The Big Trail 1930

[mrsl]

.
This started today at around 5:30 a.m. and I tuned in, even though I have it on a DVD I bought for $5.00 with twenty old, antique John Wayne movies, which I love.

The Big Trail has John Wayne as Breck, scouting for a wagon train and of course, falling for some girl on the way. In the meantime, he is looking for proof that the over-weight, raggedy bearded, buffalo hunter looking type of wagon train boss and his scrungy side kicks were responsible for Brecks friends' murder, as they keep trying to kill him also, but he outsmarts them each time, or his friends do. It's a very 'recently transformed to talkie' movie as many of the people think they are still doing the story by facial expression, and/or by talking very loudly and losing emotion in the process.

One curious thing is that in the credits, Tyrone Power is about the 4th or 5th name listed, and I kept pausing the TV to try to find him. Later, I looked the movie up on imdB to see what part Tyrone played because I never saw him, but actually I did. He was the overweight, 'raggedy bearded, buffalo hunter looking type of wagon train boss'. Turns out it was Tyrones father, Tyrone Power, Sr. who bears absolutely NO resemblance to his son, one of hollywoods most beautiful actors. (Think of Burl Ives in The Big Country, to picture what he looked like.) It's worth watching the movie to see this phenomenon. I never knew Powers Dad was an actor too.

Actually if you look, you'll see John Wayne is listed as the top name in the credits and this was 1930, nine years before Stagecoach. I knew he had made lots of 'B' movies, and was listed as the star, but this was definitely an 'A' movie, with all the assistance and budget needed to make an epic. Cattle, horses, about 30 or more wagons, indians - I mean this is a LARGE movie directed by Raoul Walsh.

Of course this is the kind of western I really like with cattle drives, a large cast, love interest, etc., but oddly, no one on one gunfights. Try it sometime, you might like it.
.

[stuart.uk]

The Big Trail for me is a real cult movie. it flopped on release, but has become in recent yrs regarded as a deserved classic. I wonder if after the success of Cimmeron, there was a backlash against A westerns, as Billy The Kid also flopped, sending star Johnny Mack Brown along with Wayne into Poverty Row westerns.

I love the end of TBT when Wayne is reunited with his girl in the middle of a forrest, surrounded by tall trees

It's also amusing to see Ward Bond with only a couple of lines. It took over 20-yrs before he became a star in his own right with Wagon Train. I could be wrong but I think footage of TBT was used in an episode of WT

[feaito]

“The Big Trail” (1930). I saw this landmark Western in its original aspect ratio, in the early widescreen process called “Grandeur”. What a difference it made! I had seen it in its regular aspect-ratio, as it was released previously and my kudos go to FOX for doing justice to this film. While the film, being an early talkie, has a slower pacing than later westerns, being able to watch longer unedited scenes is a pleasure in a way, especially due to the veracity and the realistic way in which the settlers’ journey is depicted. In that respect this western has more truth in it and many other details, than most of the later Westerns.

The Native Americans are the real thing and not actors in make-up and I’m thankful for that because it gives a 100% credibility to the story. There’s scene in which a group of women are combing and brushing their very long hairs and I bet that’s what things were like in those days. No fancy hairdos & make-up for women here. They looked real! Those and other details enhance the experience of watching this realistic film. The crossing of the dessert, the scenes in the mountains with the snow, the crossing of the river, the rain, the mud, when they go down the steep precipice, etc. everything conveys so truthfully the hardships these settlers must have lived. The fight with the Indians, the burial of the dead fellow travelers….there are so many fine vignettes in this film, that can be appreciated much, much better in the Grandeur version.

Again, the women look like women from that period, devoid of fancy “updating” for the sake of 1930s concept of attractiveness. Only the very beautiful Marguerite Churchill looks a little bit more glamorous, but after all, she’s the daughter of a well-off General of the South, and it doesn’t look out of place.

John Wayne looks so young; he’s such a fresh presence, but still conveys that command and authority that were his trademark, in this early appearance; those characteristics of his persona were already there.

Tully Marshall is very fine sidekick –can’t believe he played the lecherous old man in “Queen Kelly” (1928). What a fine actor. Tyrone Power and Ian Keith are superb villains in their respective styles.

The location filming is awesome. I have to see the extras included in this Double Disc DVD release! And I’m sure I’m in for a treat.

[stuart.uk]

Ward Bond had only a couple of lines. It was like he slowly worked his way in A pictures one line at a time, then maybe a small scene in another film. Though he had sizeable roles in Bs, it looks like his strong supporting roles didn't happen until the 40s with They Were Expendable and The Three Godfathers, before his great stalwart roles in The Wagonmaster and The Searchers. Then some 25-yrs or so after The Big Trail, he became a star in his own right in Wagon Train

[feaito]

I had forgotten to mention that Bond had a small role in the film. He appears bearded and I think that he played one of Bascom's sons. Didn't he?

[WisconsinMark]

The Big Trail was shot in five different versions at once -- 70 mm, 35 mm, French language, Spanish language, German language. It must have been madness out there on location!

[feaito]

And all five were filmed in location???? Wow!! The budget must have been immense!

[WisconsinMark]

And all five were filmed in location???? Wow!! The budget must have been immense!

The way it worked is, the long shots and the big location shots were done twice (or with two cameras simultaneously), in 35 mm and 70 mm. The 35 mm long shots were used in all the foreign language versions. Dialogue scenes and medium shots had to be done separately for each version, since the key actors (different in each language) could of course be identified. Even making the two English versions, 70 mm and 35 mm, was like making two completely separate films, because the materials shot in the different gauges could not be mixed. So yes, I think, it must have been an unbelievable undertaking. Different directors are credited for each of the languages.

Here is the relevant entry from the IMDB "Trivia" section for The Big Trail:

Incredibly, five different versions of this film were shot simultaneously: (1) a 70 mm version in the Grandeur process for exhibition in the biggest movie palaces; (2) a standard 35 mm version for general release; (3) a 35 mm alternate French language version La piste des géants (1931); (4) a 35 mm alternate Spanish language version La gran jornada (1931); and (5) a 35 mm alternate German language version Die große Fahrt (1931). The three alternate language versions were shot with (mostly) different casts.

[feaito]

Thanks for the information Mark. Sounds amazing! I wonder if the versions in foreign languages still exist.

[WisconsinMark]

Thanks for the information Mark. Sounds amazing! I wonder if the versions in foreign languages still exist.

That I am not sure of, and the IMDB doesn't say.

[feaito]

I finished watching all the great extras the DVD edition includes and they are very good. One of the authors or historians that was interviewed mentioned that this film really looked like a Flaherty documentary; the real thing and not a movie. And that's 100% true. The realistic depiction of everything is so incredibly well done. Not a single scene looks stage-bound at all. They also commented about how many different tribes of native Americans appeared (5 in all), how many props, animals, extras; in how many different States the location filming was done. This western is a real discovery for me. And I had seen the 1:33 version two or three years ago, but only watching the Grandeur version did I notice the full glory of this great movie.

The historians also commented on the difference between the stage acting techniques of Marguerite Curchill and Tyrone Power, brought from Broadway and "thrown into" the wilderness of location shooting in the West as opposed to The Duke's natural talent and poise. They blended quite perfectly in the film and its not very noticeable.

The extras include documentaries on Walsh, Wayne, the Making of The Big Trail, The Grandeur Process and Stills Galleries. There are even Galleries of each of three foreign versions (Italian, German and Spanish) -The French version of the movie is not included and the Italian version is not mentioned at http://www.us.imdb.com. Comparing the leading actors of these versions with Marguerite and John Wayne, hands down the latter win in terms of appeal and presence. All the other ladies appear with very apparent penciled eyebrows and makeup (the Spanish actress would be the more natural of the three) but still Marguerite looks much more natural, in accordance with the look of lady of the XIXth Century. I also noticed that in the Spanish version there was a prominent character who played a priest, absent from the other versions.

[WisconsinMark]

An Italian version, too? Amazing.

Wikipedia offers some more details:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Trail

A fairly common practice in the early sound era was to produce at least one foreign language version of a film for release in non-English speaking countries. There were at least four foreign language versions made of The Big Trail, using different casts and different character names:

* French: La Piste des géants (1931), directed by Pierre Couderc, starring Gaston Glass (Pierre Calmine), Jeanne Helbling (Denise Vernon), Margot Rousseroy (Yvette), Raoul Paoli (Flack), Louis Mercier (Lopez). La Piste des géants at the Internet Movie Database

* German: Die Große Fahrt (1931), directed by Lewis Seiler and Raoul Walsh, starring Theo Shall (Bill Coleman), Marion Lessing (Ruth Winter), Ullrich Haupt (Thorpe), Arnold Korff (Peter), Anders Van Haden (Bull Flack), Peter Erkelenz (Fichte), Paul Panzer (Lopez). Die Große Fahrt at the Internet Movie Database

* Italian: Il grande sentiero (1931), starring Franco Corsaro and Luisa Caselotti.

* Spanish: La Gran jornada (1931), directed by David Howard, Samuel Schneider, and Raoul Walsh, starring Jorge Lewis (Raul Coleman), Carmen Guerrero (Isabel Prados), Roberto Guzmán (Tomas), Martin Garralaga (Martin), Al Ernest Garcia (Flack), Tito Davison (Daniel), Carlos Villarías (Orena), Charles Stevens (Lopez). La Gran jornada at the Internet Movie Database

[feaito]

There are some familiar names there: Gaston Glass starred in Borzage's "Humoresque" (1920); Theo Shall played the Charles Bickford role in the German version of Garbo's "Anna Christie" (1930); Carlos Villarías played the Lugosi role in the Spanish version of "Dracula" (1931); and Tito Davison was well known Chilean actor, writer and director.

[movieman1957]

The most amazing thing to me is the size of the picture. While the group is moving it is a marvel. Whether it is the cliff lowering, the river crossing, the heavy rain or the snow storm it is amazing how much time, effort and money must have gone into it. A really good supporting cast. Wayne is probably the weakest in the lot. He hasn't quite got it but he does ok. The goodbye scene in the mountains is a little hokey and might have played better if some of the lines were changed but it is 1930.
(Any thoughts on when it was set? I am thinking late 1840s - early 1850s.)

It seems to be among the most authentic looking films. The wagons, the clothes, the hardware and there is so much of it. The detail is acutely there. Even the way the wagons are circled is unlike they are in other films. Again the action scenes (and that covers lots of types of action) are great just for the size of people and equipment involved.

Some fun asides are noting John Wayne cuss, more beard scratching than I have ever seen, and what may be the oddest shot in the film of a mother nursing then a horse nursing and finally a hog nursing her young.

I didn't get the widescreen version from Netflix but it is a beautiful print. Someday I'll have to make sure I get that one.

[feaito]

The most amazing thing to me is the size of the picture. While the group is moving it is a marvel. Whether it is the cliff lowering, the river crossing, the heavy rain or the snow storm it is amazing how much time, effort and money must have gone into it.

I agree 100% with your assessments Chris.

(Any thoughts on when it was set? I am thinking late 1840s - early 1850s.)

I think it might be after the Civil War, since Marguerite Churchill's character and her sister and brother, were the children of a late Southern General and since they were moving towards the West, I thought it might have had to do with the effect of the Civil War on Southern families.

It seems to be among the most authentic looking films. The wagons, the clothes, the hardware and there is so much of it. The detail is acutely there. Even the way the wagons are circled is unlike they are in other films. Again the action scenes (and that covers lots of types of action) are great just for the size of people and equipment involved.

My exact feelings. In terms of aunthenticity, excellent location shooting, characterization, etc. One of the truly best westerns. The total opposite of the type stagebound early talkies that were rather abundant in 1930. Amazing!!

I didn't get the widescreen version from Netflix but it is a beautiful print. Someday I'll have to make sure I get that one.

You should get it soon. It is a better film in the Grandeur format. Watch it ASAP!! It enhances the enjoyment of the viewing experience a great deal.