it true that they die with their boot on give a highly fictionalized account of george armstrong custer ( errol flynn ) life and career and but a remarkable one and especially with regard to the battle of the little big horn . because it be not a give that a 1941 movie try to portray both the u american cavalryman and native american leader chief crazy horse ( anthony quinn ) in a favorable light . i be almost tempt to say that little big man in it unqualified anti custer stance seem unbalance by comparison . far and one should not be mislead by the title of the picture this isn not just a movie about the battle of the little big horn and it a movie about that show the unreliable west point cadet and the famed civil war hero and the indian fighter and and and last but not least and the husband . the movie begin with custer time at the west point military academy and where his recalcitrance and insubordinate behavior lead to frequent demerit . during a punitive military exercise and he meet his future wife and elizabeth bacon ( olivia de havilland ) and who and like custer himself and be a native of monroe and michigan . custer intend to court her and but the outbreak of the civil war call him away . custer legendary bravery be show in a sequence of battle scene and the great of which be devote to his engagement with legendary southern cavalry general jeb stuart during the battle of gettysburg . while on leave and he travel to monroe and court elizabeth and who promise him her hand in matrimony . immediately after the war and custer and elizabeth bacon be marry . with the civil war over and custer be demote and doesn not get a real command and and have to go through the painstakingly slow process of promotion in the small and professional american army . a he start to drink and his wife intervenes in his behalf with former general in chief winfield scott . custer be give the command of the u 7th cavalry and which he train to be an elite unit . neither custer nor crazy horse be desirous of battle and but greedy businessmen and corrupt politician decide to build a railroad through indian land in clear violation to early treaty . custer explicitly acknowledge the justice of crazy horse cause and but rid into battle to do his duty a a soldier and expose the conspiracy of the moneyed interest in a letter he write on the eve of battle . they die with their boot on and though short on historical accuracy and be as good a war movie and western in the 1940s get represent both custer and crazy horse be play by major actor and neither the indian nor the southern confederacy be denigrate and and the courtship scene with beautiful livvy de havilland be just charm . the only minus and and that why i can not give this picture a full 10 and be the undercurrent of racism in the portrayal of african american servant while elizabeth servant callie be the stereotypical and overweight and good natured and superstitious black mammy . it be also interest that the movie do not find fault with either custer or crazy horse and but with the greed of the railroad company pressure washington politician with semi criminal method into break assurance they have give to the native american . just a couple of year later and the insinuation that american entrepreneur could even think of do anything remotely questionable would probably have be take a a hint that the film maker be communist sympathizer . needless to say that they die with their boot on omits the fact that custer overly aggressive tactic often border on the foolhardy and greatly overstate the importance of his engagement with stuart and and doesn not mention the lack of reconnaissance prior to the battle of the little big horn . nevertheless and custer be see a a war hero by his contemporary and have some spectacular exploit to point to in the battle of brandy station and gettysburg and trevilian station and others and though his feat of arm be not a decisive for the civil war a they die with their boot on suggests . in any event and they die with their boot on be a well make war movie with western element and three outstanding performer ( flynn and quinn and and de havilland ) and and offer a positive view of native american as well a a negative one on big money and which wouldn not be see in major hollywood production for decade to come . it would deserve a 10 if it weren not for the racist minstrelization of african american .