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In the year 1940, MGM was extremely impressive and colorful as it released 56 feature films in 10 years, and out of all of them, Northwest Passage stands out the most for its scale as well as its exceptional plot. To this point, it must be noted that the plot does not pertain to the search for the Northwest Passage and instead,d this part of the story has been reserved for a sequel that was never produced.
The group that Rogers’ Rangers is based on was a well trained band of guerilla fighters known as Robert Rogers. He, along with Rogers’ Rangers, served on the British side in the French and Indian Wars. Their objective was to avoid the hostile French and aggressive Indians shock the Canadian village of Saint-François-du-Lac and kill the rebellious Abenakis Indians that happened to be there. And by kill, we mean kill. The remainder of the story is narrated by Robert Young, who plays Towne, a self introduced student of Harvard that was expelled after drawing political caricatures that were insulting. To his rescue comes Hunk, who is portrayed by Walter Brennan as a semi-toothed alcoholic that claims to love Towne’s cartoons.
The Rangers, surrounded by dangerous landscape filled with rivers, lakes, and woodlands, are starving due to the made game and fish supply not being where it was supposed to be. Dried corn is the only thing that can be found as food, and even then, only a handful is made available for consumption. After their mission is completed, they are supposed to find Fort Wentworth while trying to escape the French. The goal is to reach the British troops, with the additional hope of being able to find some food.
I’m not a man now, Sergeant. I’m a man and a soldier who commands men. If we ever meet when I’m just a man, you might need to show some pity.
What stood out most to me is that Northwest Passage has a premiere by Warner Archive and like all their previously restored classics, the new version shone as it never did upon release. Its color palette is jaw dropping, so beating it would be a hefty task. Robin Hood Adventures is the only piece that can manage to capture this beauty. The glow is beyond stunning! The extras are one reel great mini MGM promotions that raise the question of how many of these one reelers did they have? I fantasize about the days we might have received a three disc Warner Archive DVD gift set. The collections are eye pleasing, however painful to look at in animated form. One is committed to the expectation of a cartoon but the two hour long feature causes the viewer to externally and internally conflict. Any animated work that focuses on this movie will be a marvel. This masterpiece gets our highest vote.
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