This was recently on TCM as part of its tribute to the 100th anniversary of Warner Brothers, founded in 1923, although they were making films earlier than that. As such, this is one of the earliest of the films that were shown as part of that tribute, and in fact it is doubtful Warner Brothers would have survived its first ten years without Rin Tin Tin and the silent films in which he starred.
In this entry, Rin Tin Tin is Lobo, half dog- half wolf leader of a pack of wolves. The motto of the pack is "death to the wounded wolf!" This is written into the script as a plot device so that Lobo, after being wounded, has a reason to leave the pack and wander into the desert versus being torn apart by the other wolves. Lobo is characterized as half dog so his abrupt domestication by a human is at least theoretically possible.
The human centers of the story are the daughter of a rancher, May Barstowe, and a "tenderfoot" prospector, Dave Weston (Charles Farrell). There is a particularly sinister looking villain who wants to both jump Weston's claim AND his girl. Complications ensue.
This was a great vehicle for Rin Tin Tin in showing that the dog truly got how to "act". You can literally see the dog show anger, love, and confusion at appropriate times. The camera work is very good, and overall the script and production values are better in this Rin Tin Tin film versus some of the others I've seen although they all have their charms.
I do have to mention one area where the film does show its age - that being the so called "comedy" of Heinie Conklin, who plays May's father's most trusted ranch hand, Alkali Bill. So May's father, a self made ranch owner, thinks that Weston is not manly enough for his daughter, but THIS guy, who makes a mess of everything he touches, is his employee numero uno? Plus Conklin is just not funny. However he does give me a greater appreciation for the great silent comics such as Buster Keaton, since THIS was apparently their contemporary competition!
I'd recommend this one pretty highly if it comes your way, and it just might since it has been very recently restored.
