Santa Fe Trail

OK, it's a fun movie to watch, but it's a sample of the pro-South propaganda which Hollywood has been hooked on since THE BIRTH OF A NATION. Van Heflin is a villain because, after all, he wants to abolish slavery! Our hero Jeb Stuart (Errol Flynn) assures us that the South will get around to that on its own if those damned northerners will just quit trying to impose their ways. And so on, and so forth, including frightened darkies freed by John Brown (played as crazed fanatic by Raymond Massey) who would rather go back to slavery. Better not think too hard, for any decent human being would choke on the politics of this attractive adventure film.

This is a super action movie. Van Heflin is dynamite in his role as the West Point outcast who has personal and philosophical scores to settle...especially with Errol Flynn. Flynn pretty much single-handedly saves Kansas with Reagan's able assistance. Raymond Massey is riveting as John Brown. The pursuit of Brown undertaken by our stalwart heroes was well-conceived and executed in the film. (As was John Brown.) While the goin's-on don't bear much relationship to actual events, the story stands firmly on its own. The characters are lively and believable. Lots of horses, gunfights, fires, fist fights and stage blood. This one'll keep yuh glued to yer saddle.