The Big Trail filming locations include Wyoming, Utah, Montana, and California in the USA. The Big Trail was filmed in seven states.
It is an American pre-Code Western film released on November 1, 1930. Directed by Raoul Walsh, it was shot in an early form of widescreen called Grandeur.
However, the widescreen version, filmed by Arthur Edeson, had a limited release because most theatres in the Depression era weren’t technically provided to show it.
This phenomenon was also observed in the case of other Western classics of that time like Tender Mercies.
Most theatres screened a 35mm version of the film shot simultaneously by Lucien Andriot.
In 2006, the United States Library of Congress deemed this title “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and picked it for preservation in the National Film Registry.
The library said the film’s plot of a trek along the Oregon Trail is aided by the majestic sweep offered by the experimental 700mm Grandeur widescreen process used in the shooting.
The film follows Breck Coleman (portrayed by young John Wayne), who leads hundreds of settlers in covered wagons to their destiny out West from the Mississippi River.
Where Was The Big Trail Filmed?
The Big Trail was filmed in seven states that include Utah, Wyoming, California, Arizona, Montana, and Oregon in the USA. It was a four months schedule.
It was shot in an early widescreen process called Fox Grandeur or 70 mm Grandeur film. The format was first used in Fox Film Corporation’s musical film Fox Movietone Follies of 1929.
The Big Trail was the first big-budget title of the sound era. Made at the then enormous budget of over $2 million, it was filmed in 15 far-flung locations in different western states.
The 15 separate locations include Buttercup Dunes, CA; the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona; Grand Teton Pass, Wyoming, Moise-National Buffalo Range, Montana; and Sequoia National Park, CA, among others.
It also featured the Oregon Trail migration saga as realistically as possible. Many images show the crew on locations with breathtaking backdrops such as Jackson Hole and Grand Tetons in Wyoming.
Many pictures show the movie’s huge cast of nearly 300 principal actors and 20 thousand extras.
The epic scene of the wagon train that departs the bank of the Mississippi River and travels to the northwest corner of America was pioneering with the depth and view of the spectacular landscape.
Eye-catching locations in five states, beginning from New Mexico to California, were used to shoot the caravan’s 2000-mile trek.
Here we talk about the major filming locations of The Big Trail (1930):
Utah
Utah’s diverse range of landscapes, Park City’s state-of-the-art sound stage, and world-class film crews make it a filmmakers’ paradise.
The state has been a reliable backdrop for many Western movies, including The Big Trail. It has also been a perfect location for rom-com such as Identical Love and Happily Ever Emma.
Walsh’s 1930 movie featured beautiful Utah locations such as Hurricane Bluffs, Zion National Park, and St. George.
Other attractions of the state are Arches National Park, Monument Valley, Canyonlands National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Salt Lake City Temple, Utah’s Ski Resorts, and Moab.
Wyoming
Wyoming is a perfect location for Western titles that require to be filmed in beautiful and rugged terrain.
In addition, Cowboy State has thousands of usable locations and hundreds of distinctive looks. Wyoming also has highways perfect for car commercial projects -Bertooth and Snowy Range passes.
Not to mention, Grand Teton National Park (featured in The Big Trail) is perfect for a wilderness backdrop, with its film-friendly management and picturesque mountains.
Jackson Hole, Teton Pass, Teton Range, and Yellowstone National Park are the Wyoming locations of the film.
Meet The Cast of The Big Trail 1930
The Big Trail 1930 cast consists of John Wayne, Marguerite Churchill, El Brendel, Ian Keith, Charles Stevens, and Tully Marshall.
The number of actors used in the film was staggering. 20,000 extras, 1,800 head of cattle, 1,400 horses, and 500 head of buffalo journeyed with the production team.
John Wayne as Breck Coleman
The then 23-year-old Wayne landed his first leading role as Coleman in The Big Trail.
In his first starring role, American actor Wayne played the simple, honest, Cooperesque trail scout, Coleman, a man who embodies the innate goodness of American manhood.
Besides, he is notable for his starring roles in films produced during Hollywood’s Golden Age -especially Western and war movies.
John Wayne appeared in 179 film and television productions and was among the top box-office draws for around three decades.
Wayne’s popular titles include The Searchers (1956), True Grit (1969), The Quiet Man (1952), The Longest Day (1962), The Cowboys (1972), Brannigan (1975), and The Shootist (1976).
Marguerita Churchill as Ruth Cameron
Churchill’s character, Ruth Cameron, is Breck’s love interest, whom he’d kissed accidentally, in The Big Trail.
Her character is a young single mother making her way west and often needs Breck’s protection. Unwilling to accept her attraction toward him, she rather gets close to a gambler acquaintance.
She was Wayne’s first leading lady in The Big Trail. Her career lasted for three decades, from 1922 to 1952.
Marguerita made her first Broadway appearance on 1992 Christmas and was commended as a leading lady at just 16 years old. Shortly, she made her debut on screen in The Diplomas.
She appeared in more than 25 films, including Girls Demand Excitement (1931), Quick Millions (1931), Ambassador Bill (1931), The Final Hour (1936), and Dracula’s Daughter (1936).
Additional cast members
- El Brendel as Gus
- Tully Marshall as Zeke
- Tyrone Power Sr. as Red Flack
- David Rollins as Dave Cameron
- Frederick Burton as Pa Bascom
The Big Trail Movie Review
The 1930 film presents a simple story in a majestic fashion, told over the course of 122 minutes.
It is a story of romance and adventure that grows into a large historical cinematic document. It offers little complexity in plot and characters as it tells the story of a wagon train across the country.
Watching the train cross daunting locations, including cliffs and rivers, with huge numbers of extras and livestock, is very fulfilling.
Individual scenes have also great power -whether it’s wagons being lowered down over cliffs, a river crossing that overturns them, or a dog lying down and not leaving a grave after an Indian attack.
As of 2023, review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 100% rating.
“It has a thunderstorm that looks as real as the land, water, and sky that confront one throughout this production,” wrote Morduant Hill in The New York Times.
Dave Kehr, a film critic, wrote for the Chicago Tribune, “a film at least 25 years ahead of its time in its visual strategies and one that can still astonish with the depth and sweep of its imagery.”
Some FAQs
Where was The Big Trail filmed?
The Big Trail was filmed in 15 far-flung locations in different western states, including Utah, Wyoming, and California.
How old was John Wayne in The Big Trail?
John Wayne was 23 years old when he landed his first leading role in The Big Trail, directed by Raoul Walsh.