They Died with Their Boots On

This is a wonderful film as a film - it gets an 8 out of 10. As a filmed piece of accurate history...one wishes to be more loving, but it is a 5 out of 10. And I think I... Full review

Whether one views him as a gallant cavalier of the plains or a glory hunting egomaniac, debates about the life and military career of George Armstrong Custer continue down to the present day. They Died With Their Boots On presents... Full review

I saw this film over Christmas, and what a great film it was! It tells the story of Custer (played by Errol Flynn) during and after his graduation from Westpoint. Although I've heard that the film isn't very historically accurate... Full review

George Armstrong Custer is known through history as an inept General who led his rgiment to their death at the battle of Little Big Horn. "They Died with their boots on," paints a different picture of General Custer. In this movie... Full review

You've heard the mantra against THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON...That the only facts they got right were that there WAS a George Armstrong Custer, he DID serve in the Civil War, and he DID die at the Little Big... Full review

Dashing Errol Flynn brings his usual flair for drama in this historically flawed but entertaining film of the life of George Armstrong Custer. The dashing, jovial Flynn essays Custer from his days at West Point as a reckless, headstrong cadet,... Full review

Although this film changes reality to make it more heroic and entertaining, sometimes fantasy is more enjoyable than real life, and also nothing could be more real than Errol Flynn playing Custer. This remains the best film made about Custer.... Full review

This is Custer's last stand, through the Warner Brothers' mill. As a 'biopic', "They Died With Their Boots On" is pure poppycock. One cannot help but admit, however, that Errol Flynn was the ideal choice to play the part of... Full review

As long as you don't expect to see much actual history, this is an entertaining movie with plenty of action and an Errol Flynn performance that gives his fans everything they could ask for. It covers the life of a... Full review

All in all, an excellent movie from that time and source (coming from Warner Brothers as it was peaking in craftsmanship and style just before WWII), provided you don't take it at all seriously. The movie really makes no claim... Full review

Yet the film's rollicking fun is unfortunately (though not surprisingly, given the period during which it was made) sullied by distasteful racial attitudes, from Flynn condescendingly referring to both a stuttering black waiter....Apparently tired of working with Michael Curtiz (who had helmed his previous seven projects with Olivia de Havilland), Flynn successfully lobbied for Walsh-a director known for manly, visceral genre pictures-to lead the film's charge..... ... Full Review

Yet even if historical erroneousness intermittently undermines the film's outlandish attempts at lionization, They Died with Their Boots On endures By boasting his legendary wisp of upper lip hair rather than Custer's bushy handlebar moustache, Flynn immediately makes clear that it is his, and not his character's legend that's most important, and despite a strangely off-putting fascination with Custer's love of onions, which he regularly devours like apples or dessert delicacies, the film... ... Full Review

Most of these shorts haven't seen a carbon arc lamp light in decades, and this particular print is an absolute stunner; it's virtually devoid of any nicks and scratches. As an onscreen couple in British and American period epics, the two generated an intense energy, and one gets a sense the actors were also saying farewell to their bygone roles, before de Havilland embarked on her quest to get richer, more prominent female parts, and Flynn more or less became trapped as an aging action hero. ... Full Review

And composer Max Steiner's stirring music trumpets gallantry and sacrifice.....The point of view of Raoul Walsh's spectacular They Died with Their Boots On decidedly favors glory..... ... Full Review

Though an extremely long film, They Died With Their Boots On is never dull, especially during the spectacular Custer's Last Stand finale. Though some of the historical inaccuracies in the film are real howlers ... Full Review

The 7th Cavalry Regiment, Gen. George Armstrong Custer says, rides "to hell or to glory. It depends on one's point of view." The point of view of Raoul Walsh's spectacular They Died with Their Boots On decidedly favors glory. ... Full Article

June 24, 2004 - Stax here with a special "Cavalry" edition of The Stax Report! Given that tomorrow marks the 128th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Big Horn (a.k.a. Custer's Last Stand), I thought I'd spotlight some of... ... Full Article

Though history is distorted almost beyond recognition in Warner Bros.' They Died With Their Boots On, audiences in 1941 ate it up like cotton candy. ... Full Article