Northwest Passage (1940)
Langdon Towne and Hunk Marriner join Major Rogers' Rangers as they
wipe out an Indian village. They set out for Fort Wentworth, but when they
arrive they find no soldiers and none of the supplies they expected.
After being expelled from Harvard for criticising the food there, being jilted
by his sweetheart's family, Langdon Towne gets drunk at the tavern with
his old Friend Hunk and says some disrespectful things about the English
governor in his old colonial hometown in New England, which is overheard
and almost puts him in jail. So they decide to leave for the west. When they
meet Ranger Major Rogers, he offers them a trip west with his Rangers
where Langdon has the chance to paint Indians. But the military expedition
against French allied Indians becomes a disaster. They're cut of from
supplies, followed by French soldiers and hundreds of miles away from
their own lines. An attack on the French Fort St. Francis is unsuccessful,
although they achieve their military aim, they don't find food and Langdon
is wounded. Almost starved, about 50 survivors of various further fights
including Rogers, Langdon and Hunk come to their meeting point with
the English troops for resupplying. But there's no sign of the English.
Directed by King Vidor, W.S. Van Dyke (background shots)
Writing credits: Sidney Howard, Talbot Jennings, Kenneth Roberts,
Robert E. Sherwood, Laurence Stallings, King Vidor
Cast:
Spencer Tracy .... Maj. Robert Rogers
Robert Young .... Langdon Towne
Walter Brennan .... Hunk Marriner
Ruth Hussey .... Elizabeth Browne
Nat Pendleton .... Cap Huff
Louis Hector .... Rev. Browne
Robert Barrat .... Humphrey Towne
Lumsden Hare .... Lord Amherst
Donald MacBride .... Sgt. McNott
Isabel Jewell .... Jennie Coit
Douglas Walton .... Lt. Avery
Addison Richards .... Lt. Crofton
Hugh Sothern .... Jesse Beacham
Regis Toomey .... Webster
Montagu Love .... Wiseman Clagett
Lester Matthews .... Sam Livermore
Truman Bradley .... Capt. Ogden
Arthur Aylesworth .... Innkeeper Flint
Rand Brooks .... Eben Towne
Don Castle .... Richard Towne
Richard Cramer .... Sheriff Packer
Warren Douglas
George Eldredge .... McMullen
Verna Felton .... Mrs. Towne
Edward Gargan .... Capt. Butterfield
Gibson Gowland .... MacPherson
Denis Green .... Capt. Williams
Tony Guerrero .... Capt. Jacobs
Frank Hagney .... Capt. Grant
Gwendolyn Logan .... Mrs. Browne
Tom London .... Ranger
George Lynn .... Joe Turner
Helen MacKellar .... Sarah Hadden
Addie McPhail .... Jane Browne
John Merton .... Lt. Dunbar
Ferdinand Munier .... Stoodley, Tavern Keeper
Ted Oliver .... Farrington
Eddie Parker .... Ranger
Andrew Pena .... Konkapot
Lawrence Porter .... Billy (Indian boy)
Kent Rogers .... Odiorne Towne
Robert St. Angelo .... Solomon
Ray Teal .... Bradley McNeil
Harry Wilson .... Ranger
Hank Worden .... Ranger tying oars
Frederick Worlock .... Sir William Johnson
Produced by Hunt Stromberg
Original Music by Herbert Stothart, Daniele Amfitheatrof, William Axt,
Samuel F. Smith (song "My Country Tis of Thee")
Cinematography by William V. Skall, Sidney Wagner
Film Editing by Conrad A. Nervig
Art Direction by Cedric Gibbons
Set Decoration by Edwin B. Willis
Makeup Department Jack Dawn .... makeup artist
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert A. Golden .... assistant director
Art Department Malcolm Brown .... associate art director
Sound Department Douglas Shearer .... sound recordist
Stunts Jack Montgomery .... stunts
Gil Perkins .... stunts
Other crew:
Jack Conway .... additional scenes
Henri Jaffa .... associate color director: Technicolor
Natalie Kalmus .... color director: Technicolor
Murray Cutter .... orchestrator
Paul Marquardt .... orchestrator
Charles Maxwell .... orchestrator
Leonid Raab .... orchestrator
Runtime: 125 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color (Technicolor)
Sound Mix: Mono (Western Electric Sound System) / Mono
Certification: Finland:S / Sweden:15 / USA:Not Rated (video rating)
Trivia: MGM initially planned that this movie should be part of a
cinematic series, but the intended sequel was scrapped due to
the lengthy production obstacles which plagued the film.A young
Greer Garson was originally the first choice of MGM to play the
alluring character of Elizabeth Towne. A scheduling conflict resulted
in the character being recast and velvet-voiced Ruth Hussey being
given the role.W.S. Van Dyke was assigned to direct the movie
before King Vidor, and scouted locations throughout the American
West in 1938. About 60,000 feet of background shots had been
completed in Idaho before Van Dyke was taken off the picture because
of a scheduling conflict and replaced by Vidor; Jack Conway eventually
shot some additional scenes as well.The most demanding scene for
the actors involved the filming of the "human chain" employed by the
Rangers to cross a treacherous river. The actors themselves had to
do the shots without the benefit of stunt doubles. The sequence was
begun at Payette Lake in Idaho but had to be completed in the studio
tank because the lake was far too dangerous. For Spencer Tracy, who
once complained that the physical labors required of actors "wouldn't tax
an embryo," it was his most difficult shoot to that point, surpassing even
the taxing ocean scenes of his Oscar-winning Captains Courageous
(1937).This movie is a pretty faithful telling of Roger's Rangers' raid on
the Abenaki town of St. Francis, except for the end. When the Rangers
arrived at Fort No. 4 they had missed their resupply by only two hours.
Lt. Stephens heard them coming and retreated, thinking the Rangers
were French. Rogers and a couple of men built a raft and pursued
Stephens downriver. They caught up with him and sent the supplies
back to No. 4 within 10 days, as Rogers promised. Lt. Stephens was
later courtmartialed for cowardice and cashiered out of the Rangers.
Subtitled "Book One: Rogers' Rangers", King Vidor intended to complete
the story in a second film which ultimately was never made. This explains
why the characters in the film never actually make it to the Northwest
Passage as that was supposed to be covered off in the sequel.
Quotes: Maj. Robert Rogers: I'll see you at sundown, Harvard.Hunk Marriner:
[mumbles] Better off in jail.Langdon Towne: What did he have in the sack?
Maj. Robert Rogers: [pause] The head of an Abenaki indian.Konkapot:
[holding stomach] Konkapot... sick... Indian! Konkapot... so... so... sick!
Maj. Robert Rogers: Rejoin your company, Marriner. Hunk Marriner:
Langdon's wounded! [pause] Hunk Marriner: I'm not leaving him! Maj.
Robert Rogers: [shouts] Another word out of you and I'll have you shot!
Now rejoin your company! Hunk Marriner: [mumbles] Yes, sir.Maj.
Robert Rogers: [trying on indian moccasins] Don't any of these red hellions
have man-sized feet?Lt. Crofton: [giving away his share of parched corn]
If you fellows were smart, you wouldn't have to eat corn! [scurries away
laughing] Langdon Towne: [limps into camp on a crutch] Food? Where's
the food? Hunk Marriner: Langdon! [runs towards him] Hunk Marriner:
You're just in time for a little corn with the rest of us roosters!Cap Huff:
[watching the column of rangers march past] Ain't you goin'? Hunk
Marriner: [looks up in disbelief] No... I've been!Elizabeth Browne:
[standing alongside Langdon Towne as Major Robert Rogers and his
rangers march into the distance] Is there, Langdon? Is there a
Northwest Passage? Langdon Towne: Who knows. [pause] Langdon
Towne: It's every man's dream to find a short-route to his heart's desire.
If the Major dreams long enough, he'll find i
Awards: Nominated for Oscar.
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