Bad Santa

Starring:Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Lauren Graham, Lauren Tom, Bernie Mac, John Ritter, Ajay Naidu, Lorna Scott, Harrison Bieker, Alex Borstein, Dylan Charles, Billy Gardell, Lisa Ross, Bryan Callen, Tom McGowan (II), Grace Calderon, Christine Pichardo, Max Van Ville, Bucky Dominick
Director: Terry Zwigoff
Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Instantly qualifying as a perennial cult favorite, Bad Santa is as nasty as it wants to be, and there's something to be said for comedy without compromise. The Coen brothers conceived the basic idea and served as executive producers, but it's director Terry Zwigoff (Crumb, Ghost World) who brings his unique affinity for losers and outcasts to the twisted tale of Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton), a hard-drinking, chain-smoking, foul-mouthed sexaholic safe-cracker who targets a different department store every holiday season, playing Santa while he cases the joint with his dwarf elf-partner Marcus (Tony Cox). With comedic support from Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham, Cloris Leachman, and John Ritter in his final film, Thornton milks the lowbrow laughs with a slovenly lack of sentiment, warming Bad Santa's pickled heart just enough to please a chubby misfit (Brett Kelly, hilariously deadpan) who may or may not be mentally challenged. As dry as an arid martini and blacker than morning-after coffee, Bad Santa is an instant cure for yuletide schmaltz, and if you think this appropriately R-rated comedy is suitable for kids, your parenting skills are no better than Willie's. --Jeff Shannon
Description
Hollywood favorites Billy Bob Thornton (THE ALAMO), Bernie Mac (MR. 3000), and John Ritter (TV's 8 SIMPLE RULES FOR DATING MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER) star in the year's most-talked-about comedy hit, BAD SANTA. You'd better watch out -- Santa Claus Willie T. Stokes (Thornton) is coming to town and he doesn't care if you've been naughty or nice. Willie's favorite holiday tradition is to fill his sacks with loot lifted from shopping malls across the country. But this year his plot gets derailed by a wise-cracking store detective (Mac), a sexy bartender (Lauren Graham -- TV's GILMORE GIRLS), and a kid who's convinced Willie is the real Santa Claus.

Average customer rating:

Bad Santa. Great Movie.

I think I sharted in my pants

Funny

Bad to the Funny Bone

Disappointing

Bad Santa
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton , Tony Cox , Brett Kelly , Lauren Graham , and Lauren Tom
Director: Terry Zwigoff
Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video
Cons & Scams | By Theme | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video
Comic Criminals | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video
Black Comedy | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video
Christmas | By Theme | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video
Cox, Tony | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Graham, Lauren | ( G ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Mac, Bernie | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Naidu, Ajay | ( N ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Ritter, John | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Thornton, Billy Bob | ( T ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Tom, Lauren | ( T ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Zwigoff, Terry | ( Z ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
All Titles | Miramax Home Entertainment | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
Comedy | Miramax Home Entertainment | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Special Edition)

ASIN: B0001I55MO
Release Date: 2004-06-22

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Instantly qualifying as a perennial cult favorite, Bad Santa is as nasty as it wants to be, and there's something to be said for comedy without compromise. The Coen brothers conceived the basic idea and served as executive producers, but it's director Terry Zwigoff (Crumb, Ghost World) who brings his unique affinity for losers and outcasts to the twisted tale of Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton), a hard-drinking, chain-smoking, foul-mouthed sexaholic safe-cracker who targets a different department store every holiday season, playing Santa while he cases the joint with his dwarf elf-partner Marcus (Tony Cox). With comedic support from Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham, Cloris Leachman, and John Ritter in his final film, Thornton milks the lowbrow laughs with a slovenly lack of sentiment, warming Bad Santa's pickled heart just enough to please a chubby misfit (Brett Kelly, hilariously deadpan) who may or may not be mentally challenged. As dry as an arid martini and blacker than morning-after coffee, Bad Santa is an instant cure for yuletide schmaltz, and if you think this appropriately R-rated comedy is suitable for kids, your parenting skills are no better than Willie's. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Hollywood favorites Billy Bob Thornton (THE ALAMO), Bernie Mac (MR. 3000), and John Ritter (TV's 8 SIMPLE RULES FOR DATING MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER) star in the year's most-talked-about comedy hit, BAD SANTA. You'd better watch out -- Santa Claus Willie T. Stokes (Thornton) is coming to town and he doesn't care if you've been naughty or nice. Willie's favorite holiday tradition is to fill his sacks with loot lifted from shopping malls across the country. But this year his plot gets derailed by a wise-cracking store detective (Mac), a sexy bartender (Lauren Graham -- TV's GILMORE GIRLS), and a kid who's convinced Willie is the real Santa Claus.

Customer Reviews:

Bad Santa. Great Movie........2007-04-02

Lets face it, only Billy Bob Thornton could pull off a role such as this one. And what's better than the scene with the Gilmore girl screaming F me Santa! F me Santa!
YES! I Love it!

And I love this movie. If you like this movie I strongly suggest you watch School for Scoundrels.

May the force be with me.

I think I sharted in my pants.......2007-02-15

Dark, sick, Vulger, Twisted! but in a strange way it touched my heart... billy bob could only play this part this good.
a Xmas must.

Funny.......2007-01-29

I can watch Bad Santa a hundred times, well I have and enjoyed it every time. If I need a laugh Bad Santa is what I put on.
Christmas can get real busy and hectic, but this movie reminds you to laugh.

Bad to the Funny Bone.......2007-01-23

Watch this at any time and prepare to feel ill due to laughing so hard. Thornton kills Christmas but refreshes the human spirit.

Disappointing.......2007-01-12

I ordered this version after reading reviews of it and Badder Santa, thinking maybe I was getting something more than the movie I'd already seen and loved. I didn't care for this version. It is lacking a couple of scenes that I think help to tie the story together, and in apparently seeking a more "noir" theme includes scenes that are probably more than I needed to know...like the van backing over the security guy. They killed him, okay, I get it. I also didn't like the ending as much (although I won't give it away for those of you just dying to see it). I will donate this to the Friends of the Library sale and buy myself a copy of the "vanilla" version.

Average customer rating:

Bad Santa. Great Movie.
I think I sharted in my pants
Funny
Bad to the Funny Bone
Disappointing

Bad Santa (Director's Cut)
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton , Tony Cox , Brett Kelly , Lauren Graham , and Lauren Tom
Director: Terry Zwigoff
Manufacturer: Dimension
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Criminals | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Black Comedy | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000FQISH6
Release Date: 2006-10-10

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Description

The baddest Santa ever comes to town in this never-before-seen exclusive director's cut starring the hilarious Billy Bob Thornton (THE ALAMO), Bernie Mac (OCEAN'S 12), and John Ritter (TV's 8 SIMPLE RULES). Ill-mannered store Santa Willie Stokes (Thornton) is really a safecracker with a holiday tradition of making one big score every Christmas Eve with his clever elf - partner-in-crime, Marcus. But this year's heist-fest could be completely foiled by a snoopy store manager (Ritter), savvy mall detective (Mac), sexy Santa fan, and an innocent 8-year-old misfit who thinks the intoxicated and felonious Willie is the real Santa he seeks. Forget the cookies and milk; this is the grittier gut-busting comedy Rolling Stone pegs as "a Christmas perennial for Scrooges of all ages!"

Customer Reviews:

Bad Santa. Great Movie........2007-04-02

I think I sharted in my pants.......2007-02-15

Dark, sick, Vulger, Twisted! but in a strange way it touched my heart... billy bob could only play this part this good.
a Xmas must.

Funny.......2007-01-29

Bad to the Funny Bone.......2007-01-23

Watch this at any time and prepare to feel ill due to laughing so hard. Thornton kills Christmas but refreshes the human spirit.

Disappointing.......2007-01-12

Average customer rating:

"Santa Fe (1951) ... Randolph Scott ... Columbia Pictures Classic Westerns"
Okay, middle of the tracks Randolph Scott Santa Fe Railroad Drama from 1951
Santa Fe 1951
Better than Routine
Routine Scott Western

Santa Fe
Starring: Warner Anderson , John Archer , Janis Carter , Jerome Courtland , and Budd Fine
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000A1OG0O
Release Date: 2005-09-06

Amazon.com

The directorial career of Irving Pichel (pronounced peekl) ran from the Cooper-and-Schoedsack specials The Most Dangerous Game (1932) and She (1935) to a couple of religious productions in 1953-54; it peaked with the wartime dramas The Pied Piper (1942) and The Moon Is Down (1943). Pichel also kept busy as a character actor (e.g., the towering manservant Sandor in Dracula's Daughter). But his most indelible cinematic contributions went uncredited: it is Pichel's carillon of a voice that narrates the John Ford classics How Green Was My Valley (1941) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon(1949).

That voice is heard at the beginning of Pichel's own Santa Fe, seeking to graft Ford-style allegory onto a formulaic tale of post-Civil War animosities and railroad-building. Randolph Scott (hero of She 25 years earlier) plays a former Confederate officer who, in a charmingly daft moment, lurches onto a rolling flatcar while fleeing vindictive Union veterans and finds himself recruited by the Santa Fe Railroad. His three brothers, refusing to "work for Yankees," desert him and turn more or less accidental outlaws. Scott is supposed to be torn between loyalty to his blood kin and loyalty to his employer (Warner Anderson, later of TV's The Line-Up)--also his rival for the affections of the war widow (Janis Carter) whose Union-officer husband was killed in a battle with Scott's Rebs. But the script is piecemeal and the individual scenes flatfooted. Sole exception: an out-of-the-blue fiddling contest (!) in a mountain pass, which both exacerbates and helps resolve a desperate crisis for Scott. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

In this rousing, action-packed post-Civil War adventure, legendary Western hero Randolph Scott stars as Britt Canfield, the eldest of four brothers who have seen their family's Virginia plantation stolen by carpetbaggers. With no choice but to start over, Britt accepts a position to help build the Yankee-funded Santa Fe railroad, where the straight-shooting ex-Confederate takes on superstitious Indians, crooked gamblers, vengeful war widows, and most dangerous of all, his three brothers, vicious Yankee haters who'll stop at nothing to prevent the completion of the Santa Fe. Even if it means killing their own brother.

Customer Reviews:

"Santa Fe (1951) ... Randolph Scott ... Columbia Pictures Classic Westerns".......2007-04-14

Columbia Pictures presents "SANTA FE" (1951) (87 mins/Color) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- Starring Randolph Scott, Janis Carter, Jerome Courtland, Peter M. Thompson & John Archer --- Directed by Irving Pichel and released in April 1, 1951, our story line and film, Set in the years following the Civil War, the film centres on Britt Canfield, one of four ex-Confederate brothers who head West to carve out a new life. While his three siblings cast their lot on the wrong side of the law, Britt accepts a job with the Santa Fe Railroad. Inevitably, Britt is obliged to bring his wayward brothers to justice, though he knows full well that the person responsible for their downfall is gambling boss Cole Sanders. In a well-staged climax, Britt squares accounts with the evil Sanders and his hulking henchman Crake --- take note when the Indian chief complains that the train is making too much noise, so Scott allows him to drive the locomotive, to feel that he is in control ... classic tales of "The Iron Horse" on, the building of the railroads was always a great theme for westerns and Santa Fe tell its story with plenty of good action scenes --- The creative team of producer Harry Joe Brown and star Randolph Scott turned out some of the best westerns of the 1950s, and Santa Fe is no exception.--- And Mr. Scott was secure enough in his stardom that he gave good lines and depth to the younger actors in the film.

Under Irving Pichel (Director), Harry Joe Brown (Producer), Kenneth Gamet (Screenwriter), James Vance Marshall (Book Author),Louis Stevens (Screen Story), Charles Lawton (Cinematographer), Morris W. Stoloff (Musical Direction/Supervision), Gene Havlick (Editor), Walter Holscher (Art Director) - - - - the cast includes Randolph Scott (Britt Canfield), Janis Carter (Judith Chandler), Jerome Courtland (Terry Canfield), Peter Thompson (Tom Canfield), John Archer (Clint Canfield), Warner Anderson (Dave Baxter), Roy Roberts (Cole Sanders), Billy House -(Luke Plummer), Olin Howland (Dan Dugan), Allene Roberts (Ella Sue), Harry Cording (Moore Legrande), Sven Hugo Borg (Swede Swanstrom), Frank Ferguson (Marshal Bat Masterson), Irving Pichel (Harned), Harry Tyler (Rusty), Paul E. Burns (Uncle Dick Wootton), Chief Thundercloud (Chief Longfeather), Jock Mahoney (Crake) - - - - Randy Scott had a quiet gentleman nature about him which is not seen in the films of today ... Randy took his job and his responsibility to his audience very seriously ,,, would not settle for anything less than his best ... same was true in his personal life.

SPECIAL FEATURES BIOS:
1. Randolph Scott (aka: George Randolph Scott)
Date of birth: 23 January 1898 - Orange County, Virginia
Date of death: 2 March 1987 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California

Special footnote, George Randolph Scott better known as Randolph Scott, was an American film actor whose career spanned the sound era from the late 1920s to the early 1960s ... his popularity grew in the 1940s and 1950s, appearing in such films as "Gung Ho"! (1943) and "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" (1938); but he was especially famous for his numerous Westerns including "Virginia City" (1940) with Errol Flynn and Humphrey Bogart, "Western Union" (1941) with Robert Young and "Ride the High Country" (1962) with Joel McCrea (a coin was flipped to see whether Scott or McCrea would receive top billing, and Scott won despite having a slightly smaller role) ... his long fistfight with John Wayne in "The Spoilers" (1942) was frequently cited by critics and the press as the most thrilling ever filmed; they were fighting over Marlene Dietrich ... another smash hit film together that same year called "Pittsburgh" (1942) once again with Dietrich, Scott and Wayne --- Daniel Webster defines "Legend", as being a notable person, or the stories told about that person exploits --- well by the time Randolph Scott made his best films he had long established himself as a legend in the film industry --- they say practice makes perfect, if that is true by 1958 at 60 years of age he was the master with these oaters from the 50s ... "The Cariboo Trail" (1950), "The Nevadan" (1950), "Colt .45" (1950), "Santa Fe" (1951), "Sugarfoot" (1951), "Fort Worth" (1951), "Man in the Saddle" (1951), "Carson City" (1952), "The Man Behind the Gun" (1952), "Hangman's Knot" (1952), "Thunder over the Plains" (1953), "The Stranger Wore a Gun" (1953), "Ten Wanted Men" (1954), "Riding Shotgun" (1954), "The Bounty Hunter" (1954), "Rage at Dawn" (1955), "Tall Man Riding" (1955), "A Lawless Street" (1955), "Seven Men from Now" (1956), "Seventh Cavalry" (1956), "Decision at Sundown: (1957), "Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend" (1957), "The Tall T" (1957), "Buchanan Rides Alone" (1958), "Ride Lonesome" (1959), "Westbound" (1959), "Comanche Station" (1960) --- Scott's age seemed to matter little, they only came to see another Randolph Scott film and always got their money's worth --- Scott's films were good and getting better becoming classics --- so if you wonder "What Ever Happened To Randolph Scott", just rent or purchase one of his films and you'll see he's never left us.

2. Janis Carter
Date of Birth: 10 October 1913 - Cleveland, Ohio
Date of Death: 30 July 1994 - Durham, North Carolina

3. Jerome Courtland
Date of Birth: 27 December 1926 - Knoxville, Tennessee
Date of death: Still Living

4. Irving Pichel (Director)
Date of Birth: 24 June 1891 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date of Death: 13 July 1954 - Hollywood, California

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc), Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") and Trevor Scott (Down Under Com) as they have rekindled my interest once again for Film Noir, B-Westerns and Serials --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and B-Westerns ... order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out VCI Entertainment where they are experts in releasing B-Westerns and Serials --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 87 min on DVD ~ Sony Pictures Video ~ (9/06/05)

Okay, middle of the tracks Randolph Scott Santa Fe Railroad Drama from 1951.......2007-01-10

In the aftermath of Civil War Britt Canfield (Randolph Scott) the eldest of four brothers late of the Confederate Army head west from Virginia looking for a fresh start. In a small town saloon they run into a small bunch of ex Union soldiers following a few hot words shooting breaks out and one of the Union soldiers is killed. The brothers escape the town and with luck manage to get on board a Santa Fe Railroad flatcar taking new recruits for laying tracks from Topeka across Kansas to the Colorado border. Britt joins the Santa Fe Railroad Company whilst his three brothers tie in with a bunch of no good crooked gamblers and would be payroll thieves led by Cole Sanders (Roy Roberts). Look out for a moustachioed uncredited Jock Mahoney (Range Rider) as Crake, Sanders right hand man. Troubles come and go for Britt not least trying to cover for his brothers whilst being right-hand man to Santa Fe Rail boss Dave Baxter (Warner Anderson), The love interest is provided by Union war-widow Judith Chandler (Janis Carter). The storyline is very similar to another Scott vehicle the superior WESTERN UNION (1940) but with Rail Tracks instead of Telegraph Lines!

As always Randolph Scott assumes an air of authority without seeming to do very much although without doubt he is the best thing in it, all the supporting cast are perfectly adequate without being outstanding. Unfortunately it leaves the feeling of being a poor mans version of Cecil B. De Mille's epic western UNION PACIFIC (1939) starring Joel McCrea. Santa Fe was another Scott-Brown Production for Columbia Pictures. Good quality color transfer to DVD. Well worth a look.

Santa Fe 1951.......2006-04-11

In this rousing , action packed post-civic War adventure , Legendary Western Hero Randolph Scott (1898-1987) , stars as Britt Canfield , the eldest of four brothers who have seen their family?s Virginian plantation stolen by carpetbaggers . With no choice but start over .Britt accepts a position to help build the Yankee funded Santa Fe Railroad , where the straight shooting ex-Confederate takes on Superstious indians crooked gambler , vengeful war widom , and most dangerous of all , his brothers , vicious Yankee haters who?ll will stop at nothing to prevent the completion of the Santa Fe .Even if it means killing their own brother . Enormeous great plot . High Quality Transfer , Recommended

Better than Routine.......2005-08-31

very enjoyable escapist saturday afternoon old technicolor flick. "routine" is also what Leonard Maltin has termed this movie but i agree with someone online at Amazon that says he can be a snob at times. I enjoy certain 2 and 3 star films as much as some of the highly lauded ones and this falls into that category. If u like the old western good guys against the bad decently done this will fit the bill superbly

Routine Scott Western.......2005-08-02

In Santa Fe, Scott plays an ex-Confederate soldier who ends up working for the expanding Santa Fe railroad. His brothers, who also served with him in the War, are still angry at the Union, and develop their own band of outlaws who are determine to make the Union pay for the suffering of the South. Scott is caught between his own flesh and blood and his desire to help build the railroad as it stretches through the Western wilderness.

Scott is entertaining as always, and there's some decent action in Santa Fe, but this is only an okay film.

Average customer rating:

History lesson sorely needed
Two good films, in good condition.
Rousing but inaccurate adventure movie
Fun Escapism Through a Western Adventure
THIS DVD IS NEWLY REMASTERED

Santa Fe Trail
Starring: Errol Flynn , Olivia de Havilland , Raymond Massey , Ronald Reagan , and Alan Hale
Director: Michael Curtiz
Manufacturer: ROAN
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

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( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: 6305636508
Release Date: 1999-10-26

Customer Reviews:

History lesson sorely needed.......2007-06-02

How many school children in 21 st century know about John Brown? How many know about the causes of this horrible war that pitted former comrades against one another? Is this movie entirely accurate and does take artistic license with the characters and storyline? Yes and No, but and so do many contemporary films such as 'Saving Private Ryan' or 'Patton' take liberties with actual events. As a number of reviewers have noted, we see events in history through politically correct eyes. My major fault with the movie is that southerners did not have a distinctive regional drawl, especially Errol Flynn's character, Jeb Stuart. Having your children watch this movie will provide them an insight into a forgotten epic American history while at the same time entertaining them with battles and other action scenes. John Brown may have been right in his core principles but he is a prime example of excessive zeal clashing with established law and order.

Two good films, in good condition........2005-11-14

I don't very often write reviews (although I enjoy reading those of others), but I must just tell anyone wondering which version of "Santa Fe Trail" to buy that the Marengo version (the one that includes "Abilene Town" as a bonus) is excellent. I was not familiar with either of these movies before - I don't know why, as they are both really good movies, and better than many others that I have bought individually and paid more money for. "Santa Fe Trail" is a really unusual, and interesting movie. The combination of Curtiz and Flynn gives it something - a depth, or thoughtfulness, perhaps - that most movies just don't have. It is also, IMHO, a better movie than Errol Flynn's other cavalry outing, "They Died With Their Boots On", so I don't know why the former is in the public domain, as if nobody cares about it, with numerous versions available (some of which don't sound very good), while the latter is presumably still owned and guarded exclusively by Warner Brothers, who have recently brought out a lavish DVD version of it, with various "extras" on it.
As for "Abilene Town", that also is a surprisingly good movie, its plot not unlike that of "Dodge City". On a trivial note: it looks to me as if Gary Cooper's famous, iconic "look" in "High Noon" (reproduced in books and posters so often) was in fact inspired by the outfit that Randolph Scott wears in "Abilene Town".

Rousing but inaccurate adventure movie.......2005-07-06

The title may well lead people to expect a Western and indeed this is how the movie has been packaged ,but I would argue it is nothing of the sort .While the Santa Fe Trail is mentioned and the role of the railroad in opening up the West is touched upon the movie is really about the origins of the Civil War .
Flynn stars as J E B Stuart -arguably the most famous cavalry commnader in the Confederate army .We first meet him as a West Point cadet, along with several other men who became prominent in the military in subsequent years chief among them being Custer (Ronald Reagan ) Phil Sheridan ( David Bruce) and George Pickett( Willam Marshall ) .His nemesis at the Academy is "Rader" played by Van Heflin ,a fervent abolitionist and disciple of the firebrand preacher John Brown .The two get involved in a brawl and Rader is sent down for having abolitionist pamphlets in his locker .Already the Civil war is casting its shadows over the military -;we meet Lee and Davis ,men who were to play a key role in events in the following decade .
Stuart ,Custer and Sheridan are sent to "Bloody Kansas" to keep the peace in the face of John Browns agitation for it to become a free state .They clash early on when they foil a gun running bid by Brown and his followers who now number the embittered and mercenary Rader in their ranks (it is made clear he fights for money ,not belief in the cause) .Further confrontations with Brown arise ,culminating in the bloody affray at Harper's Ferry
There is no shortage of movies dealing with the Civil War but very few have adressed its origins which makes this aspect of tghe movie so disappointing .Perhaps mindful of the need not to damage its potential in the South ,scriptwriter Robert Bruckner has come up with an evasive screenplay which sits on the fence politically .Brown is depicted as a fiery psychopath and an irrational madman whose cause is founded on the need for someone to hate rather than any love of the blacks or sense of moral righness ,while the Heflin character is a vain ,envious opportunist who loves only money and betrays any cause he feels does not value his contribution to it .He is shown as interfering in a system which Stuart claims is reforming itself from within ,and by so doing bringing about an avoidable conflict This is a gross distortion of the facts .Thus ,faced with such moral equivocation ,the best thing to do is enjoy it on an action movie level and here it works well .The action is lively and plentiful and the acting is pretty solid .Flynn is ideally cast as the archetypal military man -one who fights nobly for his cause ,despite his own doubts and de Havilland is excellent as the feisty tomboyish Kit Carson Halliday over whom Custer and Stuart bicker .Raymond Massey is hypnotic if hammy as Brown and there is a solid "best friend of the leading man "turn from Reagan ,whose character is allowed a few tentative pro-Brown remarks
One scene stands out -when Custer ,Sheridan ,Stuart and Pickett consult an Indian seeress they are told they will all be generals but will never again all meet as friend ;they react with uneasy laughter but in the scene we see the gathering clouds of the impending war ,
Muddy monochrome photography from the usually dependable Sal Polito does not help while Max Steiner's score is not his best by a long eway
Enjoy it as a vigorous and robust action picture from the great Michael Curtiz and this is okay but as a serious treatment of the issues it is sunk by its own timorousness and refusal to address reality

Fun Escapism Through a Western Adventure.......2005-03-20

Two major strenghts of this film are its character development and plot. Various historical figures are given the "Hollywood" treatment. The storyline unfolds in such a way that the complexity of the pre-Civil War era is addressed. John Brown is the focal point of the forces to be overcome. Harper's Ferry is where the resolution is reached.

Olivia de Havilland's character has to choose between Ronald Reagan's George Custer and Errol Flynn's J.E.B. Stuart. Humor is included in various spots to make for a pleasant occasional break from tension. There's a good flow, nice pacing.

The camera movements are not bad for that era. Since I love the West, I also like the establishing shots. This is a good clean movie for the most part, with the exception of the Indian fortune-teller.

THIS DVD IS NEWLY REMASTERED.......2004-12-25

MARENGO FILMS IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT BOTH TITLES ON THIS DVD HAVE BEEN NEWLY RE-MASTERED. NEW SOFTWARE, MUCH MORE POWERFUL AND HANDY THAN THAT AVAILABLE AT THE ONSET OF DVD HAS BEEN USED BY MARENGO. THE FILMS HAVE BEEN COLOR CORRECTED, AND AN ADDITIONAL SOUND DESIGN HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. WE FEEL UPGRADING THESE WONDERFUL PRINTS WAS WELL WORTH THE COST AND THAT COLLECTORS WILL BE PROUD TO HAVE THEM IN THEIR INVENTORY.

Average customer rating:

ATTENTION!!!!!! there is no dts and there is no subtitles
Saturday Morning Matinee Movie

Santa Fe Trail
Starring: Luis Alberni , Erville Alderson , Arthur Ayleswofth , Roy Barcroft , and Trevor Bardette
Director: Michael Curtiz
Manufacturer: Westlake Ent. Group
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Kim

ASIN: B00030NS88
Release Date: 2004-08-23

Customer Reviews:

ATTENTION!!!!!! there is no dts and there is no subtitles.......2007-05-19

i reurn this dvd to amazon back because the site let wrong details about it- NO DTS AND NO SUBTITLES ON THIS VERSION!!!!

Saturday Morning Matinee Movie.......2005-01-12

As always, Ronnie is completely likable in this movie. It looks like it was filmed in the hills of California, not on location at West Point or in Kansas, so it is historically "iffy".

Reagan sparkles with vitality and likability, but he is not really the star. So we do not see as much of him as we would like to see.

As with these types of movies, there is a strong sense of right and wrong, the good guys win, and everything has a sense of purpose.

I recommend this movie to Reagan fans and to those who love B-Western stars like Roy Rogers and Gene Autry.

Average customer rating:

History lesson sorely needed
Two good films, in good condition.
Rousing but inaccurate adventure movie
Fun Escapism Through a Western Adventure
THIS DVD IS NEWLY REMASTERED

Santa Fe Trail
Starring: Errol Flynn , Olivia de Havilland , Raymond Massey , Ronald Reagan , and Alan Hale
Director: Michael Curtiz
Manufacturer: Digital Gold Collection
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

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The Prince and the Pauper

ASIN: B00005Q4E7
Release Date: 2001-10-02

Customer Reviews:

History lesson sorely needed.......2007-06-02

Two good films, in good condition........2005-11-14

Rousing but inaccurate adventure movie.......2005-07-06

Fun Escapism Through a Western Adventure.......2005-03-20

THIS DVD IS NEWLY REMASTERED.......2004-12-25

Average customer rating:

Public Domain Masterpiece
Santa Fe Trail
Interesting John Brown movie

The Santa Fe Trail
Starring: Luis Alberni , Erville Alderson , Arthur Ayleswofth , Roy Barcroft , and Trevor Bardette
Director: Michael Curtiz
Manufacturer: St Clair Vision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Classics | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

They Died with Their Boots On
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The Adventures of Robin Hood (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B0001GH7CM
Release Date: 2004-02-17

Customer Reviews:

Public Domain Masterpiece.......2007-06-09

This movie can be bought at most discount stores for $1, however these are very poor copies. Stay away from any movie that lists Ronald Reagan as the star. I recommend you buy the Marengo double feature version. It's been restored and you get two movies for the price of one.

Directed by Michael Curtiz, this movie has an all star cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia De Havalin, Raymond Massey, Van Heflen and Ronald Reagan. This a pre- Civil War movie and not a western. Great acting but a plot that is not considered politially correct. This movie favors the South with Errol Flynn playing the hero, JEB Stuart. It traces his life from when he graduates from West Point to Harper's Ferry. Probably the most glaring mistake historially, is that Stuart graduated from West Point in 1854 and George Custer graduated in 1861, after the Civil War started. Stuart was involved in Bleeding Kansas, and Harper's Ferry, but George Custer wasn't present any of these events and there is no evidence that they were friends. Raymond Massey was brilliant as a crazed John Brown (remember this is a Southern point of view) and some effort was made to make him look like the person. However, there was no effort to make Flynn look like Stuart nor Reagan to look like Custer. JEB has light Austrailian accent (like Flynn). Olivia is very good as Kit Carson Halliday.

Santa Fe Trail.......2007-01-12

The movie itself is great, lots of fun to watch. However, my reason for purchasing it was to see the credits at the end. My gr-gr-grandfather's name appears in the credits in other versions of this movie, and I purchased 3 copies to share with siblings. Alas, there were no credits at the end - none whatsoever. The movie was good - refreshing and enjoyable.

Interesting John Brown movie.......2007-01-03

Santa Fe Trail is a Hollywood production of chasiing John Brown through Kansas and finally capturing him in Harpers Ferry in 1859. This Black and White epic takes much poetic license with what actually happened, but is a fun movie to watch. Raymond Massey is great as John Brown. I use the movie in my John Brown class. If you want the real story of what happened at Harpers Ferry and John Brown's capture, check out my book a historical novel "The Perfect Steel Trap Harpers Ferry 1859".

Average customer rating:

History lesson sorely needed
Two good films, in good condition.
Rousing but inaccurate adventure movie
Fun Escapism Through a Western Adventure
THIS DVD IS NEWLY REMASTERED

Santa Fe Trail
Starring: Errol Flynn , Olivia de Havilland , Raymond Massey , Ronald Reagan , and Alan Hale
Director: Michael Curtiz
Manufacturer: Peter Pan
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Dodge City
They Died with Their Boots On
The Adventures of Robin Hood (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Errol Flynn Signature Collection, Vol. 1 (Captain Blood / The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex / The Sea Hawk / They Died with Their Boots On / Dodge City / The Adventures of Errol Flynn)
The Prince and the Pauper

ASIN: 6305010552
Release Date: 1998-05-29

Customer Reviews:

History lesson sorely needed.......2007-06-02

Two good films, in good condition........2005-11-14

Rousing but inaccurate adventure movie.......2005-07-06

Fun Escapism Through a Western Adventure.......2005-03-20

THIS DVD IS NEWLY REMASTERED.......2004-12-25

Average customer rating:

Santa Fe Trail
Starring: Luis Alberni , Erville Alderson , Arthur Ayleswofth , Roy Barcroft , and Trevor Bardette
Director: Michael Curtiz
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Prince and the Pauper
The Adventures of Robin Hood (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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Fort Apache

ASIN: B00008G6UL
Release Date: 2002-07-30

Description

Ronald Reagan • Errol Flynn • Olivia de Havilland

Onto the bloody battleground of the Kansas Border Wars rides a group of West Point graduates, assigned to promote peace between the warring factions of the slavery debate. To succeed, they must reckon with John Brown, who will stop at nothing to win freedom for the slaves. Ronald Reagan plays the fated George Armstrong Custer.

Customer Reviews:

History lesson sorely needed.......2007-06-02

Two good films, in good condition........2005-11-14

Rousing but inaccurate adventure movie.......2005-07-06

Fun Escapism Through a Western Adventure.......2005-03-20

THIS DVD IS NEWLY REMASTERED.......2004-12-25

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