This film is based on a Rex Beach (The Spoilers) story and stars Anna Q. Nilsson as "the Countess," a woman who runs a hotel and saloon in Dawson. Also starred is Ben Lyon as the naive man who comes to the Klondike to find gold but finds much more.
Much of the story involves a group of people making their way across the wilderness to the gold fields and Dawson. There is an excellent sequence where they must go down river through the rapids on weird flat-bottomed boats. Another sequence has them crossing the frozen wasteland and reminds of Chaplin's THE GOLD RUSH, which was filming about this same time.
Although the film is missing reel 2, the story flows well and is beautifully tinted. Excellent direction by Frank Lloyd.
The cast is impressive. Along with Nilsson and Lyon we also get Victor McLaglen as the cheerful 'Poleon, Viola Dana as the innocent girl, Dorothy Sebastian as the vengeful saloon girl, Hobart Bosworth as the hapless Sam Kirby, Claude Gillingwater and Charles Crockett as the comedy relief, Fred Kohler as the cheat, and Philo McCullough as the Count.
This is top-notch entertainment.
