First of all "Northwest Pursuit" is a propaganda film, although unlike "Saving Private Ryan" it at least has the excuse of having been made "during" the war. WWII propaganda films were painful viewing for anyone of even modest intelligence because their intent was to demonize the enemy and frighten the viewer, who ideally would rush out of the theater and begin manically buying war bonds.
Second it is a screenplay by Frank Gruber who wrote very bad western novels and detective fiction before inflicting himself on motion pictures and television. Which means that the target intelligence level is low even by the subterranean standards of propaganda films. Third it is over 60 years old so the moronic premise is even shakier than it would have been in 1943. Actually this might work in its favor if you just want a few laughs but my reaction was mostly embarrassment.
The premise is that prior to the outbreak of WWII the ever methodical Germans had the foresight to ship crates of airplane parts and a bunch of bombs to Canada and to hide all this stuff in a abandoned mine deep in the wilderness (the location shooting actually took place in Sun Valley, Idaho). Captured Nazi airmen are set free and cross-country ski to the mine. Once there they unpack the parts and in a couple days assemble a large "bomber" with which they intend to bomb the locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway. If your plausibility meter has just jumped off the scale remember that this was intended for an audience raised on "The Adventures of Tom Swift".
Errol Flynn plays a RCMP agent who infiltrates the Nazi network and is later forced to help with their scheme because they are holding his girlfriend (played by Julie Bishop) as a hostage. Helmut Dantine plays a fanatical Luftwaffe pilot and Gene Lockhart (June Lockhart's father) plays an undercover Nazi agent.
Unfortunately Gruber's goal was to induce hysteria rather than to script characters with logical motivations. This means that most of the actions of Dantine's logical and mission focused leader defy all logic (and mission focus for that matter), serving only dehumanize him. Lockhart's character does not come off much better, starting off as a sneaky murderer and then reduced to a sniveling coward. Propaganda films do not portray the enemy as a worthy opponent but as either a craven coward or a mad dog.
Lockhart's performance is the best thing about the film. Flynn can be excused for sleepwalking through this thing, as it would be difficult for anyone saddled with a script this bad to summon up much energy.
If you don't get some laughs from the premise or the dialogue you might still get some entertainment from the scene of the Indian Guide (played by Joe Herrera) trying to escape. These fake snow chase scenes should be pulled out whenever somebody complains about the quality of today's digital effects.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
Second it is a screenplay by Frank Gruber who wrote very bad western novels and detective fiction before inflicting himself on motion pictures and television. Which means that the target intelligence level is low even by the subterranean standards of propaganda films. Third it is over 60 years old so the moronic premise is even shakier than it would have been in 1943. Actually this might work in its favor if you just want a few laughs but my reaction was mostly embarrassment.
The premise is that prior to the outbreak of WWII the ever methodical Germans had the foresight to ship crates of airplane parts and a bunch of bombs to Canada and to hide all this stuff in a abandoned mine deep in the wilderness (the location shooting actually took place in Sun Valley, Idaho). Captured Nazi airmen are set free and cross-country ski to the mine. Once there they unpack the parts and in a couple days assemble a large "bomber" with which they intend to bomb the locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway. If your plausibility meter has just jumped off the scale remember that this was intended for an audience raised on "The Adventures of Tom Swift".
Errol Flynn plays a RCMP agent who infiltrates the Nazi network and is later forced to help with their scheme because they are holding his girlfriend (played by Julie Bishop) as a hostage. Helmut Dantine plays a fanatical Luftwaffe pilot and Gene Lockhart (June Lockhart's father) plays an undercover Nazi agent.
Unfortunately Gruber's goal was to induce hysteria rather than to script characters with logical motivations. This means that most of the actions of Dantine's logical and mission focused leader defy all logic (and mission focus for that matter), serving only dehumanize him. Lockhart's character does not come off much better, starting off as a sneaky murderer and then reduced to a sniveling coward. Propaganda films do not portray the enemy as a worthy opponent but as either a craven coward or a mad dog.
Lockhart's performance is the best thing about the film. Flynn can be excused for sleepwalking through this thing, as it would be difficult for anyone saddled with a script this bad to summon up much energy.
If you don't get some laughs from the premise or the dialogue you might still get some entertainment from the scene of the Indian Guide (played by Joe Herrera) trying to escape. These fake snow chase scenes should be pulled out whenever somebody complains about the quality of today's digital effects.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.