Santa Fe Trail (1940)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writer:

Robert Buckner (original screenplay)

Release Date:

28 December 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | Romance | Western

Tagline:

A Magnficent Portrayal of a Thrilling Era !

Plot:

The story of Jeb Stuart, his romance with Kit Carson Holliday, friendship with George Custer and battles...

Plot Keywords:

John Brown | Jeb Stuart | American Civil War | Father Son Relationship | African American

Cast

Errol Flynn	...	Jeb Stuart
Olivia de Havilland	...	Kit Carson Holliday
Raymond Massey	...	John Brown
Ronald Reagan	...	George Armstrong Custer
Alan Hale	...	Tex Bell
William Lundigan	...	Bob Holliday
Van Heflin	...	Carl Rader
Gene Reynolds	...	Jason Brown
Henry O'Neill	...	Cyrus K. Holliday
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams	...	Windy Brody
Alan Baxter	...	Oliver Brown
John Litel	...	Martin
Moroni Olsen	...	Colonel Robert E. Lee
David Bruce	...	Phil Sheridan
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Doyle

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (re-rating) (1986) | Iceland:12 | USA:Approved (PCA #6559) | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Lasky Mesa, West Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Aptly enough, the movie made its world premiere in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Stuart's first assignment after graduating from West Point was the U.S. Mounted Rifles in Texas, followed by the 1st Regiment of the U.S. Cavalry, not the 2nd Cavalry as depicted in the film.

Quotes:

Caption: Leavenworth, Kansas: Where the railroad and civilization ended, the Santa Fe Trail began. The old Spanish road from Mexico, now lusty with new life and a new motto - "God gets off at Leavenworth and Cyrus Holliday drives you from there to the Devil."

Movie Connections:

Featured in Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

Historical accuracy aside, an exciting and essentially satisfying film

Santa Fe Trail may not be great filmmaking, but it succeeds in what it sets out to accomplish and is generally satisfying viewing. Errol Flynn stars as J.E.B. Stuart, fresh out of West Point and now stationed at Fort Leavenworth in the Kansas territory, the starting point of the westward Santa Fe Trail. This was particularly hazardous country at the time, because abolitionist John Brown (Raymond Massey) was conducting violent raids along the trail. It quickly becomes the duty of Stuart and his pal Custer (Ronald Reagan) to capture Brown dead or alive, and put and end to his attacks.

There are many exciting sequences in the film, leading up to the final confrontation at Harper's Ferry. There's also a predictable romantic triangle between Flynn, Reagan and Olivia de Havilland. (Guess which one she picks!) The movie deserves credit for taking an objective viewpoint toward Brown, acknowledging that his motives were good even if his methods were not.

As Stuart, Flynn proves to be equally adroit in westerns as in swashbucklers. Reagan and de Havilland fill their less demanding roles with ease, and Alan Hale and Guinn `Big Boy' Williams provide much-needed comic relief. Massey somewhat overplays his hand as Brown, however. He comes off as too sanctimonious, more a cliché villain than a three-dimensional human being.

Apparently, the film is a travesty in terms of historical accuracy. Who cares? Movies are an entertainment medium. Anyone seeking facts alone had better confine their search to encyclopedias. Otherwise, just sit back and be amused.