Santa Fe Trail (1940)

[As The Palaces Burn]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033021/


Anyone seen Erroll Flynn's film 'The Santa Fe Trail' (1930-ish)? I watched last night and was gobsmacked by it's biggoted views. I know it's only a product of its times BUT...bloody hell. Those who have seen it may understand what I mean considering the Confederates are presented as noble and virtous while John Brown  and the abolitionist are seen as a religious fanatics. One could even argue that Browns insane appearance is an extreme take of Lincolns.I don't even know where to begin with how African American's are shown. It's hard to explain unless you've seen it. Just curious as to what other people had to say about it. It really does give 'Birth of a Nation' a run for its money. No jokes. To a certain extent I'm wondering whether it's really the first revisionist Western.Any thoughts?


Btw, nearly finished my undergrad dissertation on the political content of Leone's 'A Fistfl of Dynamite' and Damiani's 'A Bullet for the General'. Will post it online if anyone's interested in a browse?

[cigar joe]

I think I saw it about a year ago,   its like "Gone with the Wind" has a lot of stuff to make you cringe.                     

[dave jenkins]

Btw, nearly finished my undergrad dissertation on the political content of Leone's 'A Fistfl of Dynamite' and Damiani's 'A Bullet for the General'. Will post it online if anyone's interested in a browse?

I'm always happy to read anything that engages Leone's work critically.

[cigar joe]

Will post it online if anyone's interested in a browse?

yes do so

[titoli]

I've bought the dvd today. Hope it's as bad as you make it out to be.

[titoli]

Watched the movie (dubbed: though on the cover english audio was guaranteed: thieves or bunglers?). What I didn't like was the fact that the main players were cast in roles of younger people than they were at the time.
John Brown is seen as a fanatic: sure, I think he must have been to do what he did, even though his ideals were more or less noble. The movie takes a MOR stance between him and the southern view in favour of legality: it's not up to people like Brown to decide this kind of issue, says Flynn who adds though that the problem must certainly be solved. So I think that the movie is largely politically correct. The negroes, as far as hollywood movies went at the time, are not treated unfairly either. So on the whole the movie is just what you would expect from something produced in the '30s in California.