How the West Was Won

Rating:
Summary: This is it folks!
Review: How The West Was Won is a true classic from the glory days of MGM. Everything about this film is done on a grand scale. The cast includes some of the biggest names ever to appear in a motion picture. Including: Gregory Peck, James Stewart, John Wayne, Debbie Reynolds, Spencer Tracy and Richard Widmark. The widescreen cinerama process appears dated and inconsistant by today's standards and it should be noted that the new DVD edition is not in anamorphic widescreen. The DVD edition appears to be a new transfer from the same previous 35mm print but contains notable improvements which include brighter more accurate colors and a clarity and definition that the picture has never had before on home video. The aspect ratio is also closer to the cinerama widescreen ratio, but there is still a noticeable cropping of the sides. The film also has the characteristic visable cinerama seams. The new DVD edition is the best the film has looked outside a cinerama theatre and is probably the best edition we will ever get. The restoration effort on "My Fair Lady" cost 1.2 Million dollars over a two year period. It probably would not be economically sound to treat HTWWW to the same restoration effort as it does not have as much consumer support. If you want HTWWW I suggest that you buy this edition, otherwise you may be in for a long wait.

Rating:
Summary: I hate to say "me too", but...
Review: Summary: the film is great, the transfer needs serious help.

I had not previously seen the movie, and the first time I saw the DVD version I was getting a little irritated with the bad transfer (especially the all-too-obvious misalignment between the three screens). I'm glad I sat through it, as the story is impressive and very enjoyable. It's not for everyone, but if you're into sorta-kinda-historical movies about the early US, this is a great choice.

I'd love to see a digitally-restored version of this, as it wouldn't be too difficult to fix the alignmnent issues. But I suspect that it would be fairly expensive to do--not only are there three separate pieces of film to have to deal with, but it's a very long movie... and the film has obviously deteriorated quite a bit over the years.

I'll give it three stars just because it's a great movie, but as other folks have pointed out--it's simply not a good transfer. It's not nearly as bad as some of the really cheap releases (this one's watchable) but some people will definitely be turned off by the vertical lines etc. Rent it first.

Rating:
Summary: An Epic of Americana
Review: HOW THE WEST WAS WON is not only one of my Westerns but is one of my favorite films. Somehow I feel that to really appreciate the scope of this film you probably had to see it on the big screen when you were a kid growing up. It was awe inspiring when I saw it those many years way back when. Even if you didn't see it in true Cinerama, the composite prints were still impressive because you got the three depths of field, which still conveyed the grandeur of the panoramic outdoor vistas of the West as no other process ever, did. The film is a sprawling epic, episodic in structure, but remains one of the great cinematic examples of true Americana. You get a genuine feel of the westward movement of nineteenth century America. This is made greatly possible by Alfred Newman's inspired score, utterly breathtaking cinematography by William H. Daniels, Milton Krasner, Charles B. Lang, Jr. and Joseph LaShelle and screenwriter James R. Webb's earthy dialogue. James Stewart as Linus Rawlings and Henry Fonda as Jethro Stuart have effective and interesting yet separate scenes (the film was divided into five segments) that are linked together by George Peppard as Zeb Rawlings (Stewart's son) in Peppard's telling coming-of-age performance. Stewart's Linus Rawlings is our first contact with a character that embodies the spiriting of winning the West. Fonda's Jethro Stuart seen much latter in the fourth segment gives a reflective performance and ponders on what was really won in the conquering of the West. Debbie Reynolds as Lilith Prescott embodies the romanticism, prosperity and lure of what the West held for those adventurous individuals and dreamers who yearned for what those far off and distant hills held for those with the willing spirit. Russ Tamblyn also has a brief but effective role as a Confederate soldier who shares reflections during the evening with a Union soldier (Peppard) on a riverbank pink with blood from the day's fighting. Also memorable and effective was Spencer Tracy's voice as the Narrator, which tied together the five story segments along with the beautiful prose of the prologue and touching epilogue. For me there are many touching moments in this film about the human spirit and our capacity to want and love. I think this is a great and important film about the American spirit.

Rating:
Summary: Not made for the small screen
Review: Like IMAX films released on dvd...what's the point? This was made for the biggest movie screens ever conceived.

I was lucky to see this film a few years ago in genuine 3-strip CINERAMA on an archival print from the original release. On the big screen it's an amazing experience. The uneven story fades away when one is viewing the spectacular cinematography. CINERAMA captured vast scenes in incredible richness and detail. It's an experience like no other.

On the small screen at home you mainly notice the technical flaws, the borders between the three separate images, and also the dated 1960's Hollywood "Old West" story. (Carroll Baker's makeup is never smudged, even when tilling the soil.) The first two segments are the best dramatically.

One aspect that is still great at home is the magnificent score by Alfred Newman. So save your money, buy the soundtrack, and head to Seattle, LA, or England or where ever you can find an exhibition of the real CINERAMA.

Rating:
Summary: Editing is unacceptable
Review: I cannot count how many times I have watched this movie since it was first released way back when. I saw it in Cinerama and have seen it non-Cinerama. Unfortunately the seams people complain about are inherent in any Cinerama transfer to "standard" format. Until a complete digital remastering is accomplished this will be normal.

What I did not like about this DVD is that it is edited. Why would a DVD release be edited is beyond me. Similar to the editing of the Alamo, minor pieces being removed are not noticed unless you have seen the film in its uncut version. Editing a DVD release is not acceptable.

Rating:
Summary: I remember the defects...
Review: This DVD rendition is difficult to watch as the very evident improperly aligned seam, the color imbalance among the three screen segments, and the the average resolution are all disruptive to the concentration of the flow of the story. What sticks in the viewer's mind are the "defects" mentioned above.The CINERAMA process may have worked well in the big theater screens but not for this home viewing format. This film could have been technically refurbished to clean up the "defects". But that would have been expensive. It is easier to make a fast buck by presenting the feature as is. What a shame!

Rating:
Summary: How The West Was Won...in the standard Hollywood tradition
Review: Not the sweeping chronicle of historical events as the title might suggest to you, but rather the story of one family's move to the West and the effects and changes that shape each member through three generations. The movie is heavily peppered with an All-Star cast, but that isn't necessary as the story is good on it's own terms. With the exception of George Peppard and Debbie Reynolds everyone else appears in what could be best classified as a 'glorified cameo'. Peppard makes the strongest impression as Zeb Rawlings, veteran of the Civil War who later serves as the military liaison officer for the railroad, which is moving ever westward. Reynolds is Lily Prescott who continually overcomes the odds against her and survives into old age. Other cast members that stand out include Karl Malden as the Prescott family patriarch who begins the family's move west; Carroll Baker as Malden's daughter and Reynolds's sister Dora; and especially Henry Fonda as the practical and durable plainsman Jethro Stuart featured in "The Railroad" sequence of the film.

A stampeding buffalo herd that tramples a pioneer settlement under its hooves and a hairy and sensational shootout on a rapidly moving train are the action highlights, but they don't come until the final 25 minutes of the movie. There are other rousing scenes such as the Prescott's wild ride down the river rapids and a little while later an Indian attack but they come off as fairly routine, having that sense of 'déjà vu' to it. Reynolds adds some great punch to the film in several musical numbers that she performs periodically throughout, working as a showgirl to support herself in different venues.

Ironically, the Western genre's larger-than-life icon, John Wayne, receives barely five minutes of screen time - and he doesn't even appear as a Westerner. He plays General Sherman to Henry Morgan's General Grant in "The Civil War" sequence of the film. The entire scene is inconsequential to the rest of the movie, showing the two generals lamenting over their battlefield decisions, which have caused an incredible loss of life at Shiloh. It serves only to allow Union soldier Peppard to act as a hero, preventing a would-be assassin from taking either of the two's lives.

A major drawback to 'How The West Was Won' is its ethnocentric view of history. The Native Americans played a huge part in the successful settlement of the Western US but they receive only the standard Hollywood treatment. Not until the final "The Railroad" sequence do they get any substantial screen time, but even so this is for the purpose of establishing Peppard's character as a friend of the Indians, the Arapahos in this case. One other slight disadvantage is the lack of dramatic continuity, which is due to the film's efforts to provide its big name cast with screen time.

'How The West Was Won' was filmed in a technique that employed three cameras to capture each shot and was presented in theaters that same way. Unfortunately it doesn't transfer to DVD too well and it is clear to see the seams or separate frames often throughout the film. To truly appreciate this movie it should be seen on the big screen when possible, it is as visually impressive as many of the Hollywood action oriented mega blockbusters of today.

Rating:
Summary: Needs a better format, anamorphic
Review: I saw the film in LA, at the original Cinerama, in the original
showing. This film is not going to be right until shown in
HDTV (HD-DVD), but for Pete's sake, why letterbox ?

What a trashy way to treat this classic. Stick a crowbar in your
wallet and spring for an anamorphic release. When the HD-DVD with
proper restoration shows up, I'll buy a copy of that, not rent.

Rating:
Summary: Middling story and atrocious transfer
Review: I like westerns. My favorite entries in the genre are spaghetti westerns, those cheap, ultra low budget Italian takes on the American West. I always try to fit some of these movies into my viewing schedule, and when the day came where I considered it time to watch Sergio Leone's epic "Once Upon a Time in the West," I headed out to rent it. Imagine my surprise when I got home and saw that I inadvertently checked out "How the West Was Won" instead. I scratched my head, not familiar at all with the title. After all, I like westerns but I don't know a lot about the genre or the films I have yet to see. When I saw the cast list for this 1962 movie, I decided not to take it back without watching and seeing if I liked it. I think I would be remiss to have skipped this one on initial impression alone; the cast list reads like a "who's who" of mid twentieth century Hollywood. You've got Carroll Baker, Lee J. Cobb, Agnes Moorehead, Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, George Peppard, Debbie Reynolds, Eli Wallach, John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Walter Brennan, Karl Malden, Carolyn Jones, Harry Morgan, Raymond Massey, and Robert Preston filling the roles. Spencer Tracy voices the narration. Howard Hawks and John Ford directed specific segments of the film. What a list of talent! Couldn't go wrong with a movie like this one, right? Wrong.

As amazing as it seems, "How the West Was Won" is not a very good experience. The movie runs for an eternity as it attempts to describe the different experiences in settling the American West. At the beginning of the film, the Prescott clan heads out to the West in search of farmland and a new beginning. Zebulon Prescott (Karl Malden), his wife Rebecca (Agnes Moorehead), and two daughters Eve (Carroll Baker) and Lilith (Debbie Reynolds) travel down the recently completed Erie Canal and travel out into what Illinois or Missouri. Along the way, they encounter a traveling fur trapper named Linus Rawlings (Jimmy Stewart), who stays with the family for a day or so, just long enough to fall in love with one of the daughters. After Zeb and Rebecca perish in an unfortunate rafting accident, Rawlings reemerges to take care of Eve and eventually establish a farm at the sight of the accident. These two will have children-one named Zebulon Rawlings (George Peppard)-who will eventually fight in the Civil War. Zeb Rawlings then leaves the family property to his brother as he moves further west fighting Indians for the railroads and working as a law officer. He ends up thwarting a nasty train robbery in Arizona some fifty years after his grandparents expired on that raft.

The other daughter, Lilith, ends up in St. Louis working as a dancer and actress when she learns that she inherited a gold mine in California. As she prepares to head west, a slick card shark named Cleve Van Valen (Gregory Peck) convinces Lily to take him along. There's a minor competition for Lily's affections between Van Valen and Roger Morgan (Robert Preston), another guy on the wagon train. The gold mine doesn't pan out in the end, so Lilith and Cleve end up falling in love and marrying, eventually going on to build and lose several huge family fortunes. Of course, Lily's travels to the coast are fraught with perils, such as an Indian attack on the wagon train and a song and dance number at a campsite. I kept hoping the filmmakers would insert a Donner Party type situation that would require Gregory Peck to consume either Robert Preston or Debbie Reynolds, but no such luck. In any event, the movie seems to focus more on the Rawlings clan than it does on Lily's experiences.

Sadly, many of the great actors in the movie rarely appear. Raymond Massey plays Abraham Lincoln, John Wayne and Harry Morgan are General William Tecumseh Sherman and General Ulysses S. Grant respectively, and Lee J. Cobb is a Marshal in Arizona. Even Eli Wallach as an outlaw is a ghostly shadow of the villain he played in Leone's "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." The huge cast list highlights the central problem of the film, namely that the filmmakers tried to do too much. Very few of the characters we see receive proper development. The focus here is on shock and awe photography and scenery, not the individuals taking part in the events. "How the West Was Won" was the first film shot in Cinerama, and, I think, a prime example of how Hollywood abuses a new technology. We see the same thing going on today with the CGI effects in those top-heavy special effects bonanzas. Everyone wants to use a new cinematic technique, so much so that they rely solely on the effect and lose sight of the human element. A bit less spectacle and a lot more interaction between the cast would have helped this movie succeed.

I hate to say it, but the DVD version of this film could use a lot of work. You can literally see the two lines dividing the picture into three segments in the transfer. Not only is this enormously annoying, it's completely unacceptable. I can't believe the studio techs couldn't release a seamlessly restored version of this film. The disc does contain a short documentary detailing the Cinerama process along with a few bits about the stunts in the film, but the shoddy picture quality of the movie will dampen your enthusiasm for any extras. I imagine some people would like the actual movie better than I did though no one should settle for the poor transfer. I suggest waiting for a special edition disc.

Rating:
Summary: A pot-boiler: then and now
Review: "How the West Was Won": an incorrigible pot-boiler. Like other "epics" of the 1960s (eg the Alamo) this movie is a product of Hollywood culture. This is an entertainment genre unto itself. As an example of Hollywood's looking-in-on-itself as a source of material, this movie has charm (but not in the way intended). But if you are looking for any trace of history or American culture, look elesewhere. If you are into Rat-pack era (Sinatra, Monro, Kennedy) pseudo-culture, this is a classic.