They Died with Their Boots On: Difference between revisions
King Pickle (talk | contribs) a bit over the top. deleted to make it more encyclopedic. |
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In the film, Custer is shown leading a saber charge against an oncoming Indian war party, which leads to his unit being surrounded and him being the last man standing before finally being killed. In reality, the troopers had boxed their sabers and sent then to the rear before the battle and by some accounts Custer had been among the first to die. Following the end of the Civil War, Custer is depicted as a drunkard in the film while in reality, Custer neither drank nor smoked. In the film, Flynn's hair is long at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, but Custer had cut his hair short prior to the battle. |
In the film, Custer is shown leading a saber charge against an oncoming Indian war party, which leads to his unit being surrounded and him being the last man standing before finally being killed. In reality, the troopers had boxed their sabers and sent then to the rear before the battle and by some accounts Custer had been among the first to die. Following the end of the Civil War, Custer is depicted as a drunkard in the film while in reality, Custer neither drank nor smoked. In the film, Flynn's hair is long at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, but Custer had cut his hair short prior to the battle. |
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In other regards, however, the film is more accurate - Custer was genuinely sympathetic towards the Indians plight, and opposed the Grant administrations Indian policy. He spoke out against the abuses suffered by Indians on the reservations, which proved an embarassment to the administration and was regarded by many of his superiors as a trouble making glory seeker. He also said that if he were an Indian he'd fight the encroaching white expansion, which is repeated in the film. Probably the most accurate depiction of Custer's life is the made-for-TV movie "Son of the Morning Star", starring Gary Cole. The one glaring inaccuracy of this film is that the studio did not show how the Sioux and Cheyenne mutilated the bodies of the soldiers after the battle. Custer's brother Tom, who died with him, had his face so badly mutilated he could only be identified by the tattoo on his arm. |
In other regards, however, the film is more accurate - Custer was genuinely sympathetic towards the Indians plight, and opposed the Grant administrations Indian policy. He spoke out against the abuses suffered by Indians on the reservations, which proved an embarassment to the administration and was regarded by many of his superiors as a trouble making glory seeker. He also said that if he were an Indian he'd fight the encroaching white expansion, which is repeated in the film. Probably the most accurate depiction of Custer's life is the made-for-TV movie "Son of the Morning Star", starring Gary Cole. The one glaring inaccuracy of this film is that the studio did not show how the Sioux and Cheyenne mutilated the bodies of the soldiers after the battle. Custer's brother Tom, who died with him, had his face so badly mutilated he could only be identified by the tattoo on his arm. AJ made me do this ^ |
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=="Custer's Last Stand" sequence== |
=="Custer's Last Stand" sequence== |
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Revision as of 20:11, 19 February 2010
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| They Died with Their Boots On | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Raoul Walsh |
| Written by | Wally Kline and Æneas MacKenzie (screenplay) |
| Produced by | Hal B. Wallis Robert Fellows |
| Starring | Errol Flynn Olivia de Havilland |
| Cinematography | Bert Glennon |
| Edited by | William Holmes |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date | November 21, 1941 |
Running time | 140 minutes |
| Language | English |
They Died with Their Boots On is a 1941 western film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Despite being rife with historical inaccuracies, the film was one of the top-grossing films of the year, being the last of eight Flynn–de Havilland collaborations.
Like Flynn's earlier film Sea Hawk, this film was digitally colorized in the early 1990s. The colorized version was released on VHS tape, but the colorized version has yet to be released on DVD format.
Plot
The film follows the life of George Armstrong Custer (Errol Flynn) from attending West Point, wooing of Elizabeth Bacon (Olivia de Havilland) who becomes his loving wife, the American Civil War, and the Battle of Little Big Horn. In the film, the battle is blamed on unscrupulous corporations and politicians craving the land of Crazy Horse (Anthony Quinn) and his people.
Custer is portrayed as a fun-loving, dashing figure who chooses honor and glory over money and corruption. Though his "Last Stand" is probably treated as more significant and dramatic than it may have actually been, Custer (Flynn) follows through on his promise to teach his men "to endure and die with their boots on." In the movie's version of Custer's story, a few corrupt white politicians goad the Western tribes into war, threatening the survival of all white settlers in the West. Custer and his men give their lives at Little Bighorn to delay the Indians and prevent this slaughter. A letter left behind by Custer absolves the Indians of all responsibility.
Cast
- Errol Flynn as George Armstrong Custer
- Olivia de Havilland as Elizabeth Bacon Custer
- Arthur Kennedy as Ned Sharp
- Charley Grapewin as California Joe
- Gene Lockhart as Samuel Bacon
- Anthony Quinn as Crazy Horse
- Stanley Ridges as Maj. Romulus Taipe
- John Litel as Gen. Phil Sheridan
- Walter Hampden as William Sharp
- Sydney Greenstreet as Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott
- Regis Toomey as Fitzhugh Lee
- Hattie McDaniel as Callie
This film went on to gross $2.55 million for Warner Bros. in 1942 making it the studio's second biggest hit of the year.
Historical accuracy
The film, as a fictionalized account of Custer's life, deviates from the historical record in various ways, both in depicting Custer's personal life, his record during the Civil War, and the Battle of Little Bighorn itself.
The commandant at West Point before the Civil War is claimed to be Colonel Philip Sheridan, who was a second lieutenant in the Oregon Territory until March 1861. He never served as superintendent of West Point. In fact, the superintendent of the Military Academy from 1852 to 1855 was Col. Robert E. Lee, and during January 1861, P.G.T. Beauregard, both later Confederate generals.
Among the other historical inaccuracies is that Custer served as a messenger at the First Battle of Bull Run; he did not command troops, and Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott was commander of the United States Army only until November 1861; the film claims he served in this position throughout the war.
In the film, Custer is shown leading a saber charge against an oncoming Indian war party, which leads to his unit being surrounded and him being the last man standing before finally being killed. In reality, the troopers had boxed their sabers and sent then to the rear before the battle and by some accounts Custer had been among the first to die. Following the end of the Civil War, Custer is depicted as a drunkard in the film while in reality, Custer neither drank nor smoked. In the film, Flynn's hair is long at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, but Custer had cut his hair short prior to the battle.
In other regards, however, the film is more accurate - Custer was genuinely sympathetic towards the Indians plight, and opposed the Grant administrations Indian policy. He spoke out against the abuses suffered by Indians on the reservations, which proved an embarassment to the administration and was regarded by many of his superiors as a trouble making glory seeker. He also said that if he were an Indian he'd fight the encroaching white expansion, which is repeated in the film. Probably the most accurate depiction of Custer's life is the made-for-TV movie "Son of the Morning Star", starring Gary Cole. The one glaring inaccuracy of this film is that the studio did not show how the Sioux and Cheyenne mutilated the bodies of the soldiers after the battle. Custer's brother Tom, who died with him, had his face so badly mutilated he could only be identified by the tattoo on his arm. AJ made me do this ^
"Custer's Last Stand" sequence
Only 16 of the extras were Sioux Indians. The rest of the Native American army were Fillipino extras. Knowing the scene would be dangerous, Anthony Quinn ordered a hearse on the day of shooting as a joke. Two extras did die during the filming of the sequence. One untrained rider died in a fall from his horse, reportedly while drunk.
Music
The score was composed by Max Steiner. He adapted George Armstrong Custer's favorite song, "Garryowen", into the score. Custer first heard the song from Irish soldiers. In the film, he hears it from an English soldier instead. This connection is apocryphal.
In March 2008 a band formed using They Died with Their Boots On as the name [1].