Harking back to Kenneth Roberts' Roberts' "Northwest Passage," Rogers' life after the legendary mission to destroy the nest of Abenaki vipers equally unbelievable.Did you know that Rogers undertook with just two companies of Rangers an equally legendary 1763 expedition into what was called the Northwest (the Ohio territory) to accept the surrender of the French posts to the British, who had in that year won the French and Indian War?This trip afoot took Rogers nearly halfway across the continent. In fact, Rogers proposed to the British Crown an expedition to the Pacific, an exploration which one of his captains later partly accomplished while Rogers was stuck commanding Fort Michilmackinac in what would later become Michigan.Thus Rogers almost achieved in 1763 what Lewis and Clark wouldn't actually fully achieve till some 40 years later -- an expedition of exploration to the Pacific Ocean.Rogers was indeed turned down by George Washington at the start of the American Revolution as a volunteer Ranger in the colonial forces. Instead, Washington had Rogers arrested and tossed into prison.Understandably rankled by this, Rogers broke out of jail and went over to the British.Rogers is the guy of whom George Washington said: "He is the only man I ever feared."We have our unfathomably brave predecessors in the Rangers to thank for the British colonists' ultimate victory in the 150-year-long war against the French and Indians -- America's longest war, and one that NO elementary or high school ANYWHERE in America teaches ANYTHING about.Robert Rogers was larger than life. He is often called the Father of U.S. Special Forces, for his work pioneering the colonial rangers in early America. His Rules for Ranging are still required reading by the U.S. Rangers and Green Berets.But Rogers wasn't the first colonial ranger. It is uncertain who could claim that title, because the tradition of "ranging" goes back to early England and Scotland. The colonists took that tradition with them when they settled America. Rangers were deployed in Jamestown.Ranger Benjamin Church, who was instrumental in winning King Philip's war (1675-1678) in New England, is also called the Father of the Rangers. It was his team that hunted down and killed King Philip (aka Metacomet) in Rhode Island.King Philip's War is another one of those gigantic historical struggles not taught in our schools.This was the war in which the Indians pushed the American colonists all the way back to the shoreline towns all across New England (except in Connecticut, where there were just a few battles), and almost into the ocean.Did you know that New England's colonists almost starved during that war, and would have had it not been for ships full of emergency provisions sent from England? The Indians banded together -- most of them, but not all -- to exterminate the white man.But the colonists won that war.They won all of the other Indian wars in New England too.Rogers is the guy who turned the tide in the last such war.If you read anything about Rogers and the men he fought with, you will not believe the hardships they endured to bequeath us our free and easy lives of today. Those who sling arrows at Rogers and his Rangers from their easy chair in a warm home on land won by their forebears from the Indians have no conception - absolutely none - of just how feral the so-called native Americans were.FACT: Like most Stone Age peoples, most Indian tribes engaged in constant warfare. Tribal death rates, as a percentage, were far higher than any of the white man's wars. The Comanches would become the apex tribe in North America when it comes to aggression, outstripping even the Abenakis and Pequots. In fact, the Comanches were so powerful that they hunted the terrifying Apaches for fun, and chased all of the Apache tribes off the plains. Read "Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History" by S.C. Gwynne if you want to understand Stone Age pathologies.The "noble savage" is a myth. Most tribes, given half a chance, would exterminate enemy tribes in a New York minute. They extracted positive orgasmic delight in the most heinous and protracted tortures. These cultures refined torture for century upon century. This had nothing whatsoever to do with the New Age apologetics about "absorbing a victim's spirit." Balderdash. They just liked torture.Rogers' bushwhacking victory over the Abenaki Indians -- the Northeast's Islamofacist terrorists of one-quarter of a millennium ago -- helped finally end the last of the five consecutive French and Indian wars in New England. Ironically, these wars had been going on pretty much continuously almost from the year of discovery -- 1609 -- i.e., the year that Samuel de Champlain (the "Father of New France") discovered the lake named for him, the same year that Henry Hudson sailed up the river named for him.Yes, the year of discovery was 400 years ago in 2009 and the year of British victory in the 150-year war against New France was 1759, 250 years ago in 2009.Tempus fugit.

Lead Spencer Tracy had recently led an exploration expedition into darkest Africa, in "Stanley and Livingstone". Now, with similar bravado, he leads a military expedition through the wilderness, from Crown Point, on Lake Champlain, to the French Canadian- Abanaki village of St. Francis, whose warriors had been raiding settlers in the New England frontier. The screenplay is based upon the novel of the same title, which was based on history. It was filmed in gorgeous Technicolor: the first Tracy film given the color treatment. Part was filmed in the MGM studio and part in the mountains of Idaho.I noticed something unusual in the main characters included. Tracy was the dramatic lead, while Robert Young was the fictional romantic lead: with an aristocratic bearing, who had spent some time at Harvard before being kicked out. He was a painter, made maps for Rogers during the expedition, and was probably one of the few literate members of the expedition. In the film "Hudson's Bay", released the following year, we have a very similar situation. The screenplay is mostly about traveling around in the Canadian wilderness in the 1600s, collecting furs. Paul Muni is the roguish historical dramatic lead, while John Sutton, as his fictional aristocratic companion, is the romantic lead. In both films, a fictional female lead is present. Why was a fictional romantic lead teamed with the man of action? In both cases, the actor playing the romantic lead was in his early 30s vs. 40s for the man of action, and was more handsome. Thus, by reason of age, looks, and lack of aristocratic bearing, the dramatic lead was deemed a poor match for the beautiful, aristocratic, female lead. Also, the man of action was too restless, moving around in the wilderness most of the time, to settle down with a wife. Another interesting tidbit I discovered: The female lead's character was named Elizabeth Browne, which was also the maiden name of the wife of the real Robert Rogers!While on the subject of women, there were 2 European women captives in St. Francis. The older one, who hadn't been there so long, was glad to be rescued, while the younger one, who had been captured when a girl, and was now a teen, thought of herself as an Abanaki, thus resisted being "liberated". This was a typical contrast among females captured by 'Indians'.In St. Francis, we see many Abanaki warriors killed. Rogers claimed abut 200 Abanaki were killed. But the French reported that only about 30, all women and children were killed, as the men were all out on a raid. Since Rogers reported losing about 100 men on the expedition, if the French information is close to correct, this was a pyrrhic victory, although the number of settlers killed in raids did decline after St. Francis was burned. Reportedly, Rogers often exaggerated his accomplishments. Otherwise, the screenplay is remarkably faithful(for a Hollywood film) to the historical details.Rogers was next assigned to the mid-Great Lakes region, where he captured Detroit, as well as other French outposts. Later, he did send several parties to look for a northwest passage to Asia. But, he gradually spiraled into debt and alcoholism, thus played only a very minor and chaotic part in The Revolutionary War, mostly siding with the British. I have to wonder whether, at the subliminal level, the Abanaki are supposed to represent Nazi Germany, as I have proposed is relevant to several Errol Flynn films of this era. This one differs from the Flynn films, in that it is tightly based on a historical incident.The anticipated telling of Roger's adventures in the mid and western Great Lakes region in a sequel film was cancelled. Thus, the title given to this film makes no sense. The title of this review would have been much more appropriate, perhaps shortened to Roger's Rangers.I give this film a high rating for historical accuracy, quality of presentation, and entertainment value. See it. You will never forget it. I think Tracy should have received The Best Actor Oscar, but he had already taken home several Oscars in the last few years. Perhaps the film should have taken home an Oscar, as well.

Exciting picture with open-air spectacular scenes starts depicting in a foreword : ¨This is a story of our early America..of the century of conflict with French and Indians .. when necessity made simple men, unknown to history, into giants in daring and endurance . It begins on Potmouth New Hampshire in 1759...¨ This Technicolor MGM classical describing the troop of Rogers' Rangers battling the hostile Indians and wilderness. The historical novel Northwest Passage (1937), by American author Kenneth Roberts, portrayed the events of Rogers' Rangers' raid on the Abenaki town of St. Francis. The first half of the novel was adapted in this film by Talbot Jennings and Laurence Stallings , being lavishly produced and uncomprimisingly directed by King Vidor . It actually intents to be the first of a two-part epic but the second half was never realized and the Northwest passage itself is never seen. The picture is packed with spectacular battles, heroism , heartbreaking scenes and blood-letting deeds . The main cast ans secondary support give good performances with special mention to Spencer Tracy , Walter Brennan and Robert Young. It contains marvelously photographed in glimmer Technicolor by Henry Jaffa and adequate musical score by Herbert Stothart. This is a winner for Spencer Tracy fans.The story is based on real events , these are the following : During 1759, the Rangers were involved in one of their most famous operations: they were ordered to destroy the Abenaki settlement of Saint-Francis in Quebec. It has been the base for raids and attacks of British settlements. Rogers led a force of 200 rangers from Crown Point deep into French territory. Following the October 3, 1759 attack and successful destruction of Saint-Francis, Rogers' force ran out of food during their retreat through the wilderness of northern Vermont. Once the Rangers reached a safe location along the Connecticut River at the abandoned Fort Wentworth, Rogers left them encamped. He returned a few days later with food, and relief forces from Fort at Number 4 now Charlestown, New Hampshire, the nearest English town.In the raid on Saint-Francis, Rogers claimed 200 enemies were killed, leaving 20 women and children to be taken prisoner, of whom he took five children prisoner and let the rest go . The French recorded that only 30 were killed, including 20 women and children. According to Francis Parkman Ranger casualties in the attack were 1 killed and 6 wounded; however in the retreat, 5 were captured from one band of Rangers and nearly all in another party of about 20 Rangers were killed or captured. One source alleges that of about 204 Rangers, allies and observers, only about 100 returned.

Spencer Tracy (as Major Rogers) gets Robert Young (as Langdon) and Walter Brennan (as Hunk) drunk, so they'll become members of his Colonial American Rangers, and head for the "Northwest Passage" of the title. Along the way, they kill many Indians (aka Native Americans).The photography is the film's main attraction. This must have seemed like a grand classic when released in 1940; however, the epic quality has been equaled many times, and this film doesn't have enough other qualities to maintain classic status. Mr. Young's painting and Mr. Brennan's teeth are not characterization traits to last through the ages. Mr. Tracy performs well, as usual; however, his Rangers look a little old, as a whole, to be making this journey.The most exciting scenes are when the Rangers burn an Indian village, and wipe out its inhabitants. Watch for it in the middle of the film, not the end. Be warned, though - it's a visceral slaughter. Addison Richards (as Ranger Crofton) is particularly sadistic; later, he gets his turn... ***** Northwest Passage (2/20/40) King Vidor ~ Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, Walter Brennan, Ruth Hussey