Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4149 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-09-29
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 162 minutes

Synopsis
Hollywood's most celebrated luminaries--behind the camera as well as in front of it--combined talents to present this epic tale of the development of the American West from the 1830s through the Civil War to the end of the century, as seen through the eyes of one pioneer family. The film, divided into three chapters--'The Civil War' (directed by John Ford), 'The Railroad' (directed by George Marshall), and 'The River, the Plains, the Outlaws' (directed by Henry Hathaway)--tells the story of the Prescotts, a spirited group of easterners who make a declaration to migrate west. When their parents are lost in a tragic river accident, Eve (Carroll Baker) and Lilith (Debbie Reynolds) go their separate ways. Eve remains on the land that took her parents, settling down with the well-intentioned Linus Rawlings (James Stewart), while Lilith becomes a singer who is courted by the conniving Cleve Van Valen (Gregory Peck) when he learns that she has inherited a fortune in California. As time passes and the Civil War takes the life of Linus, the newest generation of Prescott offspring struggles with even greater danger and loss, in the form of fierce Indians as well as family archrivals. Top-notch production values and an endless string of solid performances have earned HOW THE WEST WAS WON the well-deserved label as one of Hollywood's most revered classics.

Customer Reviews

Restored at Last Without the Annoying Lines
What a fantastic print we now have of this film since the original cinerama has now been restored and the three joins of the original can no longer be seen. Finally the film can be seen in glorious depth and colour with both images in the foreground and background in crystal clarity.

A fantastic commentary is also added by filmmaker David Strohmaier, Director of Cinerama, Inc. John Sitting, Film Historian Rudy Behlemer, Music Historian Jon Burlingame and Stuntman Loren James which throws so much new light on the making of the movie.

For those who have never seen the film; sit back and enjoy.

For those who have seen the film many times on TV or video, and longed for the day.....welcome for the first time to "HOW THE WEST WAS WON" as it should be seen.

How the West was Won (1963)
From the mass of acting talent including Henry Fonda, Gregory Peck, James Stewart, John Wayne, Richard Widmark and many more; through the magnificent scenic locations, to a script covering the greatest epoch in modern history, this is an epic film in every sense! Broadly covering three generations of the Prescott family as they move across the continent, How the West was Won covers all the characters of American legend; indians, mountain men, pioneers, river pirates, wagonmasters, gamblers, railwaymen, bandits, cowboys, goldminers, lawmen, soldiers and many many more; are skilfully combined by three great Directors into a tale of human courage and heroism second to none. Wagon trains, indian attacks, a buffalo stampede and civil war battles add to the drama; with first class music contributing to the enduring status of this Classic film. Strangely, the only thing that let it down was the early 3D format in which it was filmed; a system which rapidly failed away into history, leaving one of the best films ever made, to be viewed only as a three panel picture. With modern technology these join lines have now been erased and How the West was Won can be seen as it was meant to be seen. I wholeheartedly recommend this film. How The West Was Won [DVD] [1963]

CINERAMA LINES GONE
Ihave both normal and blue ray versions of this dvd. The normal version is very good,with a very wide image .About 95% of the cinerama join lines have been removed. THE BLUE RAY VERSION IS THE BEST,because HOW THE WEST WAS WON ,the entire film is presented in Smilebox,a system that recreates the cinerama deep curve screen,and it looks great. Also as an extra on both dvd versions is a 90 minute documentary CINERAMA ADVENTURE. The cinerama sequences in both dvd versions are presented in the Smilebox deep curve image, featuring clips from all the cinerama films,some with original join lines, and some restored sequences with join lines removed.THE DVDS are worth buying for this disc alone.Now lets have more films restored like this in SMILEBOX.