Lon Chaney stars in this melodrama, based on a novel by James Oliver Curwood, set in northern Canada. He plays an earnest young man set up for prosecution for killing a man in a fight (he acted in self-defense) by the dishonest son of the local factor for the Hudson Bay Company; that son desires the woman who loves the protagonist, and a Mountie loves her as well. One sequence highlights the adventures and antics of a young pup and a rescued bear cub, orphans saved by Chaney’s character; the animals play a role in later plot developments, too. Both the animals and the young lovers could reasonably be interpreted as the “nomads” of the title. While some portions of the movie are a little slow, the movie holds the viewer’s interest, and a forest fire provides excitement even as it sets the stage for the resolution.

  Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 65 for 2021.