Northwest Passage (1940)

Set in 1759 during the French Indian War, a group of men known as Rogers' Rangers working with the British are on a mission to attack a village in what was then the French province of Canada. Their trek home is a hardship as the men lack food and are chased by both the vengeful "Indians" and the French. Based on the (first half) novel by Kenneth Roberts and directed by King Vidor (DUEL IN THE SUN). Based on an actual historical incident but its accuracy is dubious. Okay, on the plus side, this is one gorgeous looking movie in three strip Technicolor with Idaho landscapes passing for Canada. On the downside, it's a glamourized version of what was essentially a massacre of indigenous people. Reportedly, the actual village consisted of mostly women, children and the elderly. But the film portrays the village full of savage barbaric male "Indians" and a handful of white captives. Of course, the French are just talked about and never seen. As they're Caucasian, it was much easier just to show barbaric Indians (they decapitate their victims and play ball with their heads). I found it difficult to get past the racism in the film which is blatant. With Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, Ruth Hussey, Walter Brennan, Nat Pendleton and Isabel Jewell.