They lied in They Died

A few years ago I watched another old Western: They Died With Their Boots On, starring Errol Flynn as Col. George A. Custer. Amazingly, the movie makes Custer into a pro-Indian advocate. "The sanctuary of the red race is being violated," he says. "If I were an Indian, I'd fight beside Crazy Horse to the last drop of my blood."

Nevertheless, I gave this film an 8.0 of 10 for its entertainment value. As one critical reviewer said, "[E]ven if historical erroneousness intermittently undermines the film's outlandish attempts at lionization, They Died With Their Boots On endures as one of the finest Flynn-de Havilland collaborations."

For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.