How the West Was Won (Blu-ray Book) [Blu-ray]

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/09/2008

The first feature film to be photographed and projected in the panoramic three-camera Cinerama process, this epic Western is almost as expansive as the West itself, chronicling a pioneering family's triumphs and tragedies in numerous episodes spanning three generations and a half century of westward movement. Divided into five segments directed by veteran Hollywood filmmakers Henry Hathaway, George Marshall, and the legendary John Ford (and including uncredited sequences directed by Richard Thorpe), the film was one of the most ambitious ever made by the venerable MGM studio. Its stellar cast reads like a virtual who's who of Hollywood's biggest stars. Debbie Reynolds plays a sturdy survivor of many pioneering dangers, and the eventual widow of a gambler (Gregory Peck), who is later reunited with her nephew (George Peppard), a Civil War veteran and cavalryman who heads for San Francisco as the transcontinental railroad is being built. Many more characters and stories are woven throughout this epic film, which is dramatically uneven but totally engrossing with its stunning vistas and countless outdoor locations in Illinois, Kentucky, South Dakota, Monument Valley in Arizona, California, Colorado, and elsewhere. --Jeff Shannon

Wow !!! What a wonderful transfer either for image and sound ! watched on Plasma screen (with HDMI connexion) and through Dolby Digital 7.1 ("Adventure" YAMAHA DSP type), it's impressive!Of course I knew this movie in Cinerama Theater (EMPIRE HALL in PARIS). Congratulations for "3 screen" separate lines treatment which make possible a domestic watch in good conditions. the original version was interesting in Cinerama theater but a torture on a domestic screen! The "Cinerama adventure" bonus includes very persuasive highlights of the "smile-box" version available only in Blue-Ray edition. I don't have Blue-Ray player yet but after seeing that, I think about !!!

The Blu Ray release of How the West Was Won is by far the best version released to date. The frames are nearly perfectly aligned and synchronized. The "smile box" format is a real treat. It simulates the Cinerama theatre experience very well. The soundtrack sounds great. Blu Ray has definitely improved home theatre audio which has suffered from low resolution and high data compression with DVD. If you are a fan of this film, an audiophile, a videophile, or a Cinerama enthusiast, you must own this. If you don't already own a Blu Ray player, get off your butt and go buy one! It is worth it for this version of How the West Was Won.

A superb restoration (on Blu-Ray) of what is a mediocre film. Not even all of the featured Hollywood stars could rescue this Disneyesque look at America's westward expansion. The most interesting thing was the documentary extra on the Cinerama process and how it influenced all subsequent films. This is how widescreen was born. But the use of Cinerama for this film makes many scenes look awkward, as the characters eyes don't quite meet in a number of scenes, since the camera used three lenses and the actors had to "guesstimate" where, exactly, the other actor would appear on the curved Cinerama screen. Closeups were also impossible. Cinerama was made for big, expansive scenes, of which HTWWW has many. The directors actually had to compose their shots based upon the camera's unique characteristics. While some scenes were gorgeous, even displaying it in HD on my 106" projection screen looked awkward, because it was made for Cinerama's curved screen. All in all, an interesting, if underwhelming, movie.

I am very pleased that this wonderful mini-series is finally available on DVD. I live in Colorado, and I was fascinated with Michner's story. The actors are mostly well chosen, and you can't beat the real scenery of the area around Boulder, CO. You might quibble with some 1970's production values, but there's no CG here! Some of the extra's on the DVD version include interviews with surviving actors about the filming experience. This is a very long mini-series, and I recommend viewing it one disk per night. There is just so much to experience. The earlier episodes are the best, and the message of land conservation and wilderness preservation are as topical today as they were 25 years ago. My only criticism is that the packaging is rather flimsy. Two of the disks had fallen off the plastic holders, and were somewhat scratched in the process. This did not interfere with playing. I must say that this series looks absolutely wonderful played on my blu-ray(upgrading to 1080p)onto my hi-def flat screen TV, than it did when it was first broadcast! Great story for families with older students interested in western history!

well everybody here has already said it, the movie is great and the bluray transfer is fantastic, great movie all round, this was my first bluray purchase, well worth it.