DVD Corner

Northwest Passage Blu-ray Review

“Northwest Passage” is a sluggish and deeply problematic film. 

Based on the historical novel by Kenneth Roberts, 1940’s “Northwest Passage” is set in 1759 during the French and Indian War. The Laurence Stallings and Talbot Jennings scripted story primarily follows Langdon- a wannabe painter and map maker who was kicked out of Harvard. He returns home to New Hampshire where he and a woodsman (Hunk) get into trouble and are forced to flee the area. The 2 bump into Major Rogers who commands Rogers’ Rangers and eventually join up with him in his current mission to travel to St. Francis to fight the Abenakis tribe. The journey is a treacherous one and not everyone will make it out alive.

Directed by King Vidor (best known for “The Crowd” and “War And Peace”), the western/action-adventure/war film “Northwest Passage” is certainly a grand cinematic production. The costume work is exceptional, the location shooting in Idaho is breathtaking (and is the real MVP here), and the battle sequence at St. Francis is quite the spectacle (fires, shootouts, etc.). If you look past the film’s visual achievements, however, you’ll find a dry, slow, and thoroughly unpleasant film.

The film may be titled “Northwest Passage,” but the quest to find it never takes place in the film. It actually takes place in Kenneth Roberts 2nd book which never received a film adaptation. The story we do get here is essentially one LONG lead-up to the St. Francis Raid. Much of the film is comprised of Rogers’ Rangers trekking through the forest, crossing bodies of waters, and desperately trying to find food. As for the Raid itself, it may be epic in scope, but the film’s shameful depiction of Indians is downright racist and xenophobic. The general glorification of Rogers doesn’t help the story either (although we do get some sense of Rogers’ Rangers unsettling and deranged behavior). It’s not hard to see why this film has largely been shoved under the carpet over the years. 

Cast wise, there are some big names here such as Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, Walter Brennan and Ruth Hussey. Nobody is going to wow you performance wise, but they all turn in respectable work nonetheless.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.37:1 1080p. How does it look? The Technicolor film gets a positively stunning print. The image clarity makes the film look brand new.

Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? A crisp and active Mono track with a rousing score by Herbert Stothart.

Extras include the original theatrical trailer and a vintage 9 ½ minute promo featurette “Northward, Ho!” 

August 17, 2024 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | King Vidor, Northwest Passage Blu-ray Review, Rogers' Rangers, Spencer Tracy, Warner Archive, western