A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

Each year we hope that a meager handful of the finest classic films will arrive via the latest and greatest software system.

For 2008 one of the top two or three will be the Warner Home Video release of one of the few true "Event" films.

How the West Was Won.

Let's go through some names:

In front of the cameras -

The lead actors:

Carroll Baker, Lee J. Cobb, Henry Fonda, Carolyn Jones, Karl Malden, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Robert Preston, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, Eli Wallach, John Wayne, Richard Widmark

Behind the cameras:

The Directors:

Henry Hathaway, John Ford, George Marshall

The Cinematographers:

William H. Daniels -

Foolish Wives, Greed, Flesh and the Devil, Anna Christie, Grand Hotel, Dinner at Eight, Queen Christina, Camille, Brute Force, Naked City

Milton Krasner -

You Can't Cheat an Honest Man, Ghost of Frankenstein, Scarlet Street, All About Eve, Three Coins in the Fountain, The Seven Year Itch, King of Kings

Charles Lang, Jr. -

A Farewell to Arms, She Done Him Wrong, Lives of a Bengal Lancer, The Uninvited, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The Big Heat, It Should Happen to You, The Long Gray Line, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Some Like it Hot, The Magnificent Seven, Charade

Joseph LaShelle -

The Rains Came, How Green was My Valley, Tobacco Road, Laura, Hangover Square, River of No Return, The Long, Hot Summer, Irma la Douce, The Chase

The Editor:

Harold F. Kress -

Andy Hardy Meets Debutante, Bitter Sweet, Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, Mrs. Miniver, Random Harvest, The Yearling, Command Decision, I'll Cry Tomorrow, The Teahouse of the August Moon, Merry Andrew, King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Cromwell, The Poseidon Adventure

The Composer:

Alfred Newman -

The Kid from Spain, Hallelujah I'm a Bum, I Cover the Waterfront, The House of Rothschild, The Call of the Wild, Dodsworth, Stella Dallas, The Hurricane, Gunga Din, Wuthering Heights, Only Angels Have Wings, Young Mr. Lincoln, The Rains Came, Beau Geste, Drums Along the Mohawk, The Grapes of Wrath, Foreign Correspondent, The Westerner, The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, How Green was My Valley, Heaven Can Wait, Wilson, A
Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Leave Her to Heaven, The Razor's Edge, Gentlemen's Agreement, Captain from Castile, A Letter to Three Wives, Twelve O'Clock High, The Gunfighter, The Robe, The Egyptian, The Seven Year Itch, Anastasia, The Greatest Story Ever Told


You see where this is going. The finest talents in Hollywood were gathered to create this masterpiece of the cinema.

IN CINERAMA!

Aspect ratio - 2.89:1.

Warner Home Video presents HTWWW in Blu-ray in two variants - a "standard" letterboxed version and a "Smilebox" version, a concept created by Cinerama historian David Strohmaier for his documentary, Cinerama Adventure, (also a part of this set). "Smilebox" is a quite successful attempt to recreate the feel of viewing the film on a highly curved screen in Cinerama.

If you can't make it to the Cinerama Dome for the screening on Sunday, the 7th, this is as close as you'll come.

The three negatives (each 50% larger than a standard 35mm frame) were scanned at MPI, Warner's digital facility, with further work done to soften the blend lines of the three panels.

Everything behind the creation of this Blu-ray set has been meticulously prepared and the final result, with lossless audio is, in a single word:

Extraordinary!

There is a dynamism and visceral nature to this release, that I've never noted before, especially in "Smilebox." With almost six times the resolution of a normal 35mm release, HTWWW pushes the limits of Blu-ray to eek out every last drop of resolution.

My hat is off to everyone involved in the creation of this tiny digital masterpiece which beautifully reproduces for the home theater environment, the huge and brilliant undertaking that is How the West Was Won.

Absolutely unique! They just don't come any better.

Extremely Highly Recommended!

RAH

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

Thanks, RAH!

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

Mine shipped today! Thanks Mr. Harris, i cant wait to see this. The only other time i have seen this was pan and scan on TV, a few years ago. I couldnt stand seeing the 3 panels panning across the screen. Also i know i was missing 75% of the picture!
So, this will really be the first time i have seen this movie.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

They invented Blu-Ray for movies like this.

I've seen it twice in Cinerama, so I can rest assured this is the first time a home video version of the film will even begin to do it justice.

But it still wouldn't beat an actual Cinerama screening.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

I watched the first segment of HTTWW on Comcast HD on Demand (currently a free selection) the other night. It looked pretty good on there (but I think it was somewhat cropped) so I can only imagine how good the Blu-ray must look. Thanks for the recommendation RAH. This is the kind of film that makes me want to get a big 1080p FP setup.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

Oh boy.


Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!



Edit: the above image has no connection with the Blu-ray release. Taken from Wikipedia: "Screenshot of HOW THE WEST WAS WON, Image from a recent Eastmancolor test print." Click on the image to see it much better.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

That's some sales pitch Robert. Are you sure you never sold me a car? ....or buckboard wagon?

I preordered this when I found out about Smilebox. I gotta see this! I saw the film in Cinerama when I was a kid at the Tennessee Theater which stille exists sans the 70 mm capacity. I cannot recall seeing the film on home video. It'll be alot like a new film for me. My memories of the film are purr-dy hazy.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

After years of suffering through the smeary, wan laserdisc and the nonanamorphic DVD, this Blu-ray just cannot arrive fast enough.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

Thanks, RAH. My resolve continues to weaken.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

I've never seen this film, but will definitely be checking it out! RAH, you got me me excited about this.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

i ordere both the sd and the lu version, each for less then $20.
my blu-ray shipped today.
this is exciting.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

Just washed the 185" last night. Guess this will be a good movie to test out system with. Not sure if I've seen it before.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

I REALLY want this as well!!!! I remember seeing this at The Trans Lux in NYC as a kid. The scene where the raft is caught in the rapids made me dizzy! When I got back home, I took a piece of cardboard and bent it in thirds. With my little hand cranked 8mm projector, I tried to recreate the look.

This is a buy without question!

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

Can't wait to watch this one, in the HT and on the bedroom plasma.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

Just went "blu" this week and I just ordered this film on BD after reading RAH's review. Can't wait.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

Finally, a classic....something besides zombie and mummy movies. I can't wait for mine to come in.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

Tony: Where'd you order the B"lu" version from (for less than $20)?

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

From the description of the BD @ DeepDiscount.com:

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

I ordered from amazon a while ago when they listed it for under $20.
walmart .com did the same thing.
strike that.

I thought you were asking about the sd special set, that was listed at amazon for under 20.

I irdered the Blu version at warner direct site for under $20 after a $30 off coupon.

"Shipped How the West Was Won Blu-Ray with Book
Blu-Ray 1 $18.87 $18.87 Savings $8.08"

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

I ordered my copy from Best Buy because I had a $50 gift card. It was shipped yesterday (Saturday), so I should have it before long.

I have the soundtrack on CD -- just a superb score by Alfred Newman.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

Same here. I saw it during the original release at the Cinerama theater (I forget the actual name) in San Francisco, and haven't seen it since. I would have been 11 years old at the time.

Costco.com has the BRD HTWWW for $23.49 so it's likely to be that price in the stores.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

For those that attended the screening today (I did), the first 100 attendees received a copy of the BD release of HTWWW. I commented on the screening itself in another HTWWW thread in this forum.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

[quote=Dennis Nicholls]Same here. I saw it during the original release at the Cinerama theater (I forget the actual name) in San Francisco, and haven't seen it since. I would have been 11 years old at the time.
QUOTE]

That was probably the Orpheum - Orpheum Theatre .

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

I'm having my first AHA moment watching the smilebox presentation of this movie on my 60" Pio Kuro plasma.

AHA! THIS is what High-Def should look like. This is a sensational experience on Blu-Ray.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

I watched HTWWW on a Cinerama screen in NYC when I was a kid back in 1963. My memories of that experience aren't vivid except for a couple of parts in the film, particularly the buffalo stampede and the train robbery. Since then I've seen this film probably 20 times over the years with the last time being about five years ago at the Cinerama Dome in LA with my good friends Ron Epstein and Steve Simon. It was a great experience, but this viewing came before the restoration. So as I watched the BRD today, I had tears of joy in my eyes as I viewed this film twice today. Once with the Smilebox version and then a second time with the letterbox version and the audio commentary turned on. There have been greater films made than HTWWW, but films like this movie is why I got into HT in the first place. I had a great six hours experience today that will continue later this week when I viewed the documentary. I give Warner kudos for doing a great job with this home video presentation. One day, I hope I'm lucky enough again to watch this restored film in the Cinerama Dome.






Crawdaddy

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

This sounds like an "event" BD. I honestly can't remember if I've seen this movie since it was practically "new", and with RAH's grand seal of approval, I'll have to get it for sure. In the last few years I've really been enjoying the westerns, thanks to DVD and BD.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

Robert, which version did you enjoy the most in your home theater, Smilebox or standard?

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

I had this preordered with Warner. Last week, having a "Too much money on films!" moment, I emailed Warner to cancel. Needless to say, they didn't. It arrived yesterday.

And am I glad it did! The packaging is great - I'm a fan of the digibooks, and was impressed by this double-sized beauty.

When I put the first disc in to take a look, and saw the aerial shot over the mountains, it looked like it came from Planet Earth! So clear and detailed, all the spots on the lens in plain view. I jumped around and was absolutely thrilled by the detail in the PQ of the segments I saw. This looks like an awesome release!

Then I put in the Smilebox version. Although my set is only 53", I found the curved screen simulation, coupled with the awesome PQ, to be really inviting. The shot of Jimmy Stewart canoeing down the river seemed good enough that you could just jump in!

I can't wait to watch this one - and it'll be the Smilebox version.

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

I was under the mistaken impression that this release would only include the smilebox version. I was thrilled and grateful to find that isn't the case.
Unfortunately for my particular constant height set-up, both versions fail slightly to achieve the impact they should. But I was very suprised to find that I'm able to fudge the smilebox version enough to strike the best compromise. If I zoom this version out so that the 'smileboxing' starts about 1/4 of the way in on each side, I have a good balance between height and width. It isn't ideal, but otherwise both the full smilebox image and the full 2.89 image incorporate too much unused space that I can't mask off (it's a CH set to a 2.4:1 max ratio).
Even with some of the outer edges clipped, the distortion at the sides, coupled with the smaller center panel still give off that quasi fisheye vibe.
Beyond all that, this is as impressive a presentation of a classic film as has been released to this point- probably not a big stretch to say THE most impressive due to what was accomplished with making the three seperate panels look as near seamless as they do.
I know Robert has put a lot of effort into Godfather and I'm sure that will be another beauty, but I don't see anything on the horizon this year that will challenge it.
Bravo, Warner!

Re: A few words about...™ How the West Was Won -- in Blu-ray

CRITIC’S CHOICE
New DVDs: ‘How the West Was Won’

By DAVE KEHR
Published: September 8, 2008
HOW THE WEST WAS WON

Warner Home Video

The best reason for buying a Blu-ray player right now is Warner Home Video’s high-definition version of “How the West Was Won,” a film made 46 years ago in the highest-definition moving picture medium the world had seen: Cinerama. With its three strips of 35-millimeter film projected side by side with a slight overlap on a gigantic, curved screen, Cinerama offered six times the resolution — which is to say, six times as much visual information — of the standard film of 1952, when it was first used commercially.

Not even the finest home theater installation will be able to reproduce the scale and resolution of the Cinerama experience, or anything close to it. But moving from standard-definition DVD to Blu-ray generates a shock analogous to what the audiences of 1952 must have felt when the curtains parted to reveal the panoramic screen.

The images are so crisp as to feel almost unreal; the depth of field seems dreamlike, infinite, with the blades of grass in the foreground as sharply in focus as the snow-capped mountains in the distant background. Unfortunately, there is no way to bend even a flat-panel monitor to imitate the immersive experience of Cinerama’s curved screen, which tried to fill every speck of the viewer’s peripheral vision. But sit close enough, and that sense of enveloping depth returns. It feels like a three-dimensional experience, and in some ways is a more convincing illusion (and a much less visually painful one) than that provided by the two-camera 3-D processes that followed in the wake of Cinerama’s popular success.

The first Cinerama features were travelogues, transporting 1950s spectators to parts of the world most would never see. (Many of the earliest Edison and Lumière films, at the turn of the 20th century, fulfilled a similar function.) Released in the United States in 1963, “How the West Was Won” would be the first — and, as it turned out, the last — narrative film to be shot in the three-strip Cinerama process.

In a sense the film’s guiding aesthetic is still that of the travelogue, but instead of visiting various scenic locations, it makes brief stops at most of the symbolic locations of the western genre, from the embarkation points of the Erie Canal to the California mountains of the Gold Rush.

The script, by James R. Webb (“Vera Cruz”), does its best to touch all the thematic bases of the genre too: the male characters include a mountain man (James Stewart) and a river pirate (Walter Brennan); a wagon master (Robert Preston) and a riverboat gambler (Gregory Peck); a builder of railroads (Richard Widmark) and a frontier marshal (George Peppard). The main female characters are even more broadly archetypal: a pair of sisters, portentously named Lilith (Debbie Reynolds, who becomes a saloon singer and budding capitalist) and Eve (Carroll Baker, who stakes out a farm on a Mississippi riverbank and mothers two boys).

As a dramatic narrative “How the West Was Won” doesn’t work all that well. Few of the characters are on screen long enough to establish identities beyond those of the stars who play them. Most of the episodes are thinly developed, and over all the film has a jerky, stop-and-start rhythm, perhaps because it is the work of three different directors.

Henry Hathaway (“True Grit”) reportedly was in charge of the project and directed three episodes (“The Rivers,” “The Plains” and “The Outlaws”). John Ford directed one (“The Civil War”), and George Marshall another (“The Railroad,” although Hathaway later said he had to reshoot much of Marshall’s material).

Instead this is a movie of visual epiphanies, ingeniously realized in the face of crippling stylistic challenges. The Cinerama camera — an 800-pound behemoth that resembled a steel-girded jukebox — could move forward and backward with ease and elegance, resulting in some of the most impressive moments in the film (like the long tracking shot through a river town that opens “The Rivers”). But it couldn’t pan from side to side without creating registration problems, and close-ups were all but impossible to achieve with the system’s short 27-millimeter lenses.

Moreover, characters couldn’t move freely across the wide screen, because crossing the two join lines — where the images overlapped — would create a distracting jump, and the action (beyond the broad movements of rushing trains or stampeding buffalo) had to be restricted to the center of the screen.

Hathaway and Marshall are resourceful and craftsmanlike in dealing with these limitations, finding ways to position the actors so that the join lines are hidden, or filling the unused space beyond the center frame with vertiginously detailed landscapes that fall off into infinite distance.

But it is John Ford who rises to the challenge most poetically, chiefly by ignoring it. “The Civil War” is an exquisite miniature (unfortunately padded out by some battle sequences lifted from “Raintree County,” an earlier MGM Civil War film) that consists of only three scenes: a mother (Ms. Baker) sends a son (Peppard) off to war; the son has a horrible experience as night falls on the battlefield of Shiloh; the son returns and finds that his mother has died. The structure has a musical alternation: day, night, day; exterior, interior, exterior; stillness, movement, stillness.

In the first and last scenes the famous Fordian horizon line extends the entire length of the extra-wide Cinerama frame. In the aftermath of the battle the horizon line disappears in darkened studio sets. The sense of the sequence is profoundly antiwar — Generals Sherman and Grant, played by John Wayne and Henry Morgan, briefly appear as a couple of disheveled, self-pitying drunks — and it gradually becomes apparent that the elderly Ford is revisiting one of his early important works, the 1928 drama “Four Sons.”

The expressionistic middle sequence, with its studio-built swamp, refers to F. W. Murnau, whose “Sunrise” was one of the great influences on the young Ford, while the open-air sequences that bracket it, with their unmoving camera, long-shot compositions and rootedness in the rural landscape, recall the work of the American pioneer D. W. Griffith.

When, in the final panel of Ford’s triptych, a gust of wind tousles Peppard’s hair in the foreground and then continues across to the forest in the middle distance and on to the stand of trees in the most distant background, it seems like a true miracle of the movies: a breath of life, moving over the face of the earth. No less formidable a filmmaker than Jean-Marie Straub has called “The Civil War” John Ford’s masterpiece; for the first time, thanks to this magnificent new edition, I think I know what he’s talking about. Birth, death, rebirth. (Warner Home Video, $34.99, Blu-ray; $59.98, three-disc standard-definition collector’s edition; $20.98, two-disc standard definition edition, not rated)