They Died with Their Boots On Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

They Died with Their Boots On Blu-ray Movie Review

Big Trouble in Little Bighorn.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 15, 2025

The very title of Raoul Walsh's They Died With Their Boots On might sound like a spoiler all by itself (if you can in fact "spoil" an 84 year-old film)... but considering it dramatizes the life and ultimate fate of one George Armstrong Custer (Errol Flynn), you should know this one's more about the journey than its destination. Approaching near-epic status at 140 minutes and always moving at a confident clip, it delivers intrigue, comedy, romance, action, and of course tragedy all on one condensed package. Sporting a solid supporting cast led by Olivia de Havilland (in her eighth and final Flynn pairing), fine cinematography by Bert Glennon, and a great original score by the prolific Max Steiner, the film's only sin comes in the form of flagrant historical inaccuracies. But when it comes to Hollywood, what else is new?

There's an awful lot packed into They Died With Their Boots On, but the most enjoyable part is witnessing Custer's gradual transition from a smirking young West Point cadet -- more of a class clown, really -- to the man he is at Little Bighorn and his famous "Last Stand". He starts off at near rock-bottom and is constantly in trouble with authority but, during a "silent punishment tour" one morning, Custer meets lovely Libbie Bacon (de Havilland) in need of directions. Unable to speak to her because of his punishment, he seeks her out later and asks to meet that evening. It's a date that never happens due to his early graduation from West Point when the Civil War breaks out.

From here onwards, there are clear signs that Custer's continued disregard for authority might actually work to his advantage... with the help of a little luck, of course. After joining the 2nd U.S. Cavalry with assistance from General Winfield Scott (Sydney Greenstreet), Custer earns a medal when he ignores orders and saves a bridge from invading Confederate forces. He's later promoted to Brigadier General after a higher-up's communication error but makes the most of his new position, leading his men through the Battle of Gettysburg. Soon enough, Custer once again earns a bump up in rank and is sent to the Dakota Territory... but ironically, the young soldiers placed under his command look and act a lot like he did back at West Point: obnoxious, unruly, and in dire need of a strong leader.

They Died With Their Boots On traces a historically questionable route through Custer's fifteen-year military career, which also runs parallel to his personal life as the failed first encounter with Libbie eventually leads to marriage after a few reconnections during his fast trip up the ladder. Bad history is barely even a factor, though: during this dramatized (partial) biopic, viewer interest hinges largely on your personal enjoyment of Errol Flynn's on-screen charisma and his pairing with de Havilland, both of which are as magnetic as ever. Walsh's strong and steady direction keeps it moving at a constant clip from start to finish, the cinematography by Bert Glennon (Stagecoach) is excellent and, as always, the original score by Max Steiner provides rousing support on and off the battlefield. So while They Died With Their Boots On shouldn't be taken at anything more than its heavily dramatized face value, the total package is so infectiously entertaining that even first-timer viewers should have no trouble making an immediate connection.

Warner Archive makes it easier than ever to (re)discover They Died With Their Boots On via their new Blu-ray, which features nicely improved A/V merits and a solid collection of mostly era-specific extras carried over from DVD. It'll likely secure at least an Honorable Mention in this year's Top 10 list, but you don't have to wait that long to buy it.

They Died with Their Boots On Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Plain and simple, Warner Archive's brand-new 1080p transfer of They Died With Their Boots On is a real beauty. It's sourced from a recent scan of the original nitrate camera negative -- supplemented by a pair of second-gen nitrate fine grain positives during a few damaged sequences -- and the final result is a relatively seamless experience that easily rides past earlier home video editions. Variances in clarity and film grain levels can be seen between these sources, but please bear in mind that any such dips in clarity only account for a small fraction of the film's 140-minute running time. Aiding this transfer further is Warner Archive's proprietary manual cleanup process, which has all but eliminated age-related damage without compromising original textures. This is truly a best-case scenario under the circumstances, so die-hard fans and newcomers alike should be thrilled with this much-needed new restoration.

They Died with Their Boots On Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix offers similar highlights, serving up the film's original one-channel mix in a two-channel container that balances clean dialogue, rousing action sequences, and more with no real issues, leaving more than enough room for Max Steiner's rousing original score. Trace amounts of hiss remain (in some scenes more than others) but it's rarely distracting, and in any case at least a very good sign that noise reduction wasn't applied here. From all angles, this is an equally solid sonic presentation that falls within expectations for a film from this era.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

They Died with Their Boots On Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed artwork and a handful of thoughtful extras, many of them carried over from the 2005 DVD edition which was also part of Errol Flynn: The Signature Collection.

• To Hell and Glory (9:45) - This lightweight retrospective featurette includes short interview clips with authors and film historians, who ironically enough skate past the film's questionable history to instead focus on Errol Flynn's charisma, his frequent pairings with Olivia de Havilland, and the directorial style of Raoul Walsh.

• Original Theatrical Trailer (2:46) - This rousing vintage promotional piece can also be seen here.

• Warner Night at the Movies (6 parts, 32:52 total) - A staple feature of Warner Bros. Golden Age-era DVDs during the 2000s (and a longer version of how Warner Archive now structures many of their Blu-ray extras), this multi-part segment includes various pieces of pre-show entertainment that can be either be played separately or all in sequence leading into the main feature. Most are self-explanatory and include a short video introduction, a trailer from the same release year, a newsreel, a short film, and of course a classic cartoon.

• Introduction by Leonard Maltin (4:06)
• "All Through the Night" Theatrical Trailer (2:46) - A promo for the 1942 Humphrey Bogart film.
• Newsreel (5:06) - An installment of MGM's News of the World.
• Soldiers in White (20:53) - A Technicolor short produced in cooperation with the Army; it's nothing special, but worth watching for the appearances of future producer William T. Orr and a very young Eleanor Parker, better known as "The Baroness" from The Sound of Music.
• A Tale of Two Kitties (6:40) - This 1942 Merrie Melodies short, directed by Bob Clampett, might be known for its satirical main characters "Babbit and Catstello", but it's perhaps better known for the first appearance of a little bird that looks an awful lot like Tweety. It's also the only only of these extras that's been sourced from better elements than the DVD version and looks pretty great in HD.

They Died with Their Boots On Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Raoul Walsh's They Died With Their Boots On is an entertaining historical drama that firmly favors drama over actual history, as Errol Flynn and the rest of the cast -- especially Olivia de Havilland, paired with him here for the eighth and final time -- carry this one over the finish line with ease. The cinematography, production design, and original score are solid too, and all are served very well by Warner Archive's new Blu-ray, led by its new A/V restoration and supported with a nice little collection of DVD-era bonus features. Highly Recommended to fans and first-timers alike.