Northwest Passage

"Half Men—Half Demons … Warriors Such As The World Has Never Known … They Lived With Death and Danger For The Women Who Hungered For Their Love!"

1940 2h 6m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

🍅

78%

FRESH

⭐

IMDB

★6.6TMDB · 66🍅78%Rotten Tomatoes★7IMDB · 4,359

AdventureHistoryWarDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Half Men—Half Demons … Warriors Such As The World Has Never Known … They Lived With Death and Danger For The Women Who Hungered For Their Love!”

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Cast

Spencer Tracy
Major Robert Rogers
Robert Young
Langdon Towne
Walter Brennan
'Hunk' Marriner
Ruth Hussey
Elizabeth Browne
Nat Pendleton
'Cap' Huff
Louis Hector
Reverend Browne
Robert Barrat
Humphrey Towne
Lumsden Hare
Lord Amherst

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: King Vidor
Writers: Talbot Jennings, Laurence Stallings
Languages: Hungarian, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

86 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Hungarian, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by King Vidor, shot by William V. Skall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Herbert Stothart. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Conrad A. Nervig shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Spencer Tracy and Robert Young and Walter Brennan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Half Men—Half Demons … Warriors Such As The World Has Never Known … They Lived With Death and Danger For The Women Who Hungered For Their Love!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0032851 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

King Vidor directs. William V. Skall behind the camera. Herbert Stothart scores. Conrad A. Nervig cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Hungarian, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Hungarian, English.
3Directed by King Vidor, shot by William V. Skall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Herbert Stothart. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Conrad A. Nervig shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Spencer Tracy and Robert Young and Walter Brennan carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Half Men—Half Demons … Warriors Such As The World Has Never Known … They Lived With Death and Danger For The Women Who Hungered For Their Love!".
8IMDB entry: tt0032851 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 66 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "fort", "native american", "ranger", "massacre".

The technical file

Cinematography: William V. Skall
Original score: Herbert Stothart
Editing: Conrad A. Nervig
Runtime: 126 min · 2h 6m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Northwest Passage (1940)
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 4,359 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 3 wins & 1 nomination total

Also by

King Vidor

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2017-06-10
★ 7/10
Rogers And His Jolly Green Rangers. Northwest Passage is directed by King Vidor and adapted to screenplay by Laurence Stallings and Talbot Jennings from the Kenneth Roberts novel of the same name. It stars Spencer Tracy, Robert Young and Walter Brennan. Music is by Herbert Stothart and cinematography by William V. Skall and Sidney Wagner. "This is a story of our early America….of the century of conflict with 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…." Hurrah! What with the film having a reputation as one of the greatest adventure films of all time, that opening salvo for Vidor's movie doubly whets the appetite.What follows is more a case of a visually great picture, dotted with action, that is more about actual heroes than heroic deeds. Certainly the first hour of the picture leans more towards the slow burn than anything raising the pulse. However, characters are well drawn by Vidor and his team, with quality performances to match from the leads, and when the action dose come, such as the excellent battle at the Abenaki village, they more than pay back the patience of the viewer. We need to be forgiving for the overtly racist fervour that permeates the plot, so instead just rejoice in men triumphing over many obstacles, both of the mind and the body. 7/10

Production companies