REGENT THEATRE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 February 1941, Page 2

REGENT THEATRE

“NORTH-WEST PASSAGE.” Woven cngrossingly about Rogers' Rangers and their long trek northward, “North-West Passage” will be shown tonight. In colour. “NorthWest Passage” opens in 1759. when young Langdon Towne returns to his home in New Hampshire to tell his people that, through a prank, he has been dismissed from Harvard. Almost the first thing he sees on his return is Hunk Marriner, the town scallywag, in the stocks for "disloyal conversation.” In the local tavern that evening Langdon gets into trouble with the town official, and both he and Hunk decide to go away for a while till the storm blows over. Langdon, whose ambition is to be a painter, decides to go to Albany, but on the way they meet Major Robert Rogers, who is in search of a map-maker. He decides that Towne is the very man he needs. He enlists the couple through methods which arc unscrupulous, to sav the least, and in company with, more than 100 other green-clad rangers. they set out for an unknown destination in the wilds. There are many highlights in the film, so many indeed that they may sound monotonous 'with repetition. Among the actors, Spencer Tracy surpasses himself as Major Rogers. the man who cajoled, bullied and inspired his men into feats almost impossible of human performance, and Walter Brennan, as Hunk, is worth going to see. His gap-toothed mouth can always be relied on to say something which sets the audience laughing, and his cutting little comments on life in general hold a world of home-spun philosophy. As Langdon Towne. Robert Young is excellent. There is a strong supporting programme covering a variety of suojects.