Hudson's Bay

Hudson's Bay
I fondly remember watching this movie on Long Island's television station WPIX back in the '50's when you could see an entire movie without hundreds of commercial interruptions. Seeing it again via DVD only served as a reminder as to what a good actor Paul Muni was. This was not one of his more memorable films but it was one that I very much enjoyed watching him act in. I would recommend this movie for people who do not complain that the picture is in "glorious black and white" or that every two minutes something is not getting blown up. This movie was made in the day when they wanted to tell a story through dialogue (that you could understand what they are actually saying) and good acting. It was good to see Vincent Price in a role before he went into horror movies as well as Gene Tierney and John Sutton at the beginning of their careers. I am so glad that 20th is finally opening up their archive vaults and hope to see more movies eventually released.

Fun adventure tale
Hudson's Bay is a 1940 black and white comedy adventure tale set in 1667 in Canada, providing a fanciful account of the settling of Hudson's Bay, 1.5 million square miles between Quebec and Manitoba, and the creation of the Hudson's Bay Company.

Paul Muni (1895-1967) stars as a French trader who is responsible for setting up the company. Muni was nominated for an Oscar his very first film, "The Valiant" in 1929, and 6 more times - "I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang" (1932), "Black Fury" (1935), "The Story of Louis Pasteur" (1936), "The Life of Emile Zola" (1937), "The Last Angry Man" (1959). To be nominated 6 times over a period of 30 years is remarkable (and unmatched) itself, but this achievement is all the more meaningful when you realize that Muni made only 21 films, and furthermore, he wasn't nominated for "Scarface" (1932) or "The Good Earth" (1937) in which his performances were also exceptional.

Larger than life Laird Cregar (1913-44) often played...

Hudson Bay
A story of the Beaver trade discovery in Canada's Hudson Bay in the 1600's. Paul Muni and Laird Cregar are two French Trappers that make their living in the beautiful open spaces. They try to interest France to finance their exepedition to find the beaver source to share their riches for New France. They are ill treated by the authorities and as they protest a fight ensues. A angered court sends them to prision. While there thy meet a fellow inmate who tells them he is a outcast English nobleman that had offended the English King and was exiled. to the Americas. The Furtrappers share their Beaver dream and escape to the wilderness. With help of Indians they establish theirTrading Post . To help get additional finance for their needs, the Englishman and his two friends return to England to hopefully interest King Charles in the venture to establish a fort for England.

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