So I finally got my hands on a DVD player. It's shiny silver to match my TV, and the little words of instruction (like DOOR OPEN) are tinted blue to soothe my weary mind. It's lovely.
The next challenge: what will be my first movie? It's gotta be a western, that much is certain. It's gotta be big, cause that's what people do. Although it would be great to have in the collection, "My Dinner With Andre" will never be anyone's first DVD.
Suddenly, I was struck. Cinerama!
Of course. "How the West Was Won," the great western spectacle lost to history because of the obscure technology it was filmed on. Three cameras shooting silmultaneously, requiring three projectors to spread the image over a gigantic, parabolic screen, Cinerama was the IMAX of its day. It was the talk of the town and lasted a grand total of two features before other, simpler single camera systems were developed.
Formatted for VHS to fit your TV, nearly half of the film's stunning images were cut out, leaving it all too clear to viewers How the West Was Lost. Enter this stunning, widescreen DVD, capturing all 155 minutes of western perfection exactly as it was intended to be seen.
It is impossible to completely remove the seams where the image was divided between the three cameras, but in only a few instances does this become a distraction. After about thirty seconds I am certain you'll agree the minute distortion is a small price to pay for the breathtaking views captured by Ford, Marshall, and Hathaway. Among the most beautiful I have ever witnessed, the camera work is spectacularly huge, dominating the wonderful performances, tremendous star power, eloquent score, and riveting action.
The story is divided into five sections, Ford and Marshall each directing one, Hathaway handling the rest. Debbie Reynolds, Caroll Baker, and George Peppard are present throughout most of the film, portraying key members of the Prescott family upon which the plot is built. It is a truly remarkable supporting cast however, that steals most of the scenes: Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, Richard Widmark, Gregory Peck, Robert Preston, Eli Wallach, and even John Wayne, who has a memorable cameo.
Among the highlights: Stewart as an old trapper with a taste for women, seduced by an eager Caroll Baker; a nearly unrecognizable Henry Fonda as a mountain man; John Wayne convincing General Grant to stay in the army; and Robert Preston getting his heart broken by Debbie Reynolds.
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