The Big Trail (1930)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writer:

Hal G. Evarts (story)

Release Date:

1 November 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Western | Romance

Tagline:

The Most Important Picture Ever Produced

Plot:

Breck Coleman leads hundreds of settlers in covered wagons from the Mississippi River to their destiny out West.

Plot Keywords:

Cliff | Mississippi | Desert | Settler | Wagon Train

Awards:

1 win

Cast

John Wayne	...	Breck Coleman
Marguerite Churchill	...	Ruth Cameron
El Brendel	...	Gus, comical Swede
Tully Marshall	...	Zeke, Coleman's sidekick
Tyrone Power Sr.	...	Red Flack, wagon boss (as Tyrone Power)
David Rollins	...	Dave 'Davey' Cameron
Frederick Burton	...	Pa Bascom (conducts prayer, wedding)
Ian Keith	...	Bill Thorpe, Louisiana gambler
Charles Stevens	...	Lopez, Flack's henchman
Louise Carver	...	Gus's mother-in-law

Runtime:

125 min (35 mm version) | 158 min (70 mm version) | 120 min (FMC Library Print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric System)

Certification:

Australia:G | New Zealand:PG | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Buttercup Dunes, Imperial County, California, USA

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Reportedly this film debuted at a running time of 158 minutes. However, this is unconfirmed as of May 2008.

Quotes:

Caption: Prairie schooners rolling west, praying for peace - but ready for battle.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'The Big Trail' (2008) (V)

Soundtrack:

Song of the Big Trail

An early sound classic

This movie literally stopped me in my tracks while it was on the TV and i was moving my furniture out of my apartment! Its that good .I found the scope and breath of not only the production but the story to be a real delight.The uneven sound quality (remember this 1930) -actors turning away from the microphone and becoming mute,the fact that many of the old-timers acting in this movie were actually plains people and had lived amongst the very type of people they were portraying gave this film a unique feel of authenticity. The Duke even comes off as a real actor in this first rate oater. How he didn't become a star for 9 more years is a real mystery.All in all a must see!!