Conrad Nagel stars as a caddish lawyer in this very creaky early talkie from First National. The film starts off well, with an interesting courtroom scene establishing the cutthroat attitude of Barrister 'Beauty' Steele, whose competitive juices are flowing in a Crown case where his client is a working class Quebecois. Unfortunately, things immediately go downhill, as we meet Steele's pathetic brother-in-law (William Janney) and his equally annoying wife (Olive Tell), both of whom display nervous tics that might drive anyone to drink. After a tragic incident, Steele relocates to a remote frontier region, dons a ridiculous coonskin cap, and falls in love with a fresh faced maiden played by fresh faced Loretta Young. Nagel looks uncomfortable in his rugged working man's garb, and the film creeps along to an unsatisfying conclusion.
Review of The Right of Way
