Summary
In the untamed expanses where civilization’s reach remains tenuous, a notorious whiskey trafficker, Dubec, orchestrates illicit trade with Indigenous communities. His nefarious activities draw the ire of the Royal North West Mounted Police, culminating in a brutal reprisal against Sergeant Delisle, a steadfast post commander. Dubec, driven by a vengeful fury, cruelly slays Delisle’s wife and absconds with their adolescent daughter, Nonette, plunging the sergeant into a protracted abyss of grief and unyielding pursuit. A dozen years elapse, marked by Delisle’s fruitless quest, until the eighteenth birthday celebration of his younger daughter, Julie, is abruptly overshadowed by the arrival of Sergeant MacNair. Tasked with supplanting Delisle, whose grip on the escalating lawlessness within the camp has faltered, MacNair finds himself instantly captivated by Julie, despite her initial disdain for his authoritative demeanor. The narrative takes a dramatic turn with the return of Dubec and Nonette, now his wife, from the Klondike, accompanied by a flamboyant troupe of dance hall women. Unaware of Dubec’s true identity, yet perturbed by his brazen advances toward Julie, Delisle orders their immediate departure. This confrontation escalates rapidly; Dubec, in a chilling display of power, seizes both Julie and MacNair, coercing Julie into a humiliating dance before offering her to the highest bidder among his clientele. MacNair, with courage born of burgeoning affection, intervenes decisively, rescuing Julie just as Delisle, alerted to Dubec’s presence by a repentant Nonette, arrives on the scene. The climactic reunion sees Nonette reconciled with her long-lost father, while MacNair and Julie, their initial animosity transformed into profound love, find solace in each other’s embrace.
Synopsis
Whiskey smuggler Dubec, trades liquor to the Indians, takes revenge on the Royal North West Mounted Police pursuing him by killing the wife of post commander Sergeant Delisle and abducting his teen-aged daughter Nonette. After twelve years of futile searches, the eighteenth birthday celebration of Delisle's other daughter Julie is disrupted when Sergeant MacNair arrives to replace Delisle because Delisle cannot control the lawlessness in the camp. MacNair falls in love with Julie though she scorns him. When Dubec and Nonette, now his wife, return from the Klondike with a dance hall troupe of women, Delisle, not recognizing Dubec but resenting his flirtations with Julie, orders them to leave. Dubec captures Julie and MacNair, forcing Julie to dance, and offers her to the highest bidder. MacNair saves her just as Delisle, warned by Nonette of Dubec, arrives. Nonette is reunited with her father, and MacNair and Julie, now in love, embrace.
Review Excerpt
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Stepping back into the annals of early cinema, one occasionally unearths a forgotten gem, a flickering testament to storytelling that, despite its age, still possesses a potent emotional core. Such is the case with The Devil's Trail, a 1919 silent film that plunges headfirst into the untamed wilderness of the Canadian frontier, weaving a narrative steeped in vengeance, abduction, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Directed by Joseph Franz and penned by Frank S. Beresford, this ..."
