Matinees are always the best.
They Died with Their Boots On (1941)
Directed by Raoul Walsh
Errol Flynn .... George Armstrong Custer
Olivia de Havilland .... Elizabeth Bacon
Arthur Kennedy .... Ned Sharp
Charley Grapewin .... California Joe
Gene Lockhart .... Samuel Bacon, Esq.
Anthony Quinn .... Crazy Horse
According to IMDB, this movie is a 'biography' but really, it's just for the sake of entertainment and perhaps boosting morales in a war they were about to fight ... war film sells, especially ones that glorifies an American 'hero'. I can't say I know much about the history of the Custer, I've read it sometimes ago and you hear that name frequently in those John Wayne movies ... always seeking revenge for what the 'Indians' have done to the Custers (because it wasn't only him, but this 4 boys (?) that died with the regiment in the Battle of Little Big Horn). In any case, this movie is simply for entertainment and I was attracted to it because I love Olivia de Havilland and this movie also happens to be the last of the Flynn-de Havilland pairing (they've made 8 together).
The film is more than 2 hours long (139 minutes) that begins with Custer (Flynn) as a cadet at the West Point to the final battle and his 'immortal' glory. The movie begins with Custer entering West Point as a cadet .. but in magnificent clothing and a servant ... half way through the film it would reveal that he is from the lower end of society and not affluent as it initially says. In real life, he was from a poor family and entered West Point through a scholarship .. even though he finished last and faced several expulsions though not enacted upon. It is also in the beginning that he meets his life-long foe, Sharp (Kennedy), and whether he is real or not, I am not sure .. but he sure pops up whenever there's a story :P. Not long after, he meets his future wife Elizabeth 'Libbie' Bacon (de Havilland) ... the Civil War starts in the mean time .... The army needs people to serve in the war and Custer is chosen to serve in a regiment (though Taipe (Ridges) of West Point despises him and prevents him from entering into a regiment). He makes the 2nd regiment of the US Cavalry after befriending Lt. Scott (Greenstreet of Maltese Falcon!) via Bermuda Onions! (Naturally, Sharpe is at the 2nd regiment) Later, a mix-up at the office allows him to get promoted to General and leads the union to glory. Custer returns a hero and marries Libbie but inactivity makes an alcoholic out of him and his wife begs Gen. Phil Sheridan (Litel), her uncle, to activate Custer again. He, along with Libbie, are sent to North Dakota to command the Seventh Cavalry, which is made up of drunken outcasts who prefers to hide within the fort than defend the 100,000 hectares of land they are assigned to. Sharp is there, this time with his wealthy father, who owns a company that sells rifles (Winchester) to the natives at 75 dollars a piece. Custer also meets and captures Crazy Horse (Quinn) when the Sioux tries to attack their wagon. Custer 'cleans up' the cavalry and wins plentiful of battles against the natives that prompts Crazy Horse and his people to sign a Peace Treaty that only allows the natives to keep Black Hill, the grounds of their ancestors. In the mean time, the Sharps along with Taipe try to make money via a railroad and create a settlement but their idea is blocked because the rail must run through Black Hill. They make up a story about having gold in Black Hill, propelling thousands of prospectors into the area and troops to protect them. Custer discovers the plan after a humiliating review and tries to address this to the assembly but lost due to inadmissible evidence. Facing court marshall after striking Taipe in a confrontation, Custer begs the president Ulysses S. Grant (Crehan) to postpone the trial long enough for him lead his 7th Cavalry into an inevitable and fatal battle with the Sioux and all the natives. In a fictional scene, Custer gets Sharp drunk and abducts him into the front lines where he is force to either go back on his own or fight bravely with the doomed cavalry; Sharp chooses the latter. In the end, not even the media can manipulate history as Custer and his troops fall in battle but before the confrontation, he writes a letter as a dying confession of his claims at his accusations previously and hence, becoming admissible.
The movie portrays Custer's action as a sacrifice because he feels his trained and experiences cavalry can weaken the natives much more so than the re-enforcements sent from the east. Other sources claim he defied orders and had not waited for re-enforcements because he wants 'glory' or simply feels he could win albeit out-numbered ... Custer, himself is also a controversial character, as his actions (or suspected atrocities) in the west were known to few ... but I won't go into it :P.
7.8/10 - The film is good for entertainment sakes as it wasn't slow and there were action and comedy throughout the film. The beginning of the film was light-hearted and comedic especially with scenes between de Havilland and Flynn as well as with Callie (Hattie McDaniel of Gone with the Wind). The owl scene was rather amusing and the dialogue was good. The latter half of the movie gets more dark ... and the final scene between Libbie and Custer was rather touching perhaps due to the real emotions shared between the lead, as both actors knew it would be the last film they would star together ... de Havilland went on to better productions and won 2 best actress oscars while Flynn didn't really reach his height afterwards ...
