MGM studios had many stars in Hollywood’s golden age. One of the best was two time academy award winner, Spencer Tracy. He is the star of the movie Northwest Passage. It’s a good film directed by King Vidor, about Major Richard Rogers and his rangers, a group of specially trained men, working with the British army, during The French and Indian War. The film also features Walter Brennan and Robert Young.
Major Rogers is asked by the British to go after the French into rugged, hostile, territory, with his men. He has help from Langdon Towne, a struggling artist and Hunk Marriner, played by Walter Brennan. Along the way they burn down an Indian village, because the tribe was responsible for the massacre of British settlers. They also drive French troops from a British fort. Rogers’ Rangers then proceed to their objective, Fort Wentworth, which is deserted and has very few supplies. Major Rogers and his troops are demoralized by this discovery. Before the troops die from hunger and thirst, British reinforcements arrive with needed food and drink. Rogers and his troops head back home. When they are ready to go out again, Spencer Tracy tells them he’ll show them the sights out west, as well as a few Indian tribes. The movie ends with Rogers leading his men, and fading in the distance.
Spencer Tracy does a good job with a passable script. The movie was a departure for Tracy, who was normally in dramatic roles or romantic leads. He shows a firm but fair leader, who guides his men through adversity. A good example is when Rogers and his troops have to cross a raging river. He orders them to form a human chain, with Tracy as the anchor. It makes a good action scene. He does have a good scene with Robert Young’s character Langdon Towne. Towne is seriously wounded during an engagement. He is lying in pain, when Rogers approaches him. Towne tells Rogers to leave him. He is told by Major Rogers that he can get up on his own. Towne gets up and joins the company aided by a woman and a child. Tracy shows a desperate and broken man, when he finds Fort Wentworth deserted. Richard Rogers probably could very well have been played by another MGM star, but Tracy gives the appearance of a rugged frontiersman, and gives him believability.
Robert Young plays Langdon Towne, who is forced into service with Rogers’ Rangers. He works well with Tracy. When Rogers pushes him, after he is wounded, we see him express his pain trying to walk on his own. One good scene is Towne returning from a British fort, and telling Rogers how he witnessed a massacre, and couldn’t do anything but watch. Young shows his character’s shock and feeling of helplessness very well.
Any film having the Academy award winning actor, Walter Brennan, in it, is made better. He gives this film a comic touch, when needed. He lends emotional support to Tracy and Young’s characters.
A few scenes in this film, are done well by the director, King Vidor. The scene of the men forming a human chain keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s grueling to watch the men carry their boats through rugged country. It was the director’s decision to film these scenes without stuntmen. A moving scene is Robert Young’s character coming into view from a distance, struggling to walk with Tracy watching and waiting for him. The movie is summed up by Robert Young’s character, Langdon Towne. He has decided not to join Major Rogers, and is moving to London, with his fiancé to pursue painting. Towne has painted a picture of Rogers and comments that he is moving into history. The audience then sees him [Rogers] going down the road and slowly fading.
This film has action and drama. It is a movie based on the book of the same name. It could be considered the famous Hollywood biop. For what it is, it isn’t bad Hollywood fare.