Errol, Ronnie and Olivia, directed by Curtiz. This is based around the story of one Jeb Stuart, a Southern born gent who would go on to become one of the South's greatest cavalrymen during the American Civil War. We follow his romance with sweetheart Kit Carson Holliday, his friendship with George Armstrong Custer, and onto his battles with abolitionist John Brown. Though it's mostly agreed these days that Santa Fe Trail has no great historical worth, it is however still a decent movie that boasts great drama, a sweet romance, and no little amount of action. Knowingly directed by the astute Michael Curtiz and featuring the acting of Errol Flynn (dashing as Stuart), Olivia de Havilland (gutsy as Carson), Ronald Reagan (solid as Custer), and Raymond Massey (acting overdrive as Brown), the picture certainly holds up well on the technical front. However, the relatively low rating on internet movie sites is of much interest to me, for being as I'm British I have no sort of conflict of interest with the actual story. Patriotic fervour booms out from the screen, but this appears to be at odds with the John Brown arc, the character's ambitions are nearly accepted as noble, creating a sort of odd coupling. I could of course be way off, but I wonder if the story doesn't sit well with some of our American friends?. Still the picture is never less than enjoyable, the great music from Max Steiner adds to the occasion and the finale is high reward for the viewers patience. 6.5/10
First thing to do before you watch this star-studded tale, is to forget anything you might actually know about the history of the start of the US Civil war - that way, you can sit back and enjoy this adventure film in the spirit Mike Curtiz intended. Errol Flynn is Jeb Stewart and Ronnie Reagan is George Custer who both pass out from West Point and are assigned the difficult task of helping to thwart the gun-runners and insurrectionists led by Raymond Massey as "John Brown" who is determined to assert his rather racially enlightened strategy to free all the slaves in the United States, and no talking about it. There's a bit of a love story between Flynn and a very tomboyish looking Olivia de Havilland ("Kit"); a bit of subterfuge from Van Heflin as "Rader"; some strong support from Alan Hale and a few good cameos from Ward Bond and Charles "Ming" Middleton but this rather episodic acton move belongs entirely to the Rasputin-esque Massey - to, more specifically to his eyes; those of a despotic maniac that even though his goals are laudable, make you mistrust everything about him. He is great. The narrative mixes fact and fiction as you might mix a cocktail, and like a cocktail sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't - but it's a decently paced yarn with a bit of a conscience and a flourishing ending that is still worth catching up with today.
Jack Crabb, looking back from extreme old age, tells of his life being raised by Indians and fighting with General Custer.
Movie Star Rating : 7.5 Read More
In the latter half of the 19th century, gold is discovered in the Black Hills, sacred land of the Lakota people. Gold diggers, profiteers and adventurers flock to the region. Among them is the hard-hearted land speculator Bludgeon, who tries to expel the Lakota using brutal methods. Lakota warriors retaliate, and soon the gold diggers' town becomes a battlefield.
Movie Star Rating : 4.3 Read More
Four unwitting heroes cross paths on their journey to the sleepy town of Silverado. Little do they know the town where their family and friends reside has been taken over by a corrupt sheriff and a murderous posse. It's up to the sharp-shooting foursome to save the day, but first they have to break each other out of jail, and learn who their real friends are.
Movie Star Rating : 7 Read More
Young Matt Matthews, an Ozark Mountains moonshiner, hates the father he has never seen, who apparently deserted Matt's mother and left her to die. His obsession contributes to the hatred rampant in the mountains. However, the arrival of a stranger, Daniel Howitt, begins to positively affect the mountain people, who learn to shed their hatred under his gentle influence.
Movie Star Rating : 6.7 Read More
Two hapless explorers lead an ill-fated 1804 expedition through the Pacific Northwest in a hopeless, doomed effort to reach the Pacific Ocean before Lewis and Clark.
Movie Star Rating : 5.5 Read More
Len and Cody are two friends who can not spend more than two minutes without arguing. These crazy gunmen snatched a Confederate colonel charged an archaic machine gun sidecar soon becomes a coveted prize for all offenders in west Texas.
Movie Star Rating : 6 Read More
Forced to trade his valuable furs for a well-educated escaped slave, a rugged trapper vows to recover the pelts from the Indians and later the renegades that killed them.
Movie Star Rating : 6.4 Read More
No relation to the 1950 John Ford classic of the same name, Rio Grande is yet another rubber-stamp Charles Starrett western from the Columbia assembly line.
Movie Star Rating : 3 Read More
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