MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Up 108 this week

'Northwest Passage' (Book I -- Rogers' Rangers) (1940)

7.0
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.0/10 from 1,877 users  
Reviews: 41 user | 17 critic

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.

Director:

Writers:

(screenplay), (screenplay), 13 more credits »
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 1623 titles created 4 months ago
 
a list of 1284 titles created 12 Nov 2011
 
a list of 403 titles created 29 Mar 2011
 
a list of 2000 titles created 5 months ago
 
a list of 499 titles created 17 Jun 2011
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: 'Northwest Passage' (Book I -- Rogers' Rangers) (1940)

'Northwest Passage' (Book I -- Rogers' Rangers) (1940) on IMDb 7/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of 'Northwest Passage' (Book I -- Rogers' Rangers).
Nominated for 1 Oscar. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Maj. Robert Rogers
...
Langdon Towne
...
...
Elizabeth Browne
Nat Pendleton ...
'Cap' Huff
Louis Hector ...
Rev. Browne
Robert Barrat ...
Humphrey Towne
Lumsden Hare ...
Lord Amherst
Donald MacBride ...
Sgt. McNott
...
Jennie Coit
Douglas Walton ...
Lt. Avery
Addison Richards ...
Lt. Crofton
Hugh Sothern ...
Jesse Beacham
...
Webster
Montagu Love ...
Wiseman Clagett
Edit

Storyline

Based on the Kenneth Roberts novel of the same name, this film tells the story of two friends who join Rogers' Rangers, as the legendary elite force engages the enemy during the French and Indian War. The film focuses on their famous raid at Fort St. Francis and their marches before and after the battle. Written by Dale Roloff

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

ranger | fort | soldier | military | village | See more »

Taglines:

MIGHTY DRAMA OF THE SAVAGE FRONTIER! (original print ad - all caps) See more »


Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

23 February 1940 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Northwest Passage  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$2,677,762 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Bible passage that Rogers quotes "The voice of him who crieth in the wilderness... " is from Isaiah 40:3. See more »

Goofs

There's a lookout up a tree to spot Towne returning to Eagle Mountain; but for some reason the lookout didn't call out the arrival of either of the other groups of men who arrived just before Towne. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: This is a story of our early America... of the century of conflict with the French and Indians... when necessity made simple men, unknown to history, into giants in daring and endurance. It begins in Portsmouth New Hampshire, in 1759...
See more »

Connections

Remade as Frontier Rangers (1959) See more »

Soundtracks

"Over the Hills and Far Away"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Heard as a theme at the start, and sung by the Rangers as they march off at the end.
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Frequently ripped-off historical plot seen here first.
9 June 2011 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

Two months before his death in 1957, Kenneth Roberts received a special Pulitzer Prize for his historical novels. Of them, Northwest Passage was his most famous. It consisted of two distinct parts, and was the second best selling American book of 1937 (after first having been serialized in the Saturday Evening Post).

MGM's 1940 movie is based on the first, and in my opinion, better part of the book. It recounts Major Robert Rogers' 1759 raid on St. Francis, an Abenaki village, during the French and Indian War. As Rogers, Spencer Tracy gives a powerhouse performance, King Vidor delivers the directorial goods, and the storyline, itself, is very exciting. Indeed, I remember Northwest Passage fondly from my childhood, and consider it a classic. However, because of today's values, it probably appeals more to conservatives than liberals.

In 1945, Warner Brothers' Objective, Burma! (starring Errol Flynn) used the same plot without attribution--a Japanese transmission station replacing the Indian village. (Directed by Raoul Walsh, it too is very well done.) Then, in 1951's Distant Drums (starring Gary Cooper), director Walsh again used the same plot without attribution. This time the movie (which is not so well done) occurs during The Seminole Indian Wars (1835–1842), and the initial objective is an old Spanish fort, lying deep within the Everglades.

In conclusion, I'm not shocked that Hollywood recycled Roberts' plot without attribution. (You only have to remember Dorothy Parker's quip "The only 'ism' Hollywood believes in is plagiarism.") I am, however, somewhat shocked that Roberts did not sue. (His reputation was that of an acerbic curmudgeon.) But, then again, maybe he just didn't know.


1 of 1 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Native American stereotypes DakotaSue
This film should be released on DVD tango0
Very interesting history lesson conbrio-1
Lyrics to theme song? Soujurn
Northwest Passage, Starring Spencer Tracy, 1940 Rhythmjohn
Crofton's Descent into Madness (what's in the sack?) kbarada

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?