Product Details

• Actors: Errol Flynn, Miriam Hopkins, Randolph Scott, Humphrey Bogart, Frank McHugh
• Directors: Michael Curtiz
• Writers: Howard Koch, Norman Reilly Raine, Robert Buckner
• Producers: Hal B. Wallis, Robert Fellows
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Warner)
• VHS Release Date: December 7, 1994
• Run Time: 121 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302375835
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,130 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  #3 in	Video > Westerns > Western Stars > Randolph Scott
  #6 in	Video > Action & Adventure > Action Stars > Errol Flynn
  #16 in	Video > Military & War > Civil War

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable western with Errol Flynn in fine form, April 3, 2003

By	Simon Davis - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Warner Bros. production of "Virginia City", has often come in for its fair share of criticism over its smaller budget than other contemporary westerns had lavished on them at this time and of the classic cases of miscasting among some of the lead performers. I for one always enjoy it and find that while it isn't anywhere near Errol Flynn's greatest role it is one where he delivers an interesting performance which can be counted among his better efforts. It is an interesting point that Errol Flynn was one of, if not the only non-American ever to find success in the western genre as evidenced by his great work in such efforts as "Dodge City", "Silver River", and in this effort.

Directed with the usual gusto by director Michael Curtiz who despite detesting Flynn personally always managed to extract fine work from him, "Virginia City" has an involved and indeed complicated story placed in the period of the American Civil war. It tells the story (based on an actual incident), of Captain Kerry Bradford (Flynn) a "yankee" who after escaping from a southern prison is sent south to Virginia City to hinder an essential shipment of $5,000,000 worth of gold secretly gathered by southern sympathisers from reaching the south's base of defence without which the war effort cannot be continued. Along the way he locks horns in a battle of wits with former goaler Captain Vance Lurby (Randolph Scott) who is determined to see that this secret shipment goes through via wagon train to Richmond to aid the cause. Also complicating Bradford's orders is the alluring dance hall singer come confederate spy Julia Hayne/Julie Adams (Miriam Hopkins) with whom he promtly falls in love and finds himself in a dilemma of mixed loyalties. Much attention has been focused on the miscasting of Miriam Hopkins in this role that perhaps required a more "sassy" type of female in the role. Hopkins always a fine actress as can be seen by her sterling work in "The Old Maid", "These Three", and "Old Acquaintance" does good work here despite being in a role not entirely suited to her screen persona. Her work in the trek on the wagon train and in particular during the spectacular attack on the wagon trains in the conclusion is excellent and goes some way toward improving her role and giving her some dramatic potential from the earlier largely unsatisfactory dance hall scenes where she does appear out of place. Humphrey Bogart also appears in the film as the villian of the piece half breed Mexican John Murrell who is determined to get his hands on this shipment of gold by fair means or foul. He is badly miscast here playing a Mexican bandito and in 1940 was only just pulling himself out of the second string villian roles which were his forte during the 1930's. He obviously still had little say in the choice of his roles which would change very quickly after his wonderful performances in films like "The Maltese Falcon". Flynn "sidekicks", Alan Hale and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams round out the cast and bring some humour to their roles as Bradford loyal friends who seem to just turn up when he most needs their support. Their easy rapport with Errol Flynn is a strong point of the film and is a real pleasure to see in "Virginia City", based no doubt on the fact that they worked more often with Errol Flynn on screen than with anyone else.

"Virginia City", an "A" class production for 1940 benefits greatly from some beautiful location photography and the camerawork and staging in particular around the scenes of the wagon train attack cannot be bettered. Perhaps this type of film cries out for technicolour which had been used to such great effect in Errol Flynn's western effort of the previous year "Dodge City", however it is still effective in the beautiful shades of black and white photography. The obvious care and attention to detail are very evident here and they are the elements that lift this film up a notch or two above your average western of the time. Indeed no Errol Flynn film in this period could ever be classed as average as he was one of Warner Bros top Box Office stars and his films brought in guaranteed fortunes upon release.

"Virginia City" with its off beat casting, unusual conclusion which I wont give away for the benefit of those who haven't seen it yet, and the chance to see Errol Flynn ideally cast in his absolute prime, has indeed much to recommend it as entertainment from this period. Not the best western ever made but still a well put together production which despite its flaws makes great viewing. Enjoy Errol Flynn and Miriam Hopkins in their only performance together in Warner Bros. "Virginia City".

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Who Cast This Film?, September 2, 2002

By	James L. (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Towards the end of the Civil War, Union spy Errol Flynn is sent to Virginia City to stop a secret Confederate shipment of gold from reaching its destination, thus giving the South money to finance its failing war effort. Randolph Scott is the Confederate soldier in charge of the operation, and Miriam Hopkins is the dance hall girl/Confederate spy who helps to set it all up. Fans of Dodge City will find this Flynn western to be a disappointment, since it lacks the colour and spectacle and sense of fun of Dodge City. Flynn walks his way through the role without much conviction, but then again, he is saddled with less than acceptable co-stars. Scott is boring in his role, and poor Miriam Hopkins was a terrible choice for hers. She is very out of place in the story, not convincing as a spy and even less convincing as a showgirl! This role needed Ann Sheridan or Alexis Smith. But an even worse bit of casting is Humphrey Bogart as a Mexican (!) bandit. Max Steiner provides a rousing Western score, but sadly, the story defeats it. Some of the action is good, but the film never involves the audience much, and the ending left me cold. Errol Flynn and director Michael Curtiz made several other films together that are quite a bit better than this one.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars KERRY BRADFORD, April 6, 2002

By	"scotsladdie" (GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Contrary to popular belief, this movie was not a sequel to DODGE CITY, the Technicolor epic Flynn made with Olivia de Havilland the year before. This movie was originally intended to contain a better plotted script than it's predessesor, but something went wrong. Flynn plays a Union officer who escapes from the Confederate Libby Prison and goes to Virginia City to block a $5 million gold shipment that Southern sympathizers are preparing to smuggle through the Union lines to the hard-pressed Confederacy. Randolph Scott is the former commandant of Libby Prison who plans to send the gold to Richmond by wagon train and Miriam Hopkins is quite frankly miscast as the dancer-hall entertainer functioning as a Southern spy. Even more ludicrous is the usually reliable Bogey - here he's cast as a half-breed outlaw who speaks with a most unconvincing dialect. Although the final shooting script of this film tells a good story, the wooden dialogue and scenes work considerably against it. All the characters, with the exceptions of Jefferson Davis and President Lincoln (he's seen in shadow only) are fictitious, however the basic incident of the gold shipment is based on fact.