| How the West Was Won | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Poster_-_How_the_West_Was_Won.jpg) Original film poster by Reynold Brown | |
| Directed by | |
| Written by | James R. Webb |
| Story by | Louis L'Amour |
| Based on | "How the West Was Won" in Life |
| Produced by | Bernard Smith |
| Starring |
|
| Narrated by | Spencer Tracy |
| Cinematography | |
| Edited by | Harold F. Kress |
| Music by | Alfred Newman |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 164 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $14,483,000[1] |
| Box office | $50 million |
How the West Was Won is a 1962 American epic Western film directed by Henry Hathaway (who directed three out of the five chapters involving the same family), John Ford and George Marshall, produced by Bernard Smith, written by James R. Webb, and narrated by Spencer Tracy. Originally filmed in true three-lens Cinerama with the according three-panel panorama projected onto an enormous curved screen, the film features an ensemble cast formed by many cinema icons and newcomers, including (in alphabetical order) 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 and Richard Widmark. The supporting cast features Brigid Bazlen, Walter Brennan, David Brian, Andy Devine, Raymond Massey, Agnes Moorehead, Henry (Harry) Morgan, Thelma Ritter, Mickey Shaughnessy and Russ Tamblyn.
How the West Was Won is widely considered one of Hollywood's greatest epics.[2] The film received widespread critical acclaim and was a box office success, grossing $50 million on a budget of $15 million.[3] At the 36th Academy Awards it earned eight nominations, including Best Picture, and won three, for Best Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, Best Sound and Best Film Editing. In 1997 it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4]
- ^ Pryor, Thomas M (August 3, 1963). "Bernard Smith Clarifies Fiscal Facts As to 'How the West Was Won'". Variety. p. 3.
- ^ "How The West Was Won". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- ^ "Box office / business for How the West Was Won". IMDb. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "New to the National Film Registry | Librarian Names 25 More Films". Library of Congress. Retrieved November 1, 2020.