La Conquête de l'Ouest

I'm not a fan of westerns in particular, but this magnificent epic is an exception for me because it has all the wonderful elements of a sprawling historical epic that only Hollywood could do so wonderfully in the 50s and 60s. And yes, I embrace it for holding to a perspective that today's PC revisionists who see evil in everything associated with the rise of America as a great nation are always so quick to condemn. While this is by no means a flawless look at history, it is only those who dare to liken the American pioneers with "Nazis" as one reviewer did who end up "creating history" more than a film like this does.

Practically defining the word sprawling this phenomenal drama of the settling of the west is so much more than a conventional western. Directed by three top flight directors all three segments have a slightly different feel but join together into a harmonious whole. Again the phrase once in a lifetime cast could have been invented for this film with a star of some magnitude in almost every role, all of whom give good performances. The real standouts in terms of acting are probably George Peppard and Carroll Baker, they share a particularly poignant scene when he goes off to war, but Debbie Reynolds ties the whole thing together and she's full of snap and verve. The always welcome Thelma Ritter is a most amusing frontier woman. Shot on a massive scope this is enjoyable in any form but if you have the opportunity to see the Blu-Ray version on a large screen that's as near to ideal as you'll get. This film is what the movies are all about.

Truly, a classic Entertaining throughout with emonital feeling . Sad but True Great movie! Follows 3 generations of a family as they experience the various historic events and milestones the United States went through during their lifetimes.

"How the West Was Won" is really quite an amazing achievement. They wanted to make an epic western with huge action scenes and an all-star cast. They went above and beyond and they pulled it off. Big time. "How the West..." is an amazing movie to watch. Not only did the pull off all of the epic movie moments, they wrote a compelling story and filled it with terrific performances. I only wish I was old enough to see this movie in its full Cinerama glory. Oh well. It's still great. Honorable mention: a dreamy Debbie Reynolds.