Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0807013000528
Format: Black & White
Label: Marengo Films
Languages: Array
Manufacturer: Marengo Films
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Marengo Films
Region Code: 0
Release Date: 2001-02-28
Running Time: 200
Studio: Marengo Films
Theatrical Release Date: 1940-12-28

200 minute double feature film DVD.

Customer Rating:
Summary: One film rather good quality for public domain, the other not so good...
Comment: When buying public domain movies, one must rate on a totally separate scale. Santa Fe Trail is actually not a bad-looking transfer. Of course as you know PD companies generally don't have access to anything even remotely close to an original camera negative, so naturally this isn't as crisp and sparkling as it would be should Warner Brothers ever decide to remaster it, but it is certainly miles above the other versions floating around out there. As for the second feature, Abilene Town, it is a typical shabby print. I guess Marengo just considers it a bonus, so nothing has been done to clean it up. It's watchable, but little else. The purchase price is worth it for what is probably the best looking Santa Fe Trail out there.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: interesting look at pre civil war history
Comment: At first, since this was deemed a "Western" I was sort of surprised to find this was more of a history about some events that led to the civil war. It suddenly got very interesting for that reason alone. The dating of events in the movie is non existant because I just found out that the movie covers a period from 1854-1859, but one gets the impression that all the events transpired quickly and all in 1854.

I did enjoy the movie and it was in essence my first peek at this curious charchter in US history named John Brown. Some of his writings were quoted in the movie and they were very intreaguing bits to say the least, making me quite curious to find out more about him. Little did I realize the movie would do that for me...or at least the producers version of this mans legacy was played out.
Thus, as the movie went along I could clearly see this movie was playing up one opinion over the other, and it was a strange angle indeed, as it was not whether slavery was right or wrong, but rather a tendancy to encourage people to obey government. I supect the motivation was agreeing that slavery was wrong, but portraying this John Brown as an extreme religious psycopathic unscrupulous fanatic, tended to cast a dispariging light on people that hold to a Biblical faith,(..something Hollywood has been doing from day one.)Though admittedly from what little I have gleaned about John Brown, this may be the case.

What the charachter (played by Errol Flynn) said to John Brown (Raymond Massey) was quite interesting and makes one wonder what might have happened had Brown listened to reason. But clearly some further investigation of just who and what this John brown might have been is reccomended.
But it was also a fun interesting story all the same with a fun romantic angle tossed in with Ronald Reagan as one of the participants. It was suspencful in some ways as it was something of a war against civil, or uncivil unrest as the case may be in which no one can know the results. And it was also humorous in some parts.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Classic Movie
Comment: My husband is a western fan and he just had to have this classic DVD, so when I saw it for sale on Amazon I purchased it for him. He loves the movie and the enhanced quality that has been captured on DVD.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: High on the list of movies that p**s off liberals
Comment: While this movie seems to flaunt its disregard for historical accuracy, it's still a fun adventure romp with several well known figures from American history. Errol Flynn as JEB Stuart is a blast as he battles straight-arrow rival Ronald Reagan (George Custer) in love and war. Raymond Massey is chilling as homicidal maniac John Brown and Olivia De Havilland is a peach. The whole film is refreshing for its unapologetic rejection of the post-bellum political orthodoxy imposed on the whole country which beatified John Brown and sanctified the Glorious Cause that slaughtered some 600,000 Americans. I'm sure it must have raised some eyebrows even in 1940, never mind today. In all, it's a fun movie which gains a lot of extra points for its delightful political incorrectness.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Bad Quality DVD
Comment: This is for the "Digital Gold Collection" dvd of Santa Fe Trail only.

At one point the soundtrack jumps out of synch with the picture, and this lasts long enough to ruin the entire movie - about five minutes. At this point you have the actors swapping voices; a slave woman speaking with the voice of Errol Flynn, and Massey making a voiceless speech.

This is a very bad quality disk - buy another and avoid the DGC dvd.

I gave it one star because there is no zero star rating.

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