Northwest Passage (1940) on Netflix
NR19402h 6mAdventureDramaHistoryWar
Harvard expels Langdon Towne, who comes home to Portsmouth in 1759 hoping to paint. After he mocks the king's attorney, he and the woodsman 'Hunk' Marriner flee into the countryside.
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- Netflix4.0/5
- IMDb7.0/104,353 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes88%
Trailer
Plot summary
Langdon Towne's father makes rope and rigs ships in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In 1759 Langdon comes back there after Harvard sends him away, and his family welcomes him warmly. Elizabeth Browne is glad to see him too, but her father, a well-known clergyman, does not welcome him and mocks his wish to paint. Drinking with Sam Livermore at the local tavern, Langdon speaks ill of Wiseman Clagett, the king's attorney, and of Sir William Johnson. Clagett is nearby in the next room with another official. Arrest threatens, so Langdon and the woodsman 'Hunk' Marriner fight the two men and run.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Northwest Passage (1940)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
SPOILER
Northwest Passage was based entirely on Book 1 of Kenneth Roberts's novel, and the changes made for the screen, including a happy ending, so displeased Roberts that he vowed not to sell film rights to any more of his books.- According to one source, as many as 12 writers besides the two credited revised the script. Author Kenneth Roberts co-wrote a second draft covering the entire novel, but MGM executives scuttled it and filmed the first draft, which covered only the first book.
- The film is a partly fictionalized account of the St. Francis Raid, in which Rogers' Rangers attacked Saint Francis, the Abenaki settlement that is now Odanak, Quebec, to avenge attacks on British settlers and deter further ones.
