Debbie Reynolds as Lilly Prescott, Karl Malden as Zebulon
Prescott, Caroll Baker as Eve Prescott, Agnes
Moorehead as Julie Prescott.
(c) 1962 Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc.
1962’s How the West Was Won is one of only two dramatic feature films (the other being The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm) made using the three-strip Cinerama process. Not only is the screen big, the cast is big. The movie is 162 minutes long and stars Carroll Baker, Lee J. Cobb, Henry Fonda, Carolyn Jones, Karl Malden, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Robert Preston, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, Eli Wallach, John Wayne, and Richard Widmark. Spencer Tracy narrates, and Brigid Bazlen, Walter Brennan, David Brian, Andy Devine, Raymond Massey, Agnes Moorehead, Harry Morgan, Thelma Ritter, Mickey Shaughnessy, Russ Tamblyn, and a host of other recognizable names co-star.
To further emphasis how big a film this was, How the West Was Won required three of Hollywood’s biggest directors at the time to handle the five different sections: Henry Hathaway (Rawhide, From Hell to Texas, True Grit) directed three segments, “The Rivers”, “The Plains” and “The Outlaws,” while John Ford (Stagecoach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Searchers) took on the “Civil War,” and George Marshall (Destry Rides Again, Riding High) directed the segment on “The Railroad.” An uncredited Richard Thorpe (Jailhouse Rock, That Funny Feeling) directed some of the transitional scenes.
The screenplay, by James R. Webb and an uncredited John Gay, divides its tale into five chapters, labeled in the opening credits as “The Rivers,” “The Plains,” “The Civil War,” “The Railroad,” and “The Outlaws,” each showing a progression of the American west from a frontier wilderness in 1839 to a land increasingly tamed in 1889. Spencer Tracy offers the narration that links these stories, offering commentary on the changing nature of the west and the perseverance of American spirit.
The story follows four generations of a family, as they move westward, from western New York State to the Pacific Ocean. The film opens with a four-and-and-half minute overture, which contains smippets of music from composer Alfred Newman. The films soundtrack also includes songs from Sammy Cahn and Johnny Mercer, with folksinging by Dave Guard (freshly departed from the Kingston Trio) and the Whiskey Hill Singers, all of which adds to the overall beauty and scope of the movie.
James Stewart as Linus Rawlings
and Caroll Baker as Eve Prescott.
(c) 1962 Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc.
“The Rivers” introduces us to the Prescott family. Farmer and family patriarch Zebulon Prescott (Karl Malden) has decided to take advantage of the newly constructed Erie Canal and move his family, including daughters Eve (Caroll Baker) and Lily (Debbie Reynolds) west from Pennsylvania. Along the way they encounter an experienced fur trader named Linus Rawlings (James Stewart) who takes a cautious shine to Eve. They also run into a group of river pirates and some dangerous rapids that ultimately take the life of a beloved family member.
By the time we reach “The Plains” it’s the 1850’s. Lily has found work at a dance hall in St. Louis. She attracts the attention of professional gambler Cleve Van Valen (Gregory Peck). Having overheard that Lily has just inherited a California goldmine from a relative, Cleve joins the wagon train that will take her there. Both Cleve and the wagonmaster, Roger Morgan (Robert Preston) court her along the way, but she turns them both down, much to the consternation of her new friend and fellow traveler Agatha Clegg (Thelma Ritter).
After surviving a fierce attack by Cheyenne Indians, Lily and Cleve arrive at the mine to find her inheritance is worthless. Realizing Lily isn’t his ticket to paying off gambling debts, Cleve leaves her. Lily returns to work in a cheap dance hall. She rejects Morgan’s marriage proposal but later accepts Cleve’s when he returns and tells her about the growing opportunities in San Francisco.
“The Civil War” segment moves things ahead almost a dozen years. Linus joins the Union army in the American Civil War. We are introduced to Zeb Rawlings (George Peppard), the grown son of Linus and Eve. Zeb prevails on his mother to let him enlist in the Union army, and finds his wartime experience less glorious than he imagined. A fateful encounter results in him stumbling across an assassination attempt on General Grant (Harry Morgan) and General Sherman (John Wayne).
Next, we move to “The Railroad” segment, with the pony express, the telegraph, and the opening of the West to the railroads, the Central Pacific from one end and the Union Pacific from the other. Here, Henry Fonda turns up as an old friend of Linus and buffalo hunter, who meets up with Linus’s son Zeb, now a cavalry officer assigned to protect the railroads from hostile American Natives. Richard Widmark plays a lawless railroad man. Watch for the buffalo stampede in this section, it’s a great piece of filmmaking.
Debbie Reynolds as Eve Prescott, performing the musical
number, “What Was Your Name in the States.”
(c) 1962 Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc.
“The Outlaws” moves us to the 1880’s. In San Francisco, widowed Lily auctions off her possessions (she and Cleve had made and spent several fortunes) to pay her debts. She travels to Arizona, inviting Zeb and his family to oversee her remaining asset, a ranch.
Cattlemen, ranchers and other settlers have pretty much tamed the West, but there continues to be certain criminal elements. With a need for law enforcement, Zeb is now a middle-aged Arizona Marshal. Lee J. Cobb plays Marshal Lou Ramsey, and his nemesis is the villainous Charley Gant, played by Eli Wallach.
A short epilogue shows Los Angeles in the early 1960s, with the famous four-level freeway interchange downtown, indicating the growth of the West in 80 years.
How the West Was Won is a true epic. The story spans some eighty years and tells the story of four generations of a family. That is no small feat. Amazingly, except for a few weak moments during the Civil War segment, this film is bound to keep the interest of most viewers for the full 162 minute runtime.
Shot on location all over the U.S. from Kentucky to Monument Valley, from South Dakota to California, the scenery is breathtaking, the list of actors amazing and the story mesmerizing. It is no wonder that How the West Was Won was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” in 1997. I would encourage any film fan to pick up a copy of How the West Was Won: Ultimate Collector’s Edition for their personal film collections. Warner Brothers has truly delivered a gem with this one.
Warner Brothers has released this newly restored edition of How the West Was Won in three flavors: a three-disc Special Edition DVD release, with the movie spread over two discs; a three-disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition DVD set, featuring the same three discs, plus some nifty collectibles; and a two-disc Blu-Ray package, which leaves out the collectibles but includes a 40-page making-of booklet. The standard DVD releases feature the film in its letterbox format, while the Blu-Ray release offers it in both letterbox and an exclusive SmileBox presentation.
Reviewed here is the standard DVD three-disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition.
How the West Was Won looks spectacular in this new restored transfer, presented in 2.59:1 anamorphic widescreen. (Such a narrow image might be too tiny on smaller standard TV sets, but looks darn good on a widescreen monitor.) Dust and dirt have been wiped clean, leaving nothing but a crystal clear image, with brilliant colors and clean, clear lines. By spreading the movie across two discs (each half running about 80 minutes), there’s plenty of leg room for the data, eliminating all compression issues.
The Dolby 5.1 remix of the soundtrack does a fabulous job of recreating the Cinerama sound experience, with rear speakers used for effects sequences and atmosphere without overdoing it. The dialogue seems a little softer when compared to the music and effects, but not enough to distract. An impressive French 5.1 dub is also included, as are optional subtitles in English SDH, French, Spanish, Japanese, and Thai.
Here’s a list of the special features included on the How the West Was Won: Ultimate Collector’s Edition:
• Audio Commentary – Provided by documentary filmmaker David Strohmaier, Cinerama Inc. director John Sittig, film historian Rudy Behlmer, music historian Jon Burlingame, and stuntman Loren James, these guys know their stuff. They’re all easy going and have a good repartee, while sharing a lot of knowledge in their area of expertise.
• Disc one includes the film’s original theatrical trailer, which hasn’t been restored. As a result, it serves as a good comparison for this release’s visual upgrade.
• Cinerama Adventure (96 minutes) – Encompassing all of disc three, Strohmaier’s documentary on the complete history of Cinerama. Details the creation of the format, how the format works, its rise and eventual fall, and, most impressively, behind-the-scenes tales of several Cinerama films, including a thorough look at the making of How the West Was Won. Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, with archival footage matted as needed, and with most Cinerama clips shown in the SmileBox format. Optional Japanese and Thai subtitles are included. This is a must-see.
• Goodies – A 20-page reproduction of the original Exhibitor’s Campaign Book, which showcases posters to be ordered and potential news items to be included in the local paper; and a 36-page full-color reproduction of the Cinerama Souvenir Book sold during the film’s roadshow tour.
