first performed in Paris under the title La piste du nord enforced by the new German rulers after numerous cuts ordered by the German censors. The film only opened in Germany in 1946.
The buildings were designed by Jean d'Eaubonne . Roland Tual was the production manager. Paul Fabian and Jean Charpentier served as simple camera operators under head cameraman Roger Hubert . Charles Spaak is said to have been involved in the script, according to some sources.
Reviews
"Dramaturgically weak, ethically without a sense of responsibility."
In the lexicon of international films it says: "A somewhat pompous melodrama with impressive close-ups, which is one of the most successful works of French cinema of the immediate prewar period."
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Law of the North. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed December 11, 2015 .
Web links
- The law of the North in the Internet Movie Database (English)