"If this railroad project fails, Canada will fail and probably get annexed by the United States!" As such the scene is set for the building of the great Canadian-Pacific Railroad that stretched from Montreal to Vancouver! Professional gambler Hickey (Richard Arlen) rolls into the boomtown of Moody with his partner Steve (Barry MacKay) hoping to bilk the workers out of their hard-earned cash. However, Steve makes the acquaintance of saloon floozy Lou (Lilli Palmer), who Hickey recognizes from his past as a no-good gold-digging hussy. The disagreement over Lou breaks the two friends apart and causes them both to get pressed into service on the work crew helping to build the Canadian-Pacific line. The rest of the film delves into the dramatics of how the railway was pushed through Summer heat and Winter snows in spite of the treacheries of an unknown mountain terrain, scarcity of funds, labor troubles, and seemingly every other sort of discouragement.

As a document about the creation of the Canadian Pacific railroad, this is a fascinating historical film. This is a film with lots of action, tough men constantly sparring, great effects involving some misfortune along the railroad, and terrific scenery. Although a British film, this stars American actor Richard Arlen, the star of the first Academy Award winning Best picture, "Wings", with Lilli Palmer on hand to add no small amount of drama. Fortunately, the romantic subplot doesn't get in the way of the historical aspects, the highlight being an explosion to create room for the tracks to move that starts an avalanche. There is some truly stunning cinematography on display here - especially for the 1930s - that at times will make you wonder if you are watching a Soviet-era propaganda film rather than what was actually a British production shot in Canada. Also unusual was the use of Hollywood talent in the form of Richard Arlen and a very young Lilli Palmer. It tells the story of how the Canadian-Pacific rail line from Montreal to Vancouver was laid down in spite of every hardship imaginable. This film was released in the US under the title "The Silent Barrier" and many of Lilli Palmer's scenes were cut, having been deemed too racy for American audiences. Here we see the film complete in its original form.