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James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Gregory Peck, Debbie Reynolds, Richard Widmark ... see more see more... , George Peppard , Karl Malden , John Wayne , Carolyn Jones , Robert Preston , Eli Wallach , Carroll Baker , Lee J Cobb , Brigid Bazlen , Walter Brennan , David Brian , Andy Devine , Raymond Massey , Agnes Moorehead , Thelma Ritter , Mickey Shaughnessy , Russ Tamblyn , Rodopho (Rudy) Acosta , Mark Allen , Beulah Archuletta , Willis B. Bouchey , Charlie Briggs , Paul Bryar , Walter Burke , Kim Charney , Lee Van Cleef , Ken Curtis , John Damler , Christopher Dark , Ken Dibbs , Jay C. Flippen , Sol (Saul) Gorss , James Griffith , William Henry , Roy Jenson , Claude Johnson , Jack Lambert , John Larch , J. Edward McKinley , Boyd 'Red' Morgan , Robert Nash , Tudor Owen , Harvey Parry , Gil Perkins , Walter Reed , Chuck Roberson , Victor Romito , Jamie Ross , Gene Roth , Bryan Russell , Harry Dean Stanton , Clinton Sundberg , Karl Swenson , Spencer Tracy , Carleton Young , Jack Pennick , Joe Sawyer , Harry Monty , Henry "Harry" Morgan , Lee J. Cobb

Filmed in panoramic Cinerama, this star-studded, epic Western adventure is a true cinematic classic. Three legendary directors (Henry Hathaway, John Ford, and George Marshall) combine their skills to ... read more read more...tell the story of three families and their travels from the Erie Canal to California between 1839 and 1889. Spencer Tracy narrates the film, which cost an estimated 15 million dollars to complete. In the first segment, "The Rivers," pioneer Zebulon Prescott (Karl Malden) sets out to settle in the West with his wife (Agnes Moorehead) and their four children. Along with other settlers and river pirates, they run into mountain man Linus Rawlings (James Stewart), who sells animal hides. The Prescotts try to raft down the Ohio River in a raft, but only daughters Lilith (Debbie Reynolds) and Eve (Carroll Baker) survive. Eve and Linus get married, while Lilith continues on. In the second segment, "The Plains," Lilith ends up singing in a saloon in St. Louis, but she really wants to head west in a wagon train led by Roger Morgan (Robert Preston). Along the way, she's accompanied by the roguish gambler Cleve Van Valen (Gregory Peck), who claims he can protect her. After he saves her life during an Indian attack, they get married and move to San Francisco. In the third segment, "The Civil War," Eve and Linus' son, Zeb (George Peppard), fights for the Union. After he's forced to kill his Confederate friend, he returns home and gives the family farm to his brother. In the fourth segment, "The Railroads," Zeb fights with his railroad boss (Richard Widmark), who wants to cut straight through Indian territory. Zeb's co-worker Jethro (Henry Fonda) refuses to cut through the land, so he quits and moves to the mountains. After the railway camp is destroyed, Zeb heads for the mountains to visit him. In the fifth segment, "The Outlaws," Lilith is an old widow traveling from California to Arizona to stay with her nephew Zeb on his ranch. However, he has to fight a gang of desperadoes first. How the West Was Won garnered three Oscars, for screenplay, film editing, and sound production. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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70% liked it

8,947 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

15 critics

G, 3 hr.

Directed by: John Ford, George Marshall, Henry Hathaway, Richard Thorpe

Release Date: February 20, 1963

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DVD Release Date: September 30, 2006

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Stats: 415 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (415)

  • jjnxn
    April 17, 2012
    jjnxn
    Pratically 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 phra... read morese 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.
  • deano
    January 12, 2011
    deano
    Any Western with this cast is worth a glimpse. Very interesting story of the American history on a grand scale. This movie in effect tells the fourth story - and tells it in a thrilling, colorful way - from the 1840s when the frontier was still the Ohio Valley to about 1885 - not... read more so long a time. These stories brought two actors, Debbie Reynolds and George Peppard, in two of each stories.
    This is stunning - beautifully cast - music you'll always remember - and many powerful and moving scenes.
  • ythelastman89
    August 23, 2010
    ythelastman89
    You have to hand it to everyone involved, this is one mammoth viewing experience. This covers generations as well as historical events like no other movie has attempted to do. I think the wisest decision was having multiple directors so each time period has a different feeling an... read mored vision. With a huge western ensemble, this is no short of fun to watch. Most of the known actors play some of their suited roles and serve as a time frame for the genre itself. What's interesting is that the segments get richer and more defined as they go along, rather than decrease in quality. Now this isn't a character movie in a traditional way, I don't even think there is a close up shot at all. However, this shows the progression of the west from a dream to a reality.
  • FilmFanatik
    January 8, 2010
    FilmFanatik
    If ever there was a western or an epic that failed to live up to its name and disappoint altogether, it would be this film. How The West Was Won was one of the last of MGM's large scale epic films, which followed big budget successes like Ben-Hur and El Cid. It was also one of ... read morethe last films to be shot using the Cinerama process, whereby three strips of film were shot with the intention of blowing them up on a large curved wide screen. As for the film content itself, I can't say that there is much here to be impressed with. The film is split up into five segments with connecting segments in-between. It tells the story of 19th century early frontiers, civil war and outlaws, as directed by John Ford, Henry Hathaway, George Marshall and Richard Thorpe (the last of which went uncredited). The main problem with the film is that the directors were not accustomed to shooting in the Cinerama process, and therefore, the film suffers a bit for it. The beautiful landscapes and cinematography of past John Ford works like The Searchers is completely lost in the process on this film. Although it does feature an impressive all-star cast, most characters in the film are not present long enough to give any sort of performance. Even though the film is over 3 hours long, it spends very little time with its characters in their particular environment before moving on to another segment or action set piece. You get to know them very little, and therefore, care very little about them. You would think with the likes of Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda, Debbie Reynolds and John Wayne that you would have a remarkable story. Alas, you don't, at least not in this film. Each actor makes little more than a cameo before the film moves on to another part of the overall story. I hate to suggest this, but in order to hold the epic scope of the story that the film was obviously trying to maintain, it should have been even longer...at least 4 to 5 hours total. Yes, it would have been outright embellishment, but I think it would benefit by keeping its stars on-screen longer and its story a little more focused. The film today has been enormously difficult to present on televison and home video. With Cinerama now obsolete, the three strips of film used to make up the Cinerama experience had to be combined and presented in the now standard widescreen format. Faint bars from the combination of the three strips of film are always present during the film, often being the most apparent during the brighter outdoor scenes. Otherwise, you tend to forget about them. It doesn't matter much though because the odd 'fish eye' look of the film due to it being laid on a flat surface is disconcerting and ineffective. Recently, the film was restored to its original Cinerama format and released on Blu-Ray. I haven't seen this release, so I cannot make a fair judgment on whether or not the original technical limitations of the format still hamper it after all these years. Overall, the quality of the film is mediocre at best. It did make a lot of money in its day, but unfortunately, doesn't hold up well with its look being a major turn-off to a cinephile like me.
  • garyX
    July 14, 2007
    garyX
    Western epic that's rather lengthy and uneven, but where else are you going to see all the biggest stars of a genre all in the same film?
  • fb704730572
    May 29, 2011
    fb704730572
    Watching any movie filmed in panoramic Cinerama on the small screen represents a major compromise, however the blu ray helps make up for that fact with its' incredible picture. The film itself is a major feat, perhaps overly ambitious, in that it tackles too much and never lets y... read moreou have a relationship with the characters. Still, you have to admire the awesome cast and visuals. Note to Wayne fans- his part as General Sherman is a very small role.
  • mingsysar
    January 7, 2009
    mingsysar
    George Peppard is the true star of this film, he even gets the most screen time, so why doesn't he get the credit for it?! He outshines the greats: Peck, Wayne, Stewart and Fonda. An epic in terms of the cast, landscape, scale, and the lengthy period it covers. A true portrait of... read more a fascinating bygone era.
  • cajiggle
    March 25, 2012
    cajiggle
    An epic cast and set of directors can't prevent the fact that the story is all over the place with no real focus on any one character. Debbie Reynolds has to be the best part of the movie as well as some great action scenes. A good, but not great western.

    Grade: B+
  • sirtheory
    February 20, 2012
    sirtheory
    Following one family through several different generations, How The West Was Won is an interesting--but inconsistent--story of migrating from the East Coast to the West Coast. Some moments are worth their weight in gold... others peter around too long, as the film sighs as is str... read moreains to keep the viewer's interest.
  • Dbarkdoll
    August 9, 2010
    Dbarkdoll
    THE original wide screen movie shot with three synchronized cameras and projected with 3 synched projectors. Rather long, had an intermission which you needed. The buffalo stampede was impressive, imagine what it would look like with today's 3-D technology.

View All How the West Was Won Reviews

Critic Reviews

Peter Canavese
September 10, 2008
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews

Delivered big with breathtaking location work and an all-star cast... Full Review

David Cornelius
September 10, 2008
David Cornelius, DVDTalk.com

A story as big, as brash, and as exciting as the west itself. Full Review

John J. Puccio
September 8, 2008
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

There is no denying the spectacle, the adventure, and the romance in How the West Was Won. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
September 4, 2008
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

People have always been, and always will be, impressed with big movies; this Western was one of the very biggest. Full Review

Steve Crum
March 2, 2008
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Immense, sprawling western epic loaded with great stars, acting, music, direction.

Emanuel Levy
February 28, 2008
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Though boasting the innovative technology of Cinerama, this anthology of the Old West is too long, often tedius, and only occasionally pleasurable. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
October 14, 2005
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Watching it at home without the three-strip Cinerama process takes most of the sparkle out of the film. Full Review

August 26, 2008
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

May 9, 2005
New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
February 13, 2001
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Click to read the article Full Review

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How the West Was Won Trivia

  • ***How Many Directors Were There For "How The West Was Won***  Answer »
  • What director of How the West Was Won, can be attributed to the quote, "Don't ever forget what I'm going to tell you: Actors are crap!"  Answer »
  • Name the director of the films Drums Along the Mohawk, Donovan's Reef, Fort Apache, and How the West Was Won.  Answer »
  • Agnes Moorehead was not nominated for Best Supporting Actress for which movie?  Answer »
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