It's this kind of movie that can give a reviewer a split opinion. On one hand, it's a pretty good movie when it comes to entertainment, but on the other hand the movie has taken tremendous liberties with the details of Custer's life and death.
"They Died with Their Boots On" tells the story of George Armstrong Custer's life as a soldier. Custer starts out at West Point, where he graduates at the bottom of his class. During his time there, Custer meets Libby, his future wife. Though one of his superiors (Major General Taipe) sees Custer as unfit for duty, he is made a general anyway, due in part to the shortage of trained military men during the Civil War.
After his time as a general in that war is over, he marries Libby. Custer becomes restless in civilian life, even to the point of drinking at times. Lieutenant General Winfield Scott, who likes Custer, decides to give him a new job in the 7th Cavalry, a frontier unit assigned to protect settlers moving out west.
It is while he is out west that he meets the Sioux Indian chief Crazy Horse, and makes a promise to him that the Black Hills will be kept free of settlers. Crazy Horse agrees, on the condition that if any settlers enter the area, all the tribes of the region will declare war on the white men. Thanks to a fake gold rush scheme hatched by the now-retired Taipe, settlers flood the area, and Custer rides out to try to weaken the Indians enough that an unsuspecting general will not be destroyed. Thus, Custer and his men die "with their boots on."
Overall, the acting and directing seemed up to the task of creating both likable characters and a sense of Custer's valor, though the villains (such as Taipe) seem like cardboard cutouts, with no believable motivation. Custer (Errol Flynn) seems the archetypical hero, and Libby (Olvia de Havilland) the ideal, devoted wife.
The cinematography appears to be good, although it is impossible to judge completely because the film was shown in fullscreen, as opposed to its original widescreen format. What is visible is well framed, and many shots of the landscapes of the west appear at once desolate and full of life.
Weaker is the screenplay, which offers little dynamism to its characters, which are either wholly good or wholly evil. The only characters given any sort of depth are Custer and a supporting character named California Joe, who transforms from a crusty vagrant into a decent soldier in Custer's regiment.
The facts as presented in the film are not entirely accurate, and in some cases present events in exactly the opposite way as they occurred. For example, the film shows Crazy Horse's group of Indians rounding the top of a hill first, encircling and eventually killing Custer's entire group. In reality, Custer made the first move and attacked an Indian camp along the Little Big Horn River (called by the Indians the Greasygrass River, yet another inaccuracy), only to be slaughtered thanks to the Indians' superior numbers.
The movie's biggest departures from reality concern Custer's military history. As a general in the Civil War, Custer was known for his extreme bravery, even to the point of recklessness. The movie presents this quality as an admirable attribute, owing to Custer's determination. At times Custer refused to bury his dead soldiers, letting them lie where they fell. The movie carefully omits this part in order to paint a rosier picture of General Custer.
As pure entertainment, "They Died with Their Boots On" works well enough, but when it comes to being an accurate reflection of the events leading to Custer's Last Stand, it is far from successful. This movie would be recommended to those in the mood to be entertained, not those seeking historical facts about George Custer's life.
"They Died with Their Boots On" tells the story of George Armstrong Custer's life as a soldier. Custer starts out at West Point, where he graduates at the bottom of his class. During his time there, Custer meets Libby, his future wife. Though one of his superiors (Major General Taipe) sees Custer as unfit for duty, he is made a general anyway, due in part to the shortage of trained military men during the Civil War.
After his time as a general in that war is over, he marries Libby. Custer becomes restless in civilian life, even to the point of drinking at times. Lieutenant General Winfield Scott, who likes Custer, decides to give him a new job in the 7th Cavalry, a frontier unit assigned to protect settlers moving out west.
It is while he is out west that he meets the Sioux Indian chief Crazy Horse, and makes a promise to him that the Black Hills will be kept free of settlers. Crazy Horse agrees, on the condition that if any settlers enter the area, all the tribes of the region will declare war on the white men. Thanks to a fake gold rush scheme hatched by the now-retired Taipe, settlers flood the area, and Custer rides out to try to weaken the Indians enough that an unsuspecting general will not be destroyed. Thus, Custer and his men die "with their boots on."
Overall, the acting and directing seemed up to the task of creating both likable characters and a sense of Custer's valor, though the villains (such as Taipe) seem like cardboard cutouts, with no believable motivation. Custer (Errol Flynn) seems the archetypical hero, and Libby (Olvia de Havilland) the ideal, devoted wife.
The cinematography appears to be good, although it is impossible to judge completely because the film was shown in fullscreen, as opposed to its original widescreen format. What is visible is well framed, and many shots of the landscapes of the west appear at once desolate and full of life.
Weaker is the screenplay, which offers little dynamism to its characters, which are either wholly good or wholly evil. The only characters given any sort of depth are Custer and a supporting character named California Joe, who transforms from a crusty vagrant into a decent soldier in Custer's regiment.
The facts as presented in the film are not entirely accurate, and in some cases present events in exactly the opposite way as they occurred. For example, the film shows Crazy Horse's group of Indians rounding the top of a hill first, encircling and eventually killing Custer's entire group. In reality, Custer made the first move and attacked an Indian camp along the Little Big Horn River (called by the Indians the Greasygrass River, yet another inaccuracy), only to be slaughtered thanks to the Indians' superior numbers.
The movie's biggest departures from reality concern Custer's military history. As a general in the Civil War, Custer was known for his extreme bravery, even to the point of recklessness. The movie presents this quality as an admirable attribute, owing to Custer's determination. At times Custer refused to bury his dead soldiers, letting them lie where they fell. The movie carefully omits this part in order to paint a rosier picture of General Custer.
As pure entertainment, "They Died with Their Boots On" works well enough, but when it comes to being an accurate reflection of the events leading to Custer's Last Stand, it is far from successful. This movie would be recommended to those in the mood to be entertained, not those seeking historical facts about George Custer's life.