Santa Fe Trail Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Santa Fe Trail Blu-ray Movie Review

Gone With the Railroad.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III October 12, 2021

Although it's one of the weaker films in Warner Archive's recent output -- as well as director Michael Curtiz's résumé, which includes such classics as Casablanca, Mildred Pierce, and The Adventures of Robin Hood -- the historical drama Santa Fe Trail is still worth (re)discovering thanks to fine production values and a solid cast. Its story concerns the pre-Civil War exploits of soldiers fresh out of West Point Military Academy; two of them, Jeb Stuart (Errol Flynn) and George Custer (Ronald Reagan), are sent to to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas Territory following a fight with cadet Carl Rader (Van Heflin) over their very different opinions of abolitionist John Brown (Raymond Massey). Aside from heightened tensions between those on both sides of the slavery fence, Jeb and George run smack into the middle of a love triangle: they've both fallen for lovely Kit Holliday (Olivia de Havilland), daughter of a railroad tycoon (Henry O'Neill) who's laying track all the way to Santa Fe. (Not personally, of course -- that's a whole different chapter of American slavery.)

Like so many historical dramas before and after it, the mixture of romance and historical conflict makes for a fitfully sweeping and epic experience... but also feels kind of tacky, especially when other areas of Santa Fe Trail are more compelling in direct comparison. Luckily, both are smoothed over by the cast: Flynn and de Havilland are as magnetic as ever and, jokes aside, Ronald Reagan is always an underrated presence who acquits himself nicely here. Combined with its excellent sets, location footage, and period-specific costume design, it's no wonder that Santa Fe Trail turned a tidy profit back in the day. The excellent score by prolific composer Max Stiener -- just three years into a long-running stint at Warner Bros. after his tenure at RKO, which included scores for the original Cimarron and King Kong -- sets the stage nicely, carrying some of the weight dropped by a few less-than-earned dramatic moments along the way.

The main reason for some of this undercut drama -- and the elephant in the room -- is Santa Fe Trail's gross historical inaccuracy, a collection of half-truths and outright lies that are numerous enough to warrant their own section on the film's Wikipedia page... which this Blu-ray's back cover amusingly brushes off as "a somewhat revamped re-creation of American history". Normally I'd be able to ignore a few exaggerations for dramatic license, but Santa Fe Trail plays so fast and loose with its source story that it leaves something of a bitter aftertaste... or taste in general, if you know your history well enough. (I had a similar reaction to William Dieterle's 1942 film Tennessee Johnson, a very questionable dramatization of President Andrew Johnson's life -- maybe Van Heflin just had a taste for whoppers?)

Regardless, it makes for an uneven viewing experience but, when taken with a grain of salt, Santa Fe Trail is still entertaining based on the strength of its cast and scope. What's more is that Warner Archive's new Blu-ray edition arrives long after a string of public domain DVD editions of the film, each one sporting a worn-out A/V presentation that barely exceeded vintage broadcast standards. Warner Archive's careful restoration makes the film shine like new, showcasing its terrific visuals and a lossless audio mix that plays even better than expected. It's not a perfect movie or even a great one... but if you've fallen for Santa Fe Trail before, this Blu-ray's well worth a purchase.

Santa Fe Trail Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Archive once again works their magic on Santa Fe Trail, a film that has endured no shortage of public domain home video releases that fell short of expectations in every possible department. It's obvious that the boutique label went back to original elements for this one, as it absolutely looks as good as similar-era catalog titles sourced from either 2K or 4K scans; fine detail and film-like textures are evident in almost every frame, showcasing the excellent location footage and backlot sets in stunning clarity that helps one appreciate the costumes and other aspects of the production design. Black levels and whites are cleanly resolved with no egregious signs of crush or blooming, with many scenes exhibiting a silvery sheen that's present on the best-looking transfers sourced from original nitrate materials. Even the trickiest scenes, like dimly-lit interiors and the early climactic barn fire, look great under the circumstances. As usual, the main feature runs at a high bit rate on this perfectly-encoded disc, a dual-layered beauty that gives it plenty of room to breathe. In short, I'm obviously not as enamored with Santa Fe Trail as some but it looks absolutely phenomenal here, so I can only imagine how die-hard fans are going to feel about it.

Santa Fe Trail Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray's DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix is almost equally impressive, a stunningly clear effort that serves up crisp dialogue, robust effects, and prolific composer Max Steiner's score; it's a well-balanced track that suffers from almost zero age-related defects such as popping, hiss, or distortion. Although no amount of restoration will rival the dynamic range and weight of a modern mix, Santa Fe Trail easily stands alongside the better-sounding dramas of this particular era, and is perhaps even more impressive due to the inarguably poor condition of previous home video releases. Although a clichéd statement, for many fans this may feel like hearing the film for the very first time.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only.

Santa Fe Trail Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with original poster artwork and no inserts. Since all previous home video releases of Santa Fe Trail were no-name discs sourced from public domain elements, extras are scarce.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:11) - This vintage promotional piece can also be seen here.

Santa Fe Trail Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Michael Curtiz's Santa Fe Trail is not exactly a great film -- even if the blatant historical inaccuracies don't bother you, the plot is overstuffed and some of its most dramatic moments aren't well-earned. That said, many of the lead and supporting performances are very enjoyable to watch and it still feels like something of a spectacle at times; calling it the Pearl Harbor of its day feels like a cheap shot, but the similarities are there. Regardless, die-hard fans of the cast may want to indulge and Warner Archive's Blu-ray almost makes this guilty pleasure a no-brainer: the top-tier A/V presentation absolutely runs circles around older public domain home video releases (no surprise there), enough to make up for the lack of bonus features. It's still a "try before you buy" disc in my opinion, though.