They Died With Their Boots On (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Oct 13, 2025
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Raoul WalshRelease Date(s)
1941 (July 29, 2025)Studio(s)
Warner Bros. (Warner Archive Collection)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: A
Review
“Custer’s Last Stand” was a monumental defeat of a regiment of the 7th United States Cavalry by a coalition of Western Native American tribes in 1876 at the battle of the Little Bighorn. They Died With Their Boots On is the story of the making of a soldier whose rapid rise in rank, heroic victories during the Civil War, courtship and marriage, and thirst for glory portray his multi-faceted personality.
George Armstrong Custer (Errol Flynn) arrives at West Point in 1857 dressed in military finery seldom seen on an incoming cadet. He’s mistaken for an officer and saluted, but earns little respect among his peers. Undisciplined, Custer enjoys pranks and flaunts authority, at one point even striking an officer. He struggles through his studies while accumulating demerits and reaching the bottom of his class at the outbreak of the Civil War. In a “meet cute” scene, Custer encounters attractive Elizabeth “Libbie” Bacon (Olivia de Havilland), but military orders keep him from getting to know and court her properly.
Custer’s courageous exploits in the field earn him fame even after defying orders, and this leads to rapid promotions. When the war ends, he returns to his home in Monroe, Michigan, reunites with Libbie, but her father (Gene Lockhart) disapproves of him. Custer and Libbie marry and enjoy a period of happy domestic life, but he grows restless and longs to once again command a regiment. His mentor, General Winfield Scott (Sydney Greenstreet), assigns him a commission to serve in the Dakota Territory. Once out West, Custer has to contend with poor soldier morale, corruption, and conflict with native Americans.
Among the problems he faces is his former fellow West Point cadet Ned Sharp (Arthur Kennedy), who profits from illegal rifle sales to the Lakota tribesmen and runs a saloon that’s a source of drunkenness of the men under his command. Custer closes the bar and shapes up his troops. There are skirmishes with Native Americans, but he manages to negotiate a treaty with one of most important tribal leaders, Crazy Horse (Anthony Quinn). To undermine Custer’s authority, Sharp starts a rumor that gold has been discovered in Dakota Territory, Custer is humiliated and relieved of his command. Appealing personally to President Grant (Joseph Crehan), he regains his commission and returns to deal with worsening conditions in the Dakota Territory.
The scope of They Died With Their Boots On is overly ambitious. The film covers twenty years of an eventful life. Because the film is based on a real person and actual occurrences, it’s disturbing to encounter “events” that occurred only in the screenwriter’s mind. The film is far too tied to 1930s/1940s conventions. There has to be a love story. Custer and Libbie Bacon did have a happy marriage and long after his death, she advocated for his legacy, but the scenes between Flynn and de Havilland stop the narrative flow just when it looks as if things are getting exciting. At a length of 2 hours, 21 minutes, the film could have benefitted from fewer romantic interludes. Gold was discovered in the Black Hills, contrary to the script.
Departures from fact abound. Custer was known for his handlebar mustache, but Flynn doesn’t have one in the film. Custer didn’t become a civilian at the end of the Civil War. His first assignment out West wasn’t to the Dakota Territory; he served in Kansas, Nebraska, Texas and Kentucky before being sent to Dakota in 1873. Custer was one of the first to die at the Little Bighorn, not the last.
As a Western, the film is entertaining, but as history, it’s far from accurate. Flynn and de Havilland starred in eight films together in seven years, primarily because their screen chemistry was so strong. As Custer, Flynn’s manner is brash and devil-may-care in early scenes at West Point, serious as an army officer years later, and reflective prior to setting out for the battle that would be his last. There was always a large percentage of Flynn in his portrayals, even in historic figures. His good looks, twinkle in the eye, winning smile, and innate charm shine through. He may not have been the greatest actor, but he sure was one of the biggest stars of his era. Flynn captures Custer’s arrogance and bravado, managing to make him a likable, though flawed, character.
Olivia de Havilland’s Libbie is the dutiful, supportive wife. We get only a glimpse of how eager she was to preserve her husband’s legacy as a hero. During her long widowhood (she died in 1933), she was tireless in these efforts. De Havilland, beautiful as always, isn’t given the opportunity to show Libbie’s intelligence and perseverance. When she appears, clad in black, in a late scene, we first see her as more than a frontier wife. Shouldn’t we have had a hint of this earlier in the film? Her best scene with Flynn is the couple’s tender goodbye, just before he’s off to the Little Bighorn. They Died With Their Boots On was the last co-starring picture for Flynn and de Havilland.
Familiar character actor, Sydney Greenstreet adds a bit of humor as General Scott who favors onions with his sumptuous meals, and shares an amusing scene with Flynn as they partake of a meal together. Anthony Quinn, who took on many Native American and exotic roles in his early career, has a fairly small but significant part as a proud, stoic Indian chief who believes in the sanctity of a man’s word.
Director Raoul Walsh stages action sequences impeccably and excitingly. Camera trucks race along with galloping horses, there are dramatic falls from horses, and assorted camera angles comprise the devastation of a regiment being outnumbered and rendered helpless.
They Died With Their Boots On was shot by director of photography Bert Glennon on 35mm black & white film with spherical lenses and presented in the Academy aspect ratio of 1.37:1. The Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection features a new HD master sourced from a 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative. The quality is just beautiful, with a silvery look to the print. Details such as designs on Custer’s fancy uniforms, ruffles on Libbie’s dresses, her elaborate hats, regiment banners, and bottles and wood grain in Ned Sharp’s saloon are well delineated. Action scenes are masterfully staged for maximum excitement and involve hundreds of horseback riders portraying either soldiers or Indians. There are no visual imperfections such as scratches, imbedded dirt specks, or fading to hamper enjoyment. Unlike many older black & white films, They Died With Their Boots On has a sense of depth as well as artful lighting, giving the film a timeless look.
The soundtrack is English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio. English SDH subtitles are an available option. Dialogue is clear and distinct, and the sound design effectively balances galloping horses, Indians whooping it up, gun shots, and the whoosh of arrows zipping through the air. The old Irish air Garryowen is sung a few times providing a bit of authenticity in a film that regularly twists historical facts. This was a drinking song of the 7th Cavalry, Custer’s regiment. Max Steiner’s score includes a beautiful love theme for Custer and Libbie, and becomes rousing in action sequences.
Bonus materials on the Blu-ray release from Warner Archive include the following materials:
- Leonard Maltin Hosts Warner Night at the Movies 1942 (4:06)
- Newsreel (5:06)
- Soldiers in White (20:53)
- A Tale of Two Kitties (6:40)
- All Through the Night Trailer (2:46)
- They Died With Their Boots On: To Hell or Glory (9:45)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2:46)
Leonard Maltin Introduction – Film critic and historian Leonard Maltin provides an overview of major news events of 1942, talks about movies that were popular that year, and speaks about how celebrities, including Nelson Eddy, encouraged the public to buy war bonds and stamps. Maltin also discusses how events of the war made their way into Warner Bros. cartoons.
Newsreel – This News of the Day short, produced by MGM, shows footage of the salvage of the ocean liner S.S. Normandie and the aircraft carrier Illustrious being put back into action. There’s also a segment on driving without quick breaking to preserve rubber during the duration of the war. Active troops are shown forming the letters that send the patriotic message “Buy war bonds.”
Soldiers in White – This Technicolor short was intended to encourage medical professionals to join the army. A young intern is drafted and placed in the Army Medical Corps as a buck private and isn’t happy about it. When he’s injured in battle, he’s placed in the hospital. A major comes by and explains how army doctors have made important advances in medical science. The private is inspired and promises to be a good soldier. A silly romantic story is interspersed with footage of actual troops in training at Fort Sam Houston. An elaborate military parade complete with trucks, heavy guns, jeeps, ambulances, and airplanes flying overhead is shown from many angles.
A Tale of Two Kitties – In this 1942 Technicolor Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Bob Clampett, Babbit and Catstello (take-offs on Bud Abbott and Lou Costello) try to catch Tweety bird using everything from stilts to dynamite. What they didn’t expect is that the tiny bird has quite a violent streak in him. This short marked the first appearance of Tweety.
They Died With Their Boots On: To Hell or Glory – Several film historians offer their thoughts on the film. Flynn is referred to as “ideal casting” for the role of Custer, who was brave, cavalier, dashing, handsome, and romantic. A “romantic pastiche,” the film is as historically inaccurate as it could be. Custer was at West Point on a scholarship, since he came from a poor family. He was an alcoholic who gave up drinking. Custer was portrayed as a man hell bent for glory which gives They Died With Their Boots On a “strong powerful thrust.” The first half of the film is played for comedy, but gets darker. Flynn carries off the evolution of Custer from a callow cadet to a man with a conscience. Michael Curtiz was supposed to direct the film, but there was tremendous tension between Curtiz and Flynn on their previous film. Flynn refused to work with Curtiz, and Raoul Walsh was selected to direct. Flynn enjoyed Walsh’s work and the two took an immediate liking to each other. The film was scored by Max Steiner, who liked to incorporate music that reflected the time period. The final parting of Custer and Libbie has a “tremendous poignancy,” partly because this would be the last film Flynn and de Havilland would make together.
Despite it’s numerous factual errors and tendency to draw upon commonplace traditions of early twentieth-century movies, They Died With Their Boots On has action, interesting characters, a love story, and star power. It’s a fine example of the kind of epic picture a Hollywood studio could make at its peak, drawing on its actors, writers, and technicians.
- Dennis Seuling