L'instinct qui veille

The plot is pretty uneven in terms of structure and some of the supporting performances are a touch on the hammy side, but BACK TO GOD'S COUNTRY is too much fun to dismiss. Nell Shipman plays a nature-loving woman who is as far from the damsel-in-distress cliche as you can get. (Yes, there were strong female characters before the 21st century!) She's no fool, able to hold her own when pursued by villains. In fact, her husband's more of a distressed damsel (or in this case, distressed dude, I suppose) than she!

It is interesting to see Dolores LeBeau (Nell Shipman) participate in two roles in this movie, one being the pseudo-nude scene, and other being the role of female heroine. The former was certainly written into the script to draw male viewers to the movie houses. It cannot be seen that she is wearing a body suit, so one is given to their imagination. More importantly, however, is the latter - the female heroine - which was rare during that time.

The movie has several questional elements in the plotline (why does 'Sealskin' Blake have no trouble killing a Canadian Mountie, but cannot bring himself to overtly kill Dolores LeBeau's husband?), but the movie has several special effects (tinted film, scene within a scene) that make it worthwhile viewing.

This story is based loosely on a novel, not by Jack London, but similar to his "White Fang" and "Call of the Wild" in genre. It has been freely adapted to give most exposure to Nell Shipman who even in the flat lighting usual in the 1919 era comes across as a very capable "Jane Alexander" type. The simple story of villainy stemming from single-minded lust is confusingly told. That may be the result, though, of the difficulties of "restoration" of the old film. There are some excellent scenes that evoke the dreadful loneliness of the arctic winters. It's not a great old museum piece, but interesting and worth a watch.

It's a thrill to see this excellent film on video (Milestone, 2000). Nell Shipman was an extraordinary woman and it's great to see her work being made available to a wide audience. The scenes of her with wild animals, part of the menagerie she kept in northern Idaho, are extraordinary, and the climactic chase is very suspenseful. The restoration by D.J. Turner of the National Archives of Canada is wonderful, and the music by Phil Carli is appropriate. Alternate piano scores for this and Something New, Shipman's wacky car chase film, from live performances, available from me.

This is an entertaining old-fashioned melodrama starring Nell Shipman, a good adventure heroine who can do a lot of different things. Here, she is a nature-loving young woman whose husband's work takes her away from the wildlife she loves, but while she is longing to get "Back to God's Country", she must first try to save herself and her husband from some dastardly villains.

There's quite a bit to the story. The drawbacks are that it is a little slow early on while it sets everything up, and then once the action gets going there are some rather implausible developments. But the plot keeps your attention, and Shipman has plenty of energy and is a nice change-of-pace from more conventional heroines. The story takes place in the frozen north of Canada, and the setting is interesting and works well. There are also several good shots of wild animals, a couple of them very funny.

"Back to God's Country" combines some of the usual features of silent melodrama with Shipman's distinctive approach. Most of it works pretty well, and it's worth a look for those who like silents.