How the West Was Won (1962) | |
| Director(s) | John Ford, Henry Hathaway, George Marshall, Richard Thorpe (uncredited) |
| Producer(s) | Bernard Smith |
| Top Genres | Action, Adventure, Drama, Epic, Romance, Western |
| Top Topics | Book-Based, Civil War, Frontier |
Featured Cast:
How the West Was Won Overview:
How the West Was Won (1962) was a Adventure - Drama Film directed by George Marshall and Richard Thorpe and produced by Bernard Smith.
SYNOPSIS
Epic, episodic 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 the pioneer Prescott family. As the Prescotts struggle with danger and loss, and newfound love, the vast canvas of U.S. manifest destiny unfolds around them. The breadth of the material required the contributions of the three greatest Western directors, Ford, Hathaway, and Marshall. With top-notch production values and a "who's who" of Hollywood stars, it was projected theatrically in the three-screen Cinerama process. The letterbox version on the laserdisc approximates the sweep of the gigantic Cinerama screen.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.How the West Was Won was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1997.
Academy Awards 1963 --- Ceremony Number 36 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Art Direction | Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari, Addison Hehr; Set Decoration: Henry Grace, Don G | Nominated |
| Best Cinematography | William H. Daniels, Milton Krasner, Charles Lang, Jr., Joseph LaShelle | Nominated |
| Best Costume Design | Walter Plunkett | Nominated |
| Best Film Editing | Harold F. Kress | Won |
| Best Music - Scoring | Alfred Newman, Ken Darby | Nominated |
| Best Picture | Bernard Smith, Producer | Nominated |
| Best Writing | James R. Webb | Won |
How the West Was Won BlogHub Articles:
THE CHRISTOPTHER LEE BLOGATHON: How the West Was Won, 1978
on May 22, 2021 From Caftan WomanCinematic Catharsis and Realweegiemidget Reviews present The Christopher Lee Blogathon, May 21-23, 2021. Thank you, Barry and Gill. Day 1 Day 2 Day 3When the auspicious 20-year run of Gunsmoke came to an end, executive producer Toronto-born John Mantley, his star James Arness, and his writing a... Read full article
How the West Was Won
By Rick29 on Feb 8, 2021 From Classic Film & TV CafeJames Stewart and Carroll Baker.The words “epic” and “”sprawling” are typically used to describe MGM’s 164-minute, 1962 all-star Western. At the risk of sounding mundane, that’s still an apt description. Filmed in the widescreen process Cinerama, How the Wes... Read full article
How the West Was Won (1962)
By Beatrice on Sep 19, 2017 From Flickers in TimeHow the West Was Won Directed by John Ford, Henry Hathaway and George Marshall Written by James R. Webb 1962/USA Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Cinerama Productions Co. Repeat viewing/Netflix rental The big Cinerama moments are the parts I remember from my childhood. ?They are still the best thing about t... Read full article
How the West Was Won ( 1962 ) ....and How it Didn't Win the Cinematography Oscar
By The Metzinger Sisters on Feb 28, 2016 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film LoversThere were some years in Oscar's history that were stellar. In those years no matter how good a film was, compared to all of the fine films it was competing with, it would be just on par with the average. In such years as these it is understandable when a really good film loses an Academy Award. The... Read full article
How the West Was Won ( 1962 ) ....and How it Didn't Win the Cinematography Oscar
By The Metzinger Sisters on Feb 28, 2016 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film LoversThere were some years in Oscar's history that were stellar. In those years no matter how good a film was, compared to all of the fine films it was competing with, it would be just on par with the average. In such years as these it is understandable when a really good film loses an Academy Award. The... Read full article
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Quotes from How the West Was Won
Cleve Van Valen: From the first moment I saw you I've known that I couldn't live without you.
Lilith 'Lily' Prescott: Well... I'd hate to be the cause of your death, Mr. Van Valen.
Agatha Clegg: [Lily has asked to partner-up with Agatha in a wagon train] You know something ? I got a hunch you're gonna draw men like fish to bait. Maybe I can catch one of them while they swim by. You got yourself a partner.
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Facts about How the West Was Won
This was one of only two films made in true Cinerama which were shown in regular theatres after their first runs. None of the previous Cinerama films were ever shown in regular theatres because they were travelogues and documentaries made only to show off the process, as opposed to telling a story, and it would have been pointless to show these in a "regular" format.
The film was inspired by a factual series on the settling of the West of the same name that had appeared in 'LIFE' magazine and which had been followed by a identically titled 2-LP set of western songs sung mostly by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. Many of the songs on the record album were also used in the film soundtrack, like "Bound for the Promised Land" and "What Was Your Name in the States?"
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