The Great Dramatic Motion Picture That Puts YOU In Every Scene!

Starring: Spencer Tracy (Narr.), James Stewart, Carroll Baker, Debbie Reynolds, George Peppard, John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Lee J. Cobb, Henry Fonda, Carolyn Jones, Karl Malden, Robert Preston, Eli Wallach, Richard Widmark, Raymond Massey, Bridgid Bazlen, Walter Brennan, Harry Morgan

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"Take a good look. You wanted a war, mister, you got one. I hope you're the first man killed in it." – Zeb Rawlings

Why watch this? It's epic, expansive, and packed with Hollywood's greatest stars.

Plot Summary: This Western epic follows several generations of the Prescott family as they leave their home in the 1830s and journey west. Their story, which continues over many decades, intersects with significant events in American history, including the Civil War, the California Gold Rush, and the building of the transcontinental railroad. As the family line endures hardship and change, it represents the courage and pioneering spirit of those who settled the American frontier.

Dad's Preview: This massive film effort (akin to The Longest Day, also in 1962) fills the screen with a plethora of Western film tropes: the lone trapper, seedy whiskey runners, the bloody Civil War, the Iron Horse, and a deadly showdown between the stoic lawman and a grinning gunfighter. It's star-studded with most actors appearing as small cameos. Even though it follows only one family, it features so many story lines that this very long film oddly feels rushed. It's also completely from the perspective of the conquering white trail blazers. Completely ignored is the treatment of Native peoples and African slaves. That simply was the predominate perspective in 1962. That said, as a rousing history of the American westward expansion, it's a big, breathtaking motion picture.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Cinerama; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer