{"id":53098,"date":"2020-11-10T17:35:08","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T00:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=53098"},"modified":"2022-04-10T23:24:42","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T06:24:42","slug":"how-the-west-was-won-1962","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=53098","title":{"rendered":"How the West Was Won (1962)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;The westward course was no smoother than that of true love.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Poster-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-53100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Poster-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Poster-679x1024.jpg 679w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Poster-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Poster-768x1159.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Poster-179x270.jpg 179w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Poster.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nShortly after escaping robbery and death by a river pirate (Walter Brennan) and his clan, a homesteading couple (Karl Malden and Agnes Moorehead) drown in a tragic accident, and their daughters Eve (Carroll Baker) and Lilith (Debbie Reynolds) take different life paths in life: Eve marries and settles down with a mountain man (James Stewart), while Lilith becomes a riverboat singer courted by both an earnest businessman (Robert Preston) and a charming gambler (Gregory Peck). During the Civil War, Eve&#8217;s grown son Zeb (George Peppard) and a fellow soldier (Russ Tamblyn) accidentally cross paths with Generals Sherman (John Wayne) and Lee (Henry Morgan). Upon arriving back home, Zeb and a buffalo hunter (Henry Fonda) try to help broker peace with local Native American tribes while a greedy capitalist (Richard Widmark) will stop at nothing to get cross-country railroads built. Finally, while hoping to peacefully settle down with his wife (Carolyn Jones) and kids on land purchased by his widowed Aunt Lilith (Reynolds), Peppard ends up helping a sheriff (Lee J. Cobb) ambush an old enemy (Eli Wallach) plotting a train robbery.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Agnes Moorehead Films<\/li>\n<li>Carolyn Jones Films<\/li>\n<li>Carroll Baker Films<\/li>\n<li>David Brian Films<\/li>\n<li>Debbie Reynolds Films<\/li>\n<li>Eli Wallach Films<\/li>\n<li>Ensemble Cast<\/li>\n<li>George Marshall Films<\/li>\n<li>George Peppard Films<\/li>\n<li>Gregory Peck Films<\/li>\n<li>Henry Fonda Films<\/li>\n<li>Henry Hathaway Films<\/li>\n<li>Jimmy Stewart Films<\/li>\n<li>John Ford Films<\/li>\n<li>John Wayne Films<\/li>\n<li>Karl Malden Films<\/li>\n<li>Lee J. Cobb Films<\/li>\n<li>Lee Van Cleef Films<\/li>\n<li>Richard Widmark Films<\/li>\n<li>Robert Preston Films<\/li>\n<li>Russ Tamblyn Films<\/li>\n<li>Spencer Tracy Films<\/li>\n<li>Thelma Ritter Films<\/li>\n<li>Walter Brennan Films<\/li>\n<li>Westerns<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nDivided into five chronologically distinct episodes &#8212; The Rivers (1839, d: Henry Hathaway), The Plains (1851, d: Henry Hathaway), The Civil War (1861\u20131865, d: John Ford), The Railroad (1868, d: George Marshall), and The Outlaws (1889, d: Henry Hathaway) &#8212; this sprawling western adventure (narrated by Spencer Tracy) was one of only two narrative films made using the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cinerama\">innovative but highly challenging shooting technique of Cinerama<\/a> (the other was <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=29289\"><em>The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm<\/em> [1962]<\/a>). Surprisingly, there&#8217;s a solid continuity to the five vignettes: we feel a sense of investment emerging for the family we&#8217;re introduced to in the first episode, as the characters all either age or die off realistically. Reynolds and Baker are appropriately feisty as the lead females whose adventures and\/or children ground the stories, and the vast supporting cast of big-name actors are fun to spot in a variety of roles (not all of which could be easily elucidated in the lengthy synopsis above). Meanwhile, the cinematography is truly impressive &#8212; especially knowing the lengths to which directors Hathaway, Ford, and Marshall (and their crew of DPs) had to go simply to achieve any given scene (check out <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/How_the_West_Was_Won_(film)\">Wikipedia&#8217;s article<\/a> for more information). <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Impressive Cinerama cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography4.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography4-1024x462.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"289\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-53103\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography4-1024x462.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography4-300x135.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography4-128x58.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography4-768x346.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography4-1536x693.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography4-599x270.png 599w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography4.png 1785w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography7.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography7-1024x462.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"289\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-53102\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography7-1024x462.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography7-300x135.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography7-128x58.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography7-768x346.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography7-1536x692.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography7-599x270.png 599w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/How-the-West-Was-Won-Cinematography7.png 1839w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its historical significance. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0056085\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2625west.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=8754&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/2016\/how-the-west-was-won#articles-reviews?articleId=78377\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/how-the-west-was-won\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;The westward course was no smoother than that of true love.&#8221; Synopsis: Shortly after escaping robbery and death by a river pirate (Walter Brennan) and his clan, a homesteading couple (Karl Malden and Agnes Moorehead) drown in a tragic accident, and their daughters Eve (Carroll Baker) and Lilith (Debbie Reynolds) take different life paths in life: Eve marries and settles down with a mountain man (James Stewart), while Lilith becomes a riverboat singer courted by both an earnest businessman (Robert&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=53098\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=53098"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82917,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53098\/revisions\/82917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=53098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=53098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=53098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}