(12/2/2019) I believe this was MGM's answer to United Artist's "The Magnificent Seven". This is a stunning cast; so good, you have 2 of the finest directors in Hollywood history co-directing: John Ford and Henry Hathaway. The "uncredited" cast members are brilliant in their own right. People like Lee Van Cleek, Harry Dean Stanton, Bob Morgan (who was almost killed while making this film), Jack Lambert, Roy Jenson, Ken Curtis ("Festus" on "Gunsmoke"), Walter Burke, Paul Bryar, Willis Bouchey and many other actors who had long careers in television and film. The primary cat members have probably 2 dozen Academy Award wins, along with (perhaps) 100 total nominations. Stiill, this film did not suceed as well as one might expect. I think it is because it was so top heavy with great actors, there was simply not enough time to truly use them properly, even though it was nearly 3 hours long (truly epic for those days). Still, the years have been kind to this movie. It is probably the last great western epic, except for Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" (1969). This film covers about 50 years, smack in the middle of the 19th Century. Fortunately, this film is on broadcast television tonight (with about 40 minutes of commercials). It shouldn't be cut, with a "G" rating. A must see film.
Review of How the West Was Won
