The Big Trail

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

The first "epic" western of the talkie era, The Big Trail is motivated by a hero's search for the murderer of his father. Twenty-three-year-old John Wayne, hitherto limited to bit parts, was thrust into the difficult leading role, a young mountaineer put in charge of a huge California-bound wagon train. Over the next several months, Wayne and his fellow pioneers face every imaginable hazard and disaster, from blistering desert heat to blinding snowstorms, negotiating steep cliffs, treacherous rivers, uncharted forests and other such natural obstacles. Meanwhile, Wayne's tentative romance with heroine Ruth Cameron (Marguerite Churchill) is continually thwarted by a charming but duplicitous gambler (Ian Keith), and all-around villain Red Flack (Tyrone Power Sr.) and his henchman Lopez (Charlie Stevens) ceaselessly plot to double-cross the other wagon-trainers for their own financial gain. The Big Trail was a box-office disappointment, a fact which some have attributed its expensive production methods. Each scene was lensed twice, once in 35-millimeter and then in the 65-mm "Fox Grandeur" wide-screen process. And then, each dialogue scene was filmed in French and German, with totally different casts. Even if Big Trail has been a big hit, it would have lost money thanks to the time-consuming shooting and reshooting of virtually every scene. Whatever the case, it was John Wayne who suffered most from the film's failure; instantly demoted to "B"-westerns, it took him nearly a decade to rebuild his stardom. Long believed lost, The Big Trail was made available for exhibition again in the early 1970s -- and in the 1990s the original widescreen version was at last restored for public view. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Screen: Black and White
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Features:
  • cc
  • [None specified]

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       John Wayne - Breck Coleman
       Marguerite Churchill - Ruth Cameron
       El Brendel - Gussie
       Tully Marshall - Zeke
       Tyrone Power, Sr. - Red Flack
       David Rollins - Dave Cameron
       Frederick Burton - Pa Bascom
       Charles Stevens - Lopez
       Russell Powell - Windy Bill
       Helen Parrish - Honey Girl
       Louise Carver - Gussie's mother-in-law
       William V. Mong - Wellmore
       Dodo Newton - Abigail
       Jack Peabody - Bill Gillis
       Ward Bond - Sid Bascom
       Marcia Harris - Mrs. Riggs
       Leslie Emerson - Sairey
       Gertrude Van Lent - Sister from Missouri
       Lucille Van Lent - Sister from Missouri
       DeWitt Jennings - Ship's Captain
       Alphonse Ethier - Marshall
       Ian Keith - Bill Thorpe
       Andy Shuford - Ohio Man's Son
       Frank Ramboth - Ohio Man
       Marjorie Lee - Mary Riggs
       Chief John Big Tree

• Director:

  Raoul Walsh

• Producer:

  Winfield R. Sheehan

• Screenwriter:

  Marie Boyle, Jack Peabody, Florence Postal, Fred Sersen

• Cinematographer:

  Lucien Andriot, Arthur Edeson

• Composer (Music Score):

  Arthur Kay

• Editor:

  Jack Dennis

• Art Director:

  Harold Miles, Fred Sersen

• Short Story Author:

  Hal G. Evarts

REVIEW:

• The first major sound Western, The Big Trail is also one of the greatest of the early talkies. Filmed in an experimental 70 mm wide-screen format labeled Fox Grandeur and showcasing a raw young talent named John Wayne, it possesses a dramatic sweep and swagger that Hollywood would not capture again for some 20 years. From its opening scenes, it is a revelation, and its use of wide screen is not just a gimmick but instead is an effective means of conveying the enormity of the story. The plot and characters are outdated, there are some awkward attempts at comic relief, and the inevitable Indian attack -- complete with a circling of the wagons -- doesn't help matters, but overall, The Big Trail is cinematic storytelling at its best. Director Raoul Walsh visualizes for the viewers the sort of pressures the pioneers encountered, from devastating weather conditions to overwhelming physical challenges. But more importantly, Walsh's loose, rambling approach to the story helps create the impression that the travelers never quite knew what was going to happen next and were making solutions up as each new obstacle presented itself. Shot after shot is overflowing with incidental characters floating in and out at random and filled with a chaotic clutter that makes all of the wagons and possessions look well worn and battered. Much, if not all, of the film was shot on location, adding to the authentic atmosphere. The photography is strikingly beautiful, and the natural approach to sound is innovative. Wayne gives one of his best performances, Marguerite Churchill makes a memorable leading lady, and the supporting cast is balanced by Tully Marshall and Russ Powell as two of Wayne's old buddies. But Tyrone Power, Ian Keith, and Charles Stevens are laughably one-note villains, and Stevens' portrayal of a Mexican bandit is especially unsettling. The Big Trail almost certainly did not invent any of the Western cliches it employs, but it uses them in ways that make it one of the vital entries in the evolution of the movie Western. ~ Bob Mastrangelo, Rovi