Starring Evelyn Brent, Louis Wolheim and Joel McCrea
Produced by RKO Radio Pictures
Boyd Emerson has spent weeks traversing the Alaskan wilderness in search of gold. He's traveled alone with his sled and his team of dogs. A few days ago, he came across Fraser. Now, finally, the two men arrive at a village to seek shelter.
Only none of the townspeople want anything to do with the two men.
It turns out they have wandered into a fishing village that is at war with a fish canning corporation. The village's leader, the beautiful and mysterious Cherry Malotte, wants to build a cannery of her own, but her enemies have stopped her at every turn.
Boyd, having failed in his search for riches, sees a business opportunity and heads to Seattle to arrange financing. Of course, Boyd isn't in this for the money; he needs to impress his girlfriend Mildred, a socialite whose father disapproves of her seeing the financially-strapped man. He'd much rather marry her off to Fred Marsh, who (you guessed it!) runs the fishing operation that's plaguing Cherry.
Things come to a head. Repeatedly. There are fist fights and sea battles. And perhaps Boyd is starting to fall for Cherry. Will the two lovebirds get together in spite if Cherry's sordid past? And will the town succeed in getting its canning operation off the ground?
The Silver Horde is a tough one. It's a melodrama that demands your brain be placed in the off position. If you can do that, there is a lot to like here.
Sadly, my brain maintained a constant vigil over the action.
There is almost nothing in this plot that makes a lick of sense. Boyd shows up at this town and within a couple of days is entrusted with the massively important mission by people who do not know him. The bank gives Boyd a sizable loan despite us knowing he's poor. Boyd blurts out his entire plan to Marsh so the villain can oppose him.
SPOILERS. The worst is the deus ex machina finale. Cherry (who we learn was a prostitute in a previous life) periodically confides in Queenie, a friend from her infamous past. Well, when Mildred and Marsh become engaged, Cherry wants to get Boyd and Mildred back together. So she arrives with Queenie who announces (and I swear I am not making thus up) that she and Marsh are already married! It's an out-of-left-field reveal and it makes you wonder why Cherry didn't use this to disgrace her opponent sooner.
Beyond the ridiculous plot, the actors here are very good. Evelyn Brent is fantastic as the strong yet smitten woman at the center of the story. Louis Wolheim and Raymond Hatton are great as the film's comic relief. Gavin Gordon is fun as the movie's heavy.
Unfortunately Joel McCrea's Boyd is fairly unremarkable. And Jean Arthur shows up in an early role as Mildred, but does little to distinguish herself.
Most of the direction by Archainbaud is pretty straightforward. Once the action shifts to the sea, things become muddled. I had a lot of trouble following which person was a good guy, let alone where our lead was at any point.
There is one bravura sequence. After the village builds its cannery, we see a series of shots showing how the fish are caught, processed and canned. It's beautifully shot and provides a great time capsule for how a cannery worked in the early 1900s.
I cannot leave The Silver Horde without bringing up the sound. All of the dialogue sounds crisp and clean, but there's almost no music. You can feel the soundtrack missing at certain points, particularly during the prolonged silences that mark the first half of the film.
I like the notion of Hollywood taking audiences to more exotic locations. I just wish there was a better story. There are some good performances here, but The Silver Horde tells a tale that keeps taking me out of the film.
** out of *****
Photo from Virtual History
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