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Santa Fe Trail
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Santa Fe Trail (1940) More at IMDbPro »

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Santa Fe Trail (1940) -- The story of Jeb Stuart, his romance with Kit Carson Holliday, friendship with George Custer and battles against John Brown in the days leading up to the outbreak of the American Civil War.

Overview

User Rating:
6.2/10   1,089 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 48% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Michael Curtiz
Writer:
Robert Buckner (original screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Santa Fe Trail on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 December 1940 (USA) more
Tagline:
A Magnficent Portrayal of a Thrilling Era ! more
Plot:
The story of Jeb Stuart, his romance with Kit Carson Holliday, friendship with George Custer and battles... more | full synopsis
NewsDesk:
Saddle Up, Swashbuckler
 (From New York Post. 26 August 2008, 1:16 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Historical accuracy aside, an exciting and essentially satisfying film more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
110 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
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

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Aptly enough, the movie made its world premiere in Santa Fe, New Mexico. more
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. more
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." more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs (2000) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
The Battle Hymn of the Republic more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful:-
Historical accuracy aside, an exciting and essentially satisfying film, 22 June 2001
Author: Steven Mears (rmears@worldnet.att.net) from Clifton, Virginia

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.

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