Review of How the West Was Won (1962) by Ice R — 05 Aug 2009

This film was made to showcase the Cinerama film format. Cinerama used three cameras shooting 35 mm film with one shutter. Then the film was projected onto a curved screen with three projectors with a line showing where the three images intersected.

The cinematographer had only one lens to choose from, so there are no closeups, a thing I found a little frustrating. For a film that is supposed to be epic in nature I found this particularly mundane.

At the same time the film makers tried to do way too much and ended up doing very little. I found the depiction of the First Nations people to be really deplorable. It brings to mind the way the way those of African descent were treated in Birth of a Nation.

I think they put John Wayne in this just so they could have his name on the credits. He's in the movie for all of one scene. Other actors with lesser credit got more screen time in this. The famous scene in this with a raft going down rapids is laughable.

The mix of the name actors in close up in a tank in the studio with the raft in long shot with stunt players in long shot is really obvious. Every once in a while someone off screen adds to the excitement by throwing a bucket of water in front of the camera.

Ooooh! Later on there's a sequence where the "Indians" chase covered wagons all over the place. Unfortunately the stunt that cost a stunt man his leg was otherwise laughable and that makes the loss of a good man's leg all the sadder.

In the building a railroad sequence there's a scene where the Arapaho stampede buffalo through the railway builders' camp. This could have been exciting if it hadn't gone on and on and on and on and on and on and on.

I can only recommend this movie to those who are studying film history. If you are looking for an entertaining western movie there are so many others that are very much better than this.