Northwest Passage Overview:

Northwest Passage (1940) was a Adventure - Drama Film directed by W.S. Van Dyke and Jack Conway and produced by Hunt Stromberg.

Academy Awards 1940 --- Ceremony Number 13 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best CinematographySidney Wagner, William V. SkallNominated
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Northwest Passage BlogHub Articles:

NORTHWEST PASSAGE On Blu-ray From Warner Archive

By Dan Day, Jr. on Mar 29, 2025 From The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog

Warner Archive once again presents a magnificent restoration of a classic Technicolor Hollywood film with their Blu-ray release of MGM's NORTHWEST PASSAGE (1940). NORTHWEST PASSAGE is one of the great historical epics of the pre-World War II sound era, and it is one of the very few films concerning ... Read full article


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Quotes from Northwest Passage

[last lines]
Elizabeth Browne: [standing alongside Langdon Towne as Major Robert Rogers and his rangers march into the distance] Is there, Langdon? Is there a Northwest Passage?
Langdon Towne: Who knows.
[pause]
Langdon Towne: It's every man's dream to find a short route to his heart's desire. If the major dreams long enough, he'll find it.
Elizabeth Browne: Will we hear from him?
Langdon Towne: Hear from him?
[pause]
Langdon Towne: Every time we look across the river we'll hear his voice calling us through the wind. He'll be within us, Elizabeth - wherever we are or he may be - for that man will never die.


Langdon Towne: [Slapping at mosquitoes as they walk through wetlands] Mosquitoes don't bite you, do they?
Hunk Marriner: Nope.
Langdon Towne: You put something on that keeps them off?
Hunk Marriner: Rancid bear grease. They hate the stink worse than I do.
Langdon Towne: [Smelling some of the bear grease that Hunk offers him] thanks. I'll take the mosquitoes.


Cap Huff: [to Langton] If you're tryin' to drink yourself outta lovesickness, why don't you switch to rum? We've got some rum that'll burn the knots out of a pine plank.
Langdon Towne: [Drunkenly] Bring 'em me.


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Facts about Northwest Passage

Members of Roger's Rangers fought on the American side in the initial battles of the Revolutionary War, Lexington and Concord, in 1775.
The part of "Langdon Towne" was originally offered to Robert Taylor, who refused it. It was then given to Robert Young.
The subtitle "Book One: Rogers' Rangers" shows that MGM and King Vidor intended to complete the story in a second film which was never made due to lengthy production obstacles which plagued this film. This explains why the characters never actually make it to the Northwest Passage.
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Best Cinematography Oscar 1940

















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Also directed by King Vidor




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Also produced by Hunt Stromberg




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Also released in 1940




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