Breck Coleman leads hundreds of settlers in covered wagons from the Mississippi River to their destiny out West.Breck Coleman leads hundreds of settlers in covered wagons from the Mississippi River to their destiny out West.Breck Coleman leads hundreds of settlers in covered wagons from the Mississippi River to their destiny out West.
- Awards
- 1 win
- Red Flack
- (as Tyrone Power)
- Wagon Train Man
- (uncredited)
- Pioneer
- (uncredited)
- Indian
- (uncredited)
- Sid Bascom
- (uncredited)
- Pioneer
- (uncredited)
- Wrangler
- (uncredited)
- Pioneer Child
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Raoul Walsh
- Louis R. Loeffler(uncredited)
- Writers
- Hal G. Evarts
- Marie Boyle(uncredited)
- Jack Peabody(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis was the sole talking film of Tyrone Power Sr., father of Tyrone Power. He died in 1931.
- GoofsAt 1 hour 23 minutes 10 seconds: motor vehicles moving in the far distance (top left of frame).
- Quotes
Breck Coleman, Wagon Train Scout: We can't turn back! We're blazing a trail that started in England. Not even the storms of the sea could turn back the first settlers. And they carrie dit on further. They blazed it on through the wilderness of Kentucky. Famine, hunger, not even massacres could stop them. And now we picked up the trail again. And nothing can stop us! Not even the snows of winter, nor the peaks of the highest mountain. We're building a nation and we got to suffer! No great trail was ever built without hardship. And you got to fight! That's right. And when you stop fighting, that's death. What are you going to do, lay down and die? Not in a thousand years! You're going on with me!
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: DEDICATED- To the men and women who planted civilization in the wilderness and courage in the blood of their children.
Gathered from the north, the south, and the east, they assemble on the bank of the Mississippi for the conquest of the west.
- Alternate versionsFilmed in two versions simultaneously: widescreen process Grandeur in 70mm, and in standard 35mm. Some scenes were shot simultaneously in both formats; other scenes were shot twice, once for each format. The two versions are not identical in content - the 70mm version runs 125 minutes, while the 35mm version runs a shorter 108 minutes (but does contain some scenes not found in the longer widescreen version).
- ConnectionsAlternate-language version of La gran jornada (1931)
Early movies could use or consult people WHO HAD BEEN THERE. Of course, USC quarterback John Wayne, or even Irish thespian Tyrone Power, Sr. (who tried farming and hated it) are exceptions, but there is a ring of authenticity with "The Big Trail" which you can't get second hand. And if those aren't real plains Indians by the hundreds, I'll eat my breech clout!
And the scenery! Unfortunately, cinematographers hadn't mastered filters, so the sky is always washed out, and dust and haze obscure the deep focus. But even these limitations paradoxically serve to provide a feel of endless horizons. And the locations are spectacular, especially the Indian village, which is so enormous that at first I thought half of it was backdrop. Then, there is the spectacular rope drop of animals and equipment down an escarpment that could have inspired Herzog's "Fizcarraldo".
Of course, the acting is hammy and dialog corny, but remember, The Big Trail is from 1930 and that early sound movies had yet to evolve fully from silent film technique, which called for pantomime, with its exaggerated facial expression and movement. Also bear in mind that the style of reading lines came directly from the theater stage from which lines, lacking voice amplification, were delivered as oratory to be heard in the back rows.
Robert Flaherty in his landmark documentary "Nanuk of the North" actually set up his scenes dramatically. He was by no means a fly on the wall. If Flaherty could have made a documentary about the epic journey of a pioneer wagon train through the great Western prairies, I doubt if he could have achieved much greater impact than "The Big Trail".
- jacksflicks
- Apr 6, 2004
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Raoul Walsh's The Big Trail
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 5 minutes
- Color
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