Customer Reviews

Errol Flynn Westerns Collection (Montana / Rocky Mountain / San Antonio / Virginia City)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Only "Virginia City" has an A-film feel about it with Michael Curtiz directing and notable Warner costars. The other three are B Westerns in my opinion, but Flynn's presence always made any film much better. His performances in all of these films are very good, he just doesn't always have the best material with which to work, and in some cases he is working with some very bizarre casting. The extra features bring this package up to four stars in my opinion, but I don't understand why WHV just didn't go ahead and add "Silver River" to the set and make it the usual five film classic box set. Someone else has already done an excellent job of summarizing each film. So I'll just mention the extra features for the set, the director in each case, and my personal rating of each film on a five star scale:

Montana (1950) directed by Ray Enright. (3/5)
The weakest of the four films in the set.
Extra Features:
Vintage Newsreel
Warner Night at the Movies 1950 Short Subjects Gallery
Joe McDoakes Comedy Short: So You Want a Raise
Classic Cartoon: It's Hummer Time
Trailers of Montana and 1950's Chain Lightning
Bonus Gallery of Santa Fe Trail Series Western Shorts: Oklahoma Outlaws, Wagon Wheels West and Gun to Gun

Rocky Mountain (1950) directed by William Keighley (3.5/5)
Begins well, ends well, but the middle does sag a bit, which is unusual for a Flynn film of any genre.
Extra Features:
Commentary by biographer Thomas McNulty [McNulty looks at Flynn's career, his unique qualities as a Western hero and his romance with costar Patrice Wymore.]
Warner Night at the Movies 1950 Short Subjects Gallery
Vintage Newsreel
Trailers of Rocky Mountain and The Breaking Point
Bonus Gallery of Santa Fe Trail Series Western Shorts: Roaring Guns, Wells Fargo Days and Trial by Trigger
Classic Cartoon: Two's a Crowd
Joe McDoakes Comedy Short So You Want to Move

San Antonio (1945) directed by David Butler (3.5/5)
Extra Features:
Warner Night at the Movies 1945 Short Subjects Gallery:
Vintage Newsreel
Oscar-Nominated Vitaphone Varieties Short Story of a Dog
Vintage Shorts: Frontier Days and Peeks at Hollywood
Classic Cartoons: A Tale of Two Mice and Wagon Heels
Trailers of San Antonio and The Corn Is Green

Virginia City (1940) directed by Michael Curtiz. (4/5)
How weird to see Humphrey Bogart playing his role of the bandit with some of the oddest diction ever. Not nearly as good as Dodge City but still good.
Extra Features:
Commentary by historian Frank Thompson [Thompson discusses this all-star collaboration with Flynn, Humphrey Bogart, Randolph Scott and Miriam Hopkins, and the challenges faced by director Michael Curtiz throughout production.]
Warner Night at the Movies 1940 Short Subjects Gallery
Vintage Newsreel
Technicolor Shorts: Cinderella's Feller and The Flag of Humanity
1936 WB Short: The Light Brigade Rides Again
Classic Cartoons: Cross Country Detours and Confederate Honey
Trailers of Virginia City and A Dispatch from Reuters

Recommended for the Errol Flynn completist. If you haven't got them already, get the excellent two volumes of Errol Flynn's Signature Collection. They are a very good introduction to Flynn's work - especially volume one - and should give you a better idea if you would like this set.

There are westerns (with John Wayne, Gary Cooper, directed by John Ford, Howard Hawks, not to mention Roy Rogers and Gene Autry) and then there are Errol Flynn's westerns. I think I saw some of Flynn's westerns on TV before I saw any of the others and was therefore very surprised to find that DODGE CITY, VIRGINIA CITY, THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON, etc., were unlike any of the other films in the genre. That said, these films created a unique western sub-genre on their own terms, mainly because Flynn was a unique screen presence and Warners figured out how to tailor stories to his personality.

This four-film collection brings together the less celebrated films. 1940's VIRGINIA CITY is basically a "prequel" to 1939's DODGE CITY with Flynn, Alan Hale, and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams playing virtually the same characters they did in the first film. My guess is that the romantic subplot with Miriam Hopkins (she and Flynn have absolutely NO screen chemistry)would have confused the love match in DODGE CITY had they played the same characters. Basically, VIRGINIA CITY is a shaggy dog story; that is, it starts off great even showing some influence of Ford's STAGECOACH with its extended sequences on a stage coach (and repeating one of STAGECOACH's best stunt scenes). But the plot gets so involved with so many characters that there's enough story for three films. You know things have gotten out of hand when you find yourself rooting for the Bogart character.

VIRGINIA CITY's saving grace is that it is an expertly made production and the money really shows on the screen. Technicolor would have been nice (as in DODGE CITY) but the b/w photography is crisp. Max Steiner contributes another fine score although some of the story's characters, like Frank McHugh, seem to get lost in the plot. This epic-scale film is a testament to the confidence Warners had in Errol Flynn at that time. It seems that almost every film he made during those years was an epic production and Flynn, at 30 years of age, never looked better.

Fast forward five years to the next film in this set, SAN ANTONIO, and we see more of a Roy Rogers influence than John Ford - Flynn even sings in this one! Glorious Technicolor is back (which makes up for a multitude of other shortcomings) but Flynn has developed a new screen persona by now. Gone is the noble Robin Hood-like knight that he more or less played in his films up to 1942. His well-publicized trial for statutory rape (he was acquitted however) persuaded Warners to reshape his character along the lines of Rhett Butler - a seeming gentleman with a shady past, decent people didn't speak to him - and this is the Flynn we see in films from about 1943 on.

SAN ANTONIO is Flynn's fifth western (of eight) and the first that was not an historical western. Played strictly as post-WWII escapist entertainment, Flynn at 35 is beginning to look like his dissipated lifestyle has started to catch up with him. His eyes were wonderfully expressive in earlier films but by now they're expressionless (check his closeups if you don't believe me). Teamed for the third time with Alexis Smith, they make a nice romantic team that almost (but not quite) makes you forget about Olivia De Havilland. Paul Kelly plays the dapper villain who seems to be based on Bruce Cabot's character in DODGE CITY. In real life, Kelly earlier served a prison term for a fist fight that turned fatal. But the climatic showdown between Flynn and Kelly that we've all been waiting for fizzles out. Duking it out in the deserted Alamo (we have a feeling that Kelly can take care of himself even against Flynn), the fight suddenly ends when Kelly falls down and hits his head against a rock, presumably killing him. What kind of climax is this!!!!

1950's MONTANA is the third film in the set but Technicolor seems to be used to disguise the fact that this film is a 76 minute B-picture. By now, Flynn was starting to really look haggard and Warners was pulling the plug on his films (and for the first time loaning him out to other studios). The previous year's ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN was Warners' last effort to promote Flynn in a big budget film. His absences, lateness, and general lack of cooperation on JUAN convinced the studio to just let him serve out the remaining films in his contract in routine productions. By 1950, the studio was hiring Gary Cooper and James Stewart for big budget westerns that a few years earlier almost certainly would have starred Flynn. MONTANA reunited Flynn and Alexis Smith for the fourth and last time - she looks ageless while he has clearly seen better days.

The last film in this set is ROCKY MOUNTAIN, a better production than MONTANA but a far cry from DODGE CITY, VIRGINIA CITY, SANTA FE TRAIL, and THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON, which were made about a decade earlier. His co-star from most of those earlier films, Big Boy Williams, is with Flynn in ROCKY MOUNTAIN and there are moments when Williams almost seems to say to Flynn, "What happened - how did we wind up in this thing?" (OK, you can accuse me of having an overactive imagination.)

If you enjoy any of the earlier Flynn westerns, you will want to have this set although it unintentionally documents the decline of one of Hollywood's greatest stars. Finally, I can recommend the book, "THE FILMS OF ERROL FLYNN" by Tony Thomas, et al. Originally published in 1969, it is chock full of great photos, credits, etc. from all his films. My only complaint is that the authors are dismissive of many good Flynn films - but they made their judgments almost 40 years ago. A number of the Flynn films beyond the essentials (CAPTAIN BLOOD, ROBIN HOOD, SEA HAWK) have grown in stature through the years as it has become obvious that we will never see the likes of Flynn or the wonderful films that Warners produced for him ever again.

Despite Errol Flynn's legacy as the screen's greatest swashbuckler, he, in fact, made more war films and westerns than sword-swinging adventures. While a collection of his often-worthwhile war films hasn't been released, yet, "Errol Flynn Westerns Collection (Montana / Rocky Mountain / San Antonio / Virginia City)" does provide an opportunity to enjoy some of Flynn's lesser-known westerns (chosen, I suspect, because two are in color). While Flynn hated making 'oaters', in general (with the exception of "They Died With Their Boots On"), his natural grace, charm, and riding and shooting skills certainly offset his incongruous Australian accent!

"Virginia City" (1940), is, arguably, the only 'A-list' title of the collection, a quasi-sequel to Flynn's hugely successful 1939 Western debut, "Dodge City", again directed by Michael Curtiz, scored by Max Steiner, and featuring Alan Hale and Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams as his sidekicks. This time around, Flynn is an undercover Union officer hot on the trail of a Confederate gold cache being transported via wagon train by noble Southern officer Randolph Scott. While fading 30s star Miriam Hopkins provided an unconvincing love interest for both Flynn and Scott (as a chanteuse with a pretty awful singing voice), the film is best-remembered for Humphrey Bogart's 'so bad it's good' portrayal of a Mexican bandit, in possibly his worst screen performance! Still, any Flynn/Curtiz collaboration is fun to watch...(3 stars, out of 4)

"San Antonio" (1945), Flynn's first western after a string of war films, was intentionally-contrived light entertainment for the returning G.I.s...but succeeds quite well, thanks to his cocky bravado, sparkling chemistry with frequent leading lady Alexis Smith, a beautiful Technicolor 'San Antonio Street' set (featuring a reproduction of the Alamo), and S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall's humorous fracturing of English, in comic support. This time around, Flynn is a wronged cowboy returning to Texas to rid his home town of suave Victor Francen and cold-blooded Paul Kelly. Flynn still had a couple of very good westerns, ahead ("Silver River" and "Rocky Mountain"), but this David Butler-helmed effort is pure entertainment...(3 stars, out of 4).

"Montana" (1950), is one of Flynn's shortest films (only 77 minutes), and reteamed him with Alexis Smith and S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall, but the film is B-movie, all the way, from Ray Enright's uninspired direction, to the aging Flynn's somewhat bored performance as an Australian sheepman in 'Big Sky' cattle country (one of the rare instances he actually played his true nationality...although, by this point, he'd lost most of his Aussie accent). The high points are a musical duet he performs (quite ably), with Smith, and the beautiful color photography...(2 stars, out of 4).

"Rocky Mountain" (1950), Flynn's follow-up to "Montana", would be his last western, and a far superior film in every way. Helmed by veteran Flynn director William Keighley (with an evocative Max Steiner score), this taut B&W tale of a tiny Confederate patrol in the far west, on a suicide mission, becoming involved with the survivors of a stagecoach attack (including future Flynn bride, Patrice Wymore), a Union patrol, and marauding Indians, works as both an action film and character study. Featuring Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams (in his final film with Flynn), the film debut of future western stars Slim Pickens and Sheb Wooley, and a finale reminiscent of "They Died Wth Their Boots On", the film is, by far, the best of this collection (3 1/2 stars, out of 4).

Each DVD includes period short films from the year of release, extra bonus features, and beautiful cover art.

While this collection may lack the luster of the earlier Flynn editions (and when may we expect a 'War Films' collection?), it certainly is still worthy of a place on your DVD shelf!

This particular edition now makes my Errol Flynn collection complete.
I grew up in a film oriented family.My father worked for Warner Bros
for 45 yrs and I had the pleasure of seeing all the WB films when they
were originally released and shown in the NY WB Screening room.
I also collect the Humphrey Bogart series and continually show them
on my large screen TV as well as lecture on same.
I purchase most of my DVD's and now Blue Ray's from Amazon and am
very pleased with their service.
The WB films have been a favorite of mine for many years.
Having been to the Warner Bros Studios in Burbank,California has
boosted my interest even further.

My mother had me purchase this collection for my dad. They have watched them a couple of times each and are extremely happy with the set. The picture quality is sharp and clear. We are beyond satisfied. Keep up the great work Amazon!

Roxanne Snider on behalf of Allen and Nina Collum Michigan

Even if you are not a Flynn admirer - what is wrong with you?! - this collection of films has all the ingredients of great action/ western films; good cast, plots, both comedy and drama, a dab of romance & as always, amusing dialogue. It's all there.
If you are a Flynn fan, he is just as swashbuckling in these later epics as he was in his sword - duelling days! Great stuff! You will also notice some of his old pals there too, Alan Dale's back in the saddle for example.
Ah, they don't make um' like they used to!

Errol Flynn Westerns Collection (Montana / Rocky Mountain / San Antonio / Virginia City)[[ASIN:B0007OY2PS The Errol Flynn Signature Collection, Vol. 1 (Captain Blood / The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex / The Sea Hawk / They Died with Their Boots On /
Dodge City / The Adventures of Errol Flynn)]]

The Errol Flynn Westerns collections, are exciting classic western adventures. His westerns movies keeps you on the edge of your seat, awaiting the hero to take over and prevail against the bad guys. The hero(Flynn) also gets the leading lady, in all of his flims. Great A movies to watch and enjoy hours of adventure and excitement. Errol Flynn collection of westerns movies, are my favorites. For all you classic western movie watchers, these are must movies to have.

I suppose that when most people think of Errol Flynn, they think of the swashbuckling hero of Robin Hood, Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk. One doesn't really think of him as a Western star, and when compared to big names like John Wayne or Gary Cooper, Flynn's Western career was less significant. Nonetheless, previous boxed sets of his movies have included such nice movies as Dodge City and They Died With Their Boots On. Errol Flynn - The Warner Bros. Western Collection collects four of his other films in the genre.

First in the set, chronologically, is Virginia City, which takes place in the waning days of the Civil War. Flynn is a Union spy sent west to the title town in Nevada where he hopes to stop a gold shipment from going to the Confederates and resurrecting their war effort. Randolph Scott is Flynn's Southern adversary, Miriam Hopkins is the showgirl falling for Flynn despite the fact that he's on the other side and Humphrey Bogart makes a rare Western appearance as the leader of some bandits.

San Antonio has Flynn as a cattleman after the thieves who stole from him. He now has the evidence to put the head thief away, but the man is practically running the title town, with only a military presence keeping any sort of legitimate order. Since it's San Antonio, the Alamo will play a part, with at least one character making his last stand there. And for all the mention that Olivia DeHavilland gets as Flynn's biggest costar (not only being with him in a lot of movies, but also in his biggest films), it is worth noting that Alexis Smith also had her share of movies with Flynn. In earlier sets, she was in Dive Bomber and Gentleman Jim. Here, she is not only in San Antonio but also the next film, Montana.

Montana has Flynn herding sheep instead of cattle, resulting in a major conflict with the cattlemen who detest sheep. Flynn is intent on getting grazing land and also in achieving a measure of peace. Smith plays the heiress to a cattle throne who is adamant in her enforcement of the no-sheep rule, a stand that only softens a little when she falls for Flynn.

With its title, you might initially think that Rocky Mountain takes place in Colorado or thereabouts, but the title doesn't refer to that middle-of-America range. Instead, it is a California mountain where Flynn has led a group of Confederate soldiers to rendezvous with some insurrectionists in the Golden State. Union forces are a threat, but the more immediate problem is a group of hostile Shoshones. This is the darkest movie in the set, with Flynn a little more antiheroic and a definite feeling of doom hanging over him and his company; since the movie takes place only a month before the end of the war, you know that the mission cannot succeed.

As with other Warner boxed sets, this one is loaded with extras. Not only do the first and last movies have commentaries, but all the films come with the Warner Night at the Movies feature that provides an old movie trailer and newsreel along with one or more short subjects and cartoons. I think most people would be hard-pressed to say these are Flynn's best movies, but they're all decent enough. That is, if you're a fan of Flynn, this is a set to get; if you're a fan of Westerns, this is a nice but non-essential collection.

While I'm glad to see another Errol Flynn collection released, this collection of Flynn's westerns is definitely a disappointment. Certainly, Virginia City and San Antonio are very worthwhile additions. Unfortunately, Montana and Rocky Mountain pale in comparison, being little better than B movies made during the twilight years of Flynn's contract with Warner Brothers.

Virginia City was produced and released during Flynn's pinnacle years. As such, the production values are very high across the board. Having Randolph Scott in the movie was great casting. Unfortunately, Miriam Hopkins is way out of her element in this type of movie and there is no on-screen chemistry between Hopkins and Flynn. I don't know who had the idea of casting Humphrey Bogart as a half-breed Mexican outlaw. Bogart, being a true pro, tries to play the part with conviction. It would have made a lot more sense to have someone else play the part, or at least, not make it one where the character has to speak with a Mexican accent. Virginia City was very popular at the time of its release and is still a pretty good film to this day.

San Antonio was Flynn's first western after the war years and his first since They Died With Their Boots On. I believe I read somewhere that San Antonio was one of the top grossing films when it was released. Although the story's weak and the characterizations lack any depth, it's a pretty entertaining production featuring Alexis Smith and S.K. Zakall in the supporting cast. The featured song from the movie "Some Sunday Morning" won an Academy Award.

Montana was probably Flynn's weakest western. The story's lame, Flynn tried to a certain extent but this was a very ordinary western in terms of story, script and production. The only redeeming qualities were Alexis Smith in her final co-star appearance with Flynn and the Technicolor process which was surprisingly used.

Rocky Mountain had a better story and some decent moments. William Keighley, in his final directorial effort, got a understated, believable performance from Flynn. The supporting cast performed credibly and included Flynn's third wife, Patrice Wymore. Not a bad little western but certainly nothing like the spectacular productions which characterized Flynn's westerns prior to WWII.

Two Errol Flynn western movies which could and should have been included are Santa Fe Trail and Silver River. Both have superior production values and are indicative of Flynn's first-tier star status throughout most of the 1940's. Their exclusion is puzzling and highly disappointing. Substituting Santa Fe Trail and Silver River for Montana and Rocky Mountain would have made this colletion much stronger and more on a par with the two earlier Flynn Signature Series collections.

Santa Fe Trail had all the excellent production values of Virginia City. It was directed by Michael Curtiz, Max Steiner did the musical score, Olivia DeHavilland was the romantic interest, Ronald Reagan was Flynn's comrade-in-arms and romantic rival, Raymond Massey gave a convincing performance as John Brown and Alan Hale and Guinn "Big Boy" williams were along as Flynn's buddies, both on and off screen. The story and Flynn's performance weren't as good as in Virginia City but having Olivia DeHavilland in the movie with Flynn more than makes up for those shortcomings and helps make Santa Fe Trail a good movie nonetheless.

Silver River features one of Flynn's best acting performances. Flynn was reportedly excited about the script and the character he would portray and it shows on film. With Ann Sheridan as his co-star and Raoul Walsh directing, Flynn gives a thoughtful, provacative portrayal of a hardened, embittered veteran of the Civil War who's wrongfully dismissed from the service. The film chronicles his struggles to become a succesful businessman in the tough frontier world and win the love of Ann Sheridan. Unfortunately, the middle of the film really sagged with too much ordinary dialogue and not enough action. For its faults, it's still well worth watching, particularly for the strength of Flynn's performance.

In many respects, I feel Flynn's fans were short-changed. I'm sure some fans would feel it would have been preferable not to issue the westerns collection at all rather than have half the selections be sub-par and not reflective of Flynn's overall body of work in the western genre. All in all, though, The Errol Flynn Westerns Collection is not a bad collection but it would definitely have been better entertainment and value had it contained a better selection of films.

I am very favourite of Errol flynn movies. I would like to watch more errol flynn movies (war)etc.. I have about 22 movies of Errol Flynn.