They Died With Their Boots On
by B. Reeves Eason, Raoul Walsh, Robert Clampett
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Actor: Eleanor Parker, Errol Flynn, John Litel, Olivia de Havilland, William T. OrrDirector: B. Reeves Eason, Raoul Walsh, Robert Clampett
Brand: Warner Brothers
Writer: Lenore J. Coffee
Writer: Owen Crump
Writer: Wally Kline
Writer: Warren Foster
Writer: Æneas MacKenzie
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 139 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-04-19
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 65180
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of They Died With Their Boots On
DVD Review: Enjoy it for What it Is, Not What it Isn't ...
Summary: 4 Stars
"They Died With Their Boots On" was one of the first really big films that saw Errol Flynn cast without Michael Curtiz in the Director's chair. The result was pure (if somewhat propagandist to say nothing of racist) magic.
Flynn always thought the idea of using him in westerns was ridiculous. On paper it probably was. He may have looked like the most dashing of cowboys but with his Australian accent he certainly didn't sound like one. It was never a problem though. Flynn had the ability to deliver any line easily and make it utterly convincing. That, coupled with his natural charisma made almost any hurdle insignificant. His performance as Custer, from the comic situations in the first half of the film to the darker moments later on is never less than brilliant. Of all the portrayals of Custer on film his may be one of the least accurate but it's the most believable. Only a great actor could manage that feat.
Great films don't become what they are with just one great actor though. Olivia de Havilland (though she has a smaller part) matches him step for step. These two always worked well together but this pairing may be their best one. Her character is just as well developed as his. She is funny, thoughtful, assertive and supportive. Any scene she does without Flynn on the screen she steals. Together they're either hilarious or tender. There is never a moment where it seems the love they have for each other is anything but total. Their parting scene has to be one of the great ones in all of film. Arthur Kennedy is just as strong as Ned Sharp, the villain of the piece. Some of the scenes involving him and Flynn are very strong. The final interaction between them is chilling. Other great names from film (Sydney Greenstreet and Anthony Quinn to name two) are just as strong in their parts.
Great films also require great direction. With Raoul Walsh in the Director's chair this one had it. This was the first film Flynn made with Walsh and (with the possible exception of "Objective Burma") it may be their best. Walsh knew how to get the best out of actors and he knew where the camera should be to make the most of dramatic moments. His other films include "White Heat", "High Sierra", "The Naked and the Dead", "The Lawless Breed", "The Roaring Twenties" and "Gentleman Jim" (another of Flynn's great films).
The film isn't without problems. The nicest thing that can be said about its portrayal of people from any race other than white is that it's condescending (the worst is that it works to keep the racial hierarchy of the time intact). Hattie McDaniel (who was anything but a simpleton) plays the part of one. Anthony Quinn plays Crazy Horse as the atypical "Hollywood Indian" of the time. And things haven't improved much. The Hollywood community may have dropped those stereotypes but they keep coming up with new ones. Films like "Marci X" (for instance) prove that.
Some good points are made though. The scene where the Cadets loyal to the Southern cause depart from West Point captures the pain of that split without sermonizing over it. That fact makes it all the more touching. The portrayal of how greedy individuals wilfully sacrifice other people to instigate wars that serve them is exceptional. Even though it's done from a point of view that's never better than patronizing the film makes it clear that the blame for all the major violations of treaties made between the white man and the Indians lay with the white man. It also makes it clear that these things were done in the service of commerce. The "incidents" depicted may not be accurate but the patterns they portray are. The idea of creating situations that get people to demand war is a method that's been used since the dawn of civilized society. This film gives a textbook lesson on how it's done.
"They Died With Their Boots On" isn't historically accurate (or even close). It's not intended to be either. It's entertainment that rises above its problems. It should be enjoyed as such.
Description of They Died With Their Boots On
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