Talk:How the West Was Won (film)

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This was, absolutely, one of the best westerns, I have ever seen. I seen this film, in the theater, when it came out. I was 7 years old, in one of the old curved wide screen theaters with the curtains that would pull back as the movie began. At that age the movie seemed to last forever and it went on for close to 3 hours and I did not want it to end. I cried thru some parts and laughed thru others. It had a big impression on me and I will never forget it. Mark R.

Contents 1 Grotesque 2 Inaccurate Title 3 Fair use rationale for Image:How the west was won322.jpg 4 Wide Screen Processes: Cinerama Vs. Todd-AO

[edit] Grotesque

In light of the rampant environmental destruction brought on by the petroleum-automobile industrial complex--sprawling overdeveloped suburbia, instant blight, hideous, depopulated city centers, smog, road deaths, and so on--not to mention the addiction to oil that lies at the root of the world's current destabilization, the ending of this film borders on the obscene. We see the camera pull back from the Wild West to downtown L.A. freeways (undoubtedly shot on a Sunday so as to appear carefree and uncongested) in a moment of ludicrious American triumphalism. I can't imagine how anyone who has battled ever-lengthening traffic and burned up countless gallons of gas just commuting to and from a pointless job in an office cubicle could bear to watch it.

[edit] Inaccurate Title

The very title of this movie "How the West Was Won," is somewhat cruel, if not embarassing. The title of this well made American western epic does not reflect the sad truth that much of the western frontere was "taken" from the indiginous aboriginal populations which originally inhabited most of the West. To the film's credit, there is at least one scene where this fact is briefly alluded to during the western expansion of the railroad prior to the great stampede of the Buffalo into the railroad camp by an angry group of indians. A more accurate title for this epic could have been "How the West Was Taken." This Cinerama extravaganza does an excellent job of depicting the great die off of many early pioneers who are literally buried along each few miles of the westward pioneer trails.

Mark J. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.156.215.49 (talk) 10:46, 11 February 2007 (UTC).

Got that right. There's a documentary called "How the West Was Lost". The title says it all. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.224.60.4 (talk) 23:42, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Fair use rationale for Image:How the west was won322.jpg

Image:How the west was won322.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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BetacommandBot 01:02, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Wide Screen Processes: Cinerama Vs. Todd-AO

Today the most commonly used wide-screen process is Cinemascope. Vistavision by Paramount is so similar is concept that it will only be mentioned to be complete. Both are typically 2.35:1 formats that cause movies to be letterboxed on older T.V's. The 16 X 9 format revision of future T.V.'s will solve most of these transfer problems.

Early Cinerama required 3 interlocked cameras (and 3 playback projectors) to properly film and project it. After "The Bros. Grimm" and "HTWWW", Cinerama converted to a one camera process. Many other films were shot in one camera Cinerama: "2001- A Space Oddessy" being the most notable. There were only 12 U.S. theatres with true Cinerama. Processed prints had to be made for wider national release; and yes, even these prints had those anoying "seams".

Todd-AO was another wide screen process. The most notable film produced in that format was "Around the World in 80 Days". It was an extreme wide screen process without the "seaming" problem. Other 70mm formats became more popular for wide-screen films. They were cheaper.

It is unfortunate that "How the West Was Won" is a 3 camera film, and there is notable color variation in the 1999 DVD version between the 3 sections. In this DVD is a very good featurette showing the making of (and) explaining the Cinerama process.

Remastering this film will probably never happen, so enjoy it...seams and all....

It is a western that seems to have a sense of humor about it; perhaps unintentionally. The buffalo stampede is still one of the best action scenes I have ever seen in a western film.How the West Was Won-film comment —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.136.26.231 (talk) 00:13, 9 May 2008 (UTC)