How the West Was Won (1962) Film Review

Rating U
Length 2h44
Release 01.11.1962
Director John Ford/ Henry Hathaway/ George Marshall
About Three great Western directors, combined forces with an all-star cast to create this magnificent panorama of how the American West was won – and lost.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: BBC IPlayer
Trailer:

The Good

The 3 strip Cinerama process that gives this film the panoramic perspective allows for some breathtaking scenes and individual images. There’s a depth of field that I would compare to Avatar. It’s not often I would want screen grabs on my walls, but this film had many.

The cast is incredible. Like Infinity War/ Endgame level of casting for the modern view who perhaps wouldn’t know the faces or names that populate this film. I could wax lyrical about all of them, but I will point out two specifically: Debbie Reynolds and George Peppard.
Reynolds is someone I’ve only seen on screen in her later life. To see her here, is to see the roots of Carrie Fisher’s performances. As Lilith, Reynolds portrays her through the decades without fault. She has incredible chemistry with everyone she acts alongside and she carries the second segment beautifully, stealing every scene even when iconic Gregory Peck is there.
George Peppard, a name I knew but could not place until I looked him up after the film, not only gives a strong performance, he is able to portray the son of James Stewart’s Linus with an accuracy that not many could achieve.

The narration between segments is a clever way of marking the change in director, time frame and focus character. It keeps the audience with the film at times when other films could lose them.

The Bad

I’m happy with the running time, but I also wonder if this could have been a series of films. I’m happy enough that the Native Americans are not portrayed in a negative light, however the film perhaps would have benefited from more time and focus from their perspective. Something I think only splitting this into individual films could achieve.

It pains me to say this because I adore the man, but James Stewart was entirely wrong and much too old for the role of Linus. Yes, he does a good enough job with what he’s given, but it’s really disappointing to watch.

The Ugly

The 3 strip Cinema process, while incredibly beautiful, took its toll by the end. In the final two sections particularly, there was clear lines showing where the three strips are originally joined together.
There are also certain scenes, particularly when there’s a singular moving image, where the background is distorted. It doesn’t ruin the film, however certainly for me it caused a headache by the end of the film. The distortion, in a similar way to when a film is dubbed, it causes eye strain.
I’m unsure, but I would say this would be reduced by watching on a curved screen which is the format it was made for.

Final Thoughts

I actually have no words for how good this film was. It never felt over long or boring. It’s not only I’ll rush to watch again, but I’ll certainly watch again it at some point.