[5]
Errol Flynn’s third western casts him as dutiful West Point cadet Jeb Stuart, sent to Kansas to quell an abolitionist rebellion led by the pious John Brown (Raymond Massey). The film pairs Flynn with future president Ronald Reagan as a grinning sidekick and frequent co-star Olivia de Havilland as the woman both men fancy. The love triangle never gets serious, but it’s one of the film’s more endearing features. De Havilland works wonders with her underwritten role, and Reagan is charming enough to deserve more screen time and a little more depth. But the film deals primarily with Flynn and Massey’s characters, ending with the historical raid of Harper’s Ferry, a powder keg moment that helped usher in the Civil War.
Santa Fe Trail is only marginally about its title subject. It’s more about the rising tensions between the North and the South. At first, it’s somewhat disconcerting to find Flynn and Reagan playing men who would soon become Confederate soldiers. The film tries to soften their image by having them briefly question their mission. At one point, Flynn even proclaims that slavery indeed needs to end — just more slowly? The film also tries to complicate Massey’s character in a disingenuous way. As John Brown, he’s a deeply moral and religious man whose cause would soon be validated by history. But the film tries too hard to turn him into a cast-iron villain — because he’s too violent?
The first half of Santa Fe Trail is moderately fun and exciting. Director Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) provides plenty of forward momentum while giving all the characters time to charm. The blurring of good and evil, North and South, is interesting for a while, setting up for a resolution that might deal with the subject in a bold and thoughtful way. When that resolution fails to manifest, it hurts the film badly. While it’s competently made and entertaining, it’s ultimately a matinee movie that promises more than it delivers, too timid to take a stand when its true subject matter demands it.
With Van Heflin, Alan Hale, William Lundigan, and a rousing Max Steiner score.