Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2049 in VHS
• Released on: 1994-06-22
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Color, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 126 minutes

Amazon.com
One is compelled to say, in these Politically Correct times, that Northwest Passage takes a distinctly "unenlightened" view of the 18th-century American colonists' Indian neighbors. Then again, everything about the world portrayed in this early-Technicolor production is harsh: the repressive policies of the Crown-backed Boston magistrates, the expectations Maj. Robert Rogers (Spencer Tracy) has for his guerrilla warrior band, the bloodthirsty war-making by the Abenagi Indians (reciprocated in kind by the colonials), the ferocity of flood-swollen wilderness rivers, and the breathtaking, unforgiving vastness of the virgin forest in which, surrounded by beauty, Rogers's Rangers very nearly starve to death. As an action film, Northwest Passage peaks early with a predawn, retaliatory raid on an Indian village--horrific choreography by the master filmmaker who made The Big Parade. But the grim march back from this mission is too harrowing to call anticlimactic. Robert Young and Walter Brennan costar. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews

Top of the line Adventure film
Northwest Passage still holds up after 60 years. Great outdoor locations and excellent color cinematography make this a most watchable classic. Spencer Tracy is perfect as Robert Rogers, the first American commando during the French and Indian wars. Robert Young is also excellent as Langdon Towne, a Harvard failure talked into joining Roger's Rangers. Add the always entertaining Walter Brennan and you have a very good movie, perfect for almost all ages. This film will keep your attention. I'm surprised that this movie hasn't been mentioned more often as one of the better adventure films ever made. Historically speaking, the film follows the Rangers' raid on St. Frances without adding any undo Hollywood hype. I strongly recommend this film for anybody 8 years old and up.

A wonderful movie
"Northwest Passage," based on the first part of Kenneth Roberts' historical novel of the same name, is an American classic. One of the first Technicolor features, it brings to life colonial America and the brutality of the French and Indian War, which proved to be the training ground for George Washington and other leaders of the Revolution. The fascinating aspect is that the troops of Rogers' Rangers not only have to battle the enemy (Abenaki Indians, who are allied with the French) but also the environment and, at times, their own commander, Maj. Robert Rogers, played by Spencer Tracy as an almost-superhuman leader. (The novel paints a different portrait by its conclusion; there is foreshadowing of this in the film.) Notable are the performances of Tracy, Robert Young (perhaps his best big-screen role) and Walter Brennan. The delightful music of Herbert Stothart completes the picture. As fans of the film would say, "See you at sundown, Harvard."

A Must-See for Colonial America Enthusiasts
This movie, although mistitled, portrays the spirit and adventure our forefathers had to possess to survive living on the fringes of civilization. The entire reason Rogers' Rangers made the trek to the Abenaki village was to destroy it and stop that tribe's raids on their farms and establishments in upper NY state. This occurred during the last of the many bloody French And Indian Wars. Spencer Tracey is at his best in this film, which follow's Kenneth Robert's book almost to the letter.

Now sit back, and enjoy one of the true classics on early Americana.