Directed by William Wyler and screenplay by Dalton Trumbo, Ian McLellan Hunter, and John Dighton from a story by Trumbo, Roman Holiday is the story of a princess who runs away from her duties to see the city of Rome as she is joined by a reporter as they go into a romantic adventure. The film is a romantic comedy that follows the life of two people going to Rome where a reporter tries to give a woman the time of her life not aware of who she really is. Starring Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert, Hartley Power, Harcourt Williams, and Margaret Rawlings. Roman Holiday is a majestic and enchanting film from William Wyler.
The film is a simple story of a princess who travels around Europe for a royal tour as she becomes tired of her demanding schedule where she secretly runs away to go sight-seeing in Rome where she befriends an American journalist looking for a story to sell. It’s a film that play into two people looking for something different in their lives where they would take on different personas yet only one of them knows who the other person is as he tries to maintain that secrecy. The film’s screenplay that is mainly written by Dalton Trumbo and John Dighton, as the former wasn’t properly credit due to Hollywood blacklist where Ian McLellan Hunter had to take credit, doesn’t just explore the monotony of the routine that Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) had to do but also the need to wanting to enjoy life like everyone else. She makes her escape and sort of succeeds until a sedative she was given earlier finally caught up with her as an expatriated American journalist in Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) finds her and realizes who she is.
For Bradley, he is someone in need of money as well as getting a story that would take him back home as he lets Princess Ann stay at his apartment where she would call herself Anya Smith. He reluctantly allows her to be by herself for much of the film’s first-half where she would get a haircut and see the sights of Rome as he would act an observer trying to get a story. When his photographer friend Irving Radovich (Eddie Albert) comes in to take some secret photos for the story, he too would be an observer as he hopes to get a cut of what money Joe is making. Throughout the course of the film, the three go sightseeing around the city of Rome where an attraction between Bradley and the princess begins to happen. Especially as the princess’ staff go into panic mode where they send men to find her as it goes into chaos.
William Wyler’s direction is definitely astonishing in terms of its visuals where Rome is a major character in the film with all of its landmarks as well as some of the moments in the streets where many of its locals live. While some of the film is shot in Cinecitta studios for scenes inside the palace and some of the interiors, Wyler does create something that does feel enchanting for the vibrancy of post-war Rome where it’s a city that is starting to thrive all over again. While Wyler uses some wide shots to capture its beauty in the many locations it is in, he maintains an intimacy in the way Princess Ann and Joe would interact whether it’s at the latter’s apartment or at a café. Wyler’s usage of close-ups and medium shots would help play into some of the romantic elements as well as the moments of comedy including the way Bradley would make Irving spill his drink as part of a recurring gag. Wyler finds that balance of both genres while making sure that the humor isn’t forced such as a low-key scene of a couple of officials of the princess waiting for a royal plane to arrive to see some royal soldiers in plain clothes as it is one of the funniest moments in the film.
The direction also showcases that sense of vibrancy in the city such as the scenes involving the Vespa scooters and how Princess Ann would interact with the locals. Yet, it all kind of plays as this sense of fantasy that Princess Ann wants but there is that reality that she has to go back to the palace and fulfill her royal duties. Even as she has no clue what Bradley really is as he claims he does something else unaware of what he plans to do as he was originally supposed to interview her at her palace that day. The film’s climax is about this reality as well as the fact that these are two people who have to play a role in life and could do little to escape from it. Overall, Wyler creates a rapturous yet evocative film about a princess escaping her palace to go sightseeing around Rome with a journalist.
Cinematographers Henri Alekan and Franz Planer do amazing work with the film‘s black-and-white photography as it play into the richness of the city in the day in many of its exteriors to the usage of shadows and lights for some of the interior scenes set at night as well as the nighttime exterior scenes. Editor Robert Swink does excellent work with the editing as it is mostly straightforward with a few dissolves as well as some rhythmic cuts for some of the funny moments in the film. Art directors Hal Pereira and Walter H. Tyler do brilliant work with the look of the palace interiors including the princess‘ bedroom and the apartment that Joe lives in.
Costume designer Edith Head does fantastic work with the dress that Princess Ann wears outside of the palace as well as the regal dresses she would wear when she‘s performing her duties. Sound recordist Joseph de Bretagne does terrific work with the sound in capturing some of the moments in the city as well as a dance that Joe and Princess Ann go to. The film’s music by Georges Auric and Victor Young is wonderful for its orchestral-based score as it has moments that are lively and fun as well as some somber pieces that play into the drama as it is a highlight of the film.
The film’s incredible cast feature some notable small roles from Alfredo Rizzo as a cab driver, Laura Solari as a secretary from the paper Bradley works at, Paolo Carlini as the barber who cuts the princess’ hair, Tullio Carminti as a general for the princess’ country, Harcourt Williams as the princess’ ambassador, and Margaret Rawlings as the princess’ lady-in-waiting Countess Vereberg. Hartley Power is superb as Joe’s editor Hennessy who wants a major story from Joe as well as threatening to fire him. Eddie Albert is excellent as Irving Radovich as a photographer who works with Bradley as he goes along for the ride with a secret camera as he tries to get the best shots of the Princess while calling her Smitty. Finally, there’s the duo of Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in spectacular performances.
Peck’s performance as Joe Bradley is one of charm but also willing to get his story as there are moments of him that is funny but some of the dramatic moments is where Peck is at his best in how much he would car for the princess. Hepburn’s performance as Princess Ann is truly a breakthrough for the actress in her Hollywood debut as she just exudes charisma as well as display a regality and liveliness that is so engaging to watch as she can be funny but also very dramatic in the anguish over the role she is playing in the world. Hepburn and Peck together are a joy to watch as they just don’t have this chemistry that is impeccable but also giving the audience a chance to root for them.
Roman Holiday is a phenomenal film from William Wyler that features outstanding performances from Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. Along with a fantastic supporting cast, gorgeous visuals, a lively score, and amazing images of the locations in Rome. It’s a film that isn’t just a romantic comedy that offers so much and more but also a film that captures the sense of joy and anguish of love in all of its complexities. In the end, Roman Holiday is a tremendous film from William Wyler.
William Wyler Films: (Straight Shootin’) - (Anybody Here Seen Kelly?) - (The Shakedown) - (Hell’s Heroes) - (A House Divided (1931 film)) - (Tom Brown of Culver) - (Counsellor at Law) - (Glamour (1934 film)) - (The Good Fairy) - (The Gay Deception) - (These Three) - (Dodsworth) - (Come and Get It) - (Dead End (1937 film)) - (Jezebel) - (Wuthering Heights (1939 film)) - (The Westerner) - (The Letter) - (The Little Foxes) - (Mrs. Miniver) - (Memphis Belle: A Story of Flying Fortress) - The Best Years of Our Lives - (Thunderbolt!) - (The Heiress) - (Detective Story (1951 film)) - (Carrie (1952 film)) - (The Desperate Hours) - Friendly Persuasion - (The Big Country) - Ben-Hur - (The Children’s Hour) - (The Collector (1965 film)) - (How to Steal a Million) - (Funny Girl) - (The Liberation of L.B. Jones)
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the novel The Executioners by John D. MacDonald, Cape Fear is the story of a convicted rapist who has been released from a 14-year prison stint as he decides to go after the attorney who put him in jail through some moments of injustice. Directed by Martin Scorsese and screenplay by Wesley Strick that is based on James R. Webb‘s script of the 1962 film, the film is a remake/homage of sorts to the 1962 film of the same name as it plays more into a man who is hell-bent on making the life of a public defender and his family a living hell. Starring Robert de Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Illeana Douglas, Joe Don Baker, and special appearances from Martin Balsam, Robert Mitchum, and Gregory Peck from the 1962 film. Cape Fear is a thrilling and mesmerizing film from Martin Scorsese.
The film is a simple story of a released convict who served a 14-year sentence for a rape charge as he decides to make the life of the man, who put him in jail for mishandling his case, a living hell. It is a revenge story of sorts as a battle of wits and wills between this convict and an attorney yet it is the convict that feels wronged where an attorney’s past actions are catching up with him. Even as the sins of this attorney named Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) have his own family live in fear but also wonder what did he do as Bowden is driven to the edge to protect them with the help of a private investigator where things don’t go very well.
Wesley Strick’s screenplay doesn’t just explore the dynamics of two men but also a growing sense of distrust towards Bowden from his wife Leigh (Jessica Lange) and daughter Danielle (Juliette Lewis). Especially as the former is suspicious of Sam’s supposed infidelities while the latter would have her own meeting with the convicted man in Max Cady (Robert de Niro) who would charm her. All of which adds to Bowden’s determination to rid of Cady one way or the other but at the cost of his own reputation and who he is as a man.
Martin Scorsese’s direction is definitely very stylish for not just the fact that he pays homage to the original 1962 film by J. Lee Thompson. It is also a film in which Scorsese pays homage to the many thrillers and suspense films of the past while doing something that is an update of sorts to those genres. Shot largely on location in South Florida as well as some sequences shot in Universal Studios Hollywood, the film does set itself in the American South but in a more modern idea of the South as it tries to maintain elements of tradition but in a world that is ever-changing. With its stylish usage of wide and medium shots along with some close-ups, Scorsese would go for something that is very stylistic in the way he would put actors into a frame where one would be in the foreground and the other in the background.
Scorsese also provides these moments that are quite surreal with its usage of different film stocks, color schemes, and moments that feel very artificial as it relates to the fear that is growing in Sam and his family. It says a lot to this kind of reality that Bowden has created but one that feels false where Cady would come in and disrupt everything as if he is this wronged man that is trying to make their lives a living hell. Featuring some dazzling imagery that includes this exotic opening credits sequence created by Saul and Elaine Bass that serves as a homage to the works of Alfred Hitchcock. It would add to the film’s unique look with some stylish camera angles that Scorsese would inject as it would also play into the film’s climax that is set on a river. The impact of the violence as well as some religious-based imagery would say a lot into what is happening where it does take place on this houseboat where it is about not just some truths coming out but also what one is willing to do to survive. Overall, Scorsese creates an exhilarating yet provocative film about a convicted rapist stalking and preying on lawyer for the sins he had committed.
Cinematographer Freddie Francis does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography with its usage of different film stocks and lighting schemes for some of the surreal sequences while creating some moods in the lighting for some of exteriors scenes in the day and at night. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish montages for some of the more eerie sequences that play into Bowden‘s fear as well as some stylish rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense, drama, and much of its dark humor. Production designer Henry Bumstead, with set decorator Alan Hicks and art director Jack G. Taylor Jr., does excellent work with the look of the Bowden home to play into its sense of artificial world that Sam lives in to the look of the houseboat for the film‘s climax.
Costume designer Rita Ryack does nice work with the costumes from the more casual and clean look of the Bowden family to the stylish clothes that Cady wears. The hair/makeup work of Ilona Herman does fantastic work with the look of Cady from his slick hair to the tattoos on his body that features a lot of religious text and imagery. Sound editor Skip Lievsay does superb work with the sound in the way some of the quieter moments such as Danielle‘s meeting with Cady sounds like in its intimacy to the chilling moments in the film‘s climax. The film’s music largely consists of the film score Bernard Herrmann made for the 1962 film as it is adapted by Elmer Bernstein which does maintain that air of suspense and high drama as it proves anything that was used in the past can still be used again while the soundtrack would also feature music from Guns N‘ Roses and Aretha Franklin.
The casting by Ellen Lewis is wonderful as it features some notable small roles from Zully Montero as the Bowden’s family maid Graciella, Fred Dalton Thompson as Bowden’s law partner Tom Broadbent, Domenica Cameron-Scorsese as Danielle’s friend, Charles and Catherine Scorsese as a couple of fruit stand customers, and Martin Balsam in a terrific cameo appearance as a judge who would disbar Bowden early in the film’s third act. Illeana Douglas is fantastic as the law clerk Lori Davis who is rumored to be Bowden’s mistress until she has a meeting with Cady that would prove to be extremely ugly. Gregory Peck is excellent in his brief yet mesmerizing appearance as Cady’s attorney Lee Heller who would defend the man after an assault as he would have this passionate plea to disbar Bowden. Robert Mitchum is brilliant as Lt. Elgart as this police detective who realizes what is happening to Bowden and what Cady is doing as he sort of plays the film’s conscience in telling Bowden to not descend into darkness which is a surprise since Mitchum played Cady in the 1962 film. Joe Don Baker is amazing as Claude Kersek as a private detective who tries to see what Cady is up to while realizing that he is in the middle of a game where does whatever he can to stop Cady.
Juliette Lewis is incredible as Danielle as this 15-year old girl who deals with the chaos surrounding her family as she becomes intrigued by Cady and the books she is given until she realizes the severity of his terror. Jessica Lange is remarkable as Leigh Bowden as a wife/artist who deals with not just Cady’s presence but also the sins of her husband as she has a hard time trusting him. Nick Nolte is marvelous as Sam Bowden as an attorney who is terrorized by a man he was supposed to defend only to bury evidence that could’ve given Cady a lesser sentence as he tries to outwit Cady only to realize the flaws of himself. Finally, there’s Robert de Niro in a phenomenal performance as Max Cady where de Niro brings a charm that just exudes in every moment he is in as well as a sense of terror that is menacing as it one of de Niro’s most definitive performances.
Cape Fear is a sensational film from Martin Scorsese that features great performances from Robert de Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, and Juliette Lewis. In being an updated version of the 1962 film as well as a homage to that film, Scorsese creates a film that isn’t just a thriller that oozes with excitement and terror. It’s also a study of sin and what one man would do to make another man pay for his sins. In the end, Cape Fear is a riveting film from Martin Scorsese.
Related: Cape Fear (1962 film)
Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) - (Street Scenes) - Boxcar Bertha - (Mean Streets) - Italianamerican - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York - American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) - Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - After Hours - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas - The Age of Innocence - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) - (Casino) - (Kundun) - (My Voyage to Italy) - Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) - Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) - No Direction Home - The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) - (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The 50 Year Argument) - Silence (2016 film) - (The Irishman) - Killers of the Flower Moon - (An Afternoon with SCTV)
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the novel The Executioners by John D. MacDonald, Cape Fear is the story of a criminal who goes after the attorney who put him in prison while stalking the man’s family. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and screenplay by James R. Webb, the film is a revenge story of sorts from a man went to prison as he wants to go after the one who put him there as he plans to make the life of this man and his family a living hell. Starring Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Lori Martin, Telly Savalas, and Martin Balsam. Cape Fear is a gripping yet mesmerizing film from J. Lee Thompson.
The film is a simple story of a criminal who had just been released from prison after an eight-year sentence for rape where he decides to go after the attorney who put him in prison and make the life of the man and his family a living hell. In a way, it is a revenge story but it’s the antagonist that is seeking revenge though he is a man that is quite brutal in his actions as well as create a sense of discomfort to those he’s after. In some ways, the film is a battle of wits between this very devious and cunning criminal and an attorney who is about doing the right thing but finds himself on edge in protecting his family. Especially as the criminal in Max Cady (Robert Mitchum) has eyes for the attorney’s young daughter that just adds to the dramatic stakes for Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck) who turns to friends in the police department and a private detective for help but things however don’t go very well.
James R. Webb’s screenplay definitely plays into a battle of wits where Bowden knows who Cady is and what he did but doesn’t think Cady is a big threat at first. Yet, seeing him nearby and other incidents would force Bowden to try and see if Cady is really up to something with the aid of the police and the private detective Charlie Sievers (Telly Savalas). Even as there was an incident that Cady was involved in as Bowden, Sievers, and police chief Mark Dutton (Martin Balsam) realize that they can’t arrest him for. It adds to some of the psychological elements of the film where Cady’s presence would also bring terror to Bowden’s family life as it relates to his wife Peggy (Polly Bergen) and their 14-year old daughter Nancy (Lori Martin). It adds to the battle of wits and will between the two as Bowden realizes that money nor his own threats could stop Cady.
J. Lee Thompson’s direction is quite gripping for the way he sets the mood for much of the suspense in the film. Shot partially on location in Savannah, Georgia and Stockton, California with some of the interiors shot on soundstages at Universal Studios in Hollywood. The film does have the look of a film set in the American South where it does feel hot as well as bringing a sense of discomfort. While Thompson does put in some stylish shots such as a few slanted camera angles, low-angles, and other shots similar to film noir to set a mood for scenes of terror. Thompson also manages something straightforward with the way he frames his actors into a scene but also maintain something that is dramatic as it relates to the stakes of Cady’s threats. Even in a scene where Peggy tries to stop her husband from descending into Cady’s level to remind him that he has more to lose than Cady. The film’s climax at a river where Bowden’s houseboat is would be the ultimate battle in a game of wits and will but it also showcases what must be done. Especially as Thompson creates these moments that build up the tension and suspense as it goes into a great payoff towards the end. Overall, Thompson crafts a thrilling and intense film about a criminal trying to get revenge on the man that put him in prison.
Cinematographer Sam Leavitt does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the beautiful look of the scenes set in the day to the eerie mood for the scenes at night with its noir-like look in its shadows and shades. Editor George Tomasini does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward but also have these rhythmic touches that does a lot to play into the suspense and intense moments in the film. Art directors Robert F. Boyle and Alexander Golitzen, with set decorator Oliver Emert, do nice work with the look of a bar that Cady goes to as well as the scenes in the courtroom and the houseboat that Bowden owns.
Costume designer Mary Willis does terrific work with the costumes from the Panama hat and clothes that Cady wears to the more straight-laced look of Bowden as well as the dresses Peggy and Nancy wears. The sound work of Corson Jowett and Waldon O. Watson is superb for some of the eerie moments set in the film‘s climax at the river where its usage of natural sounds does so much to play into the suspense and terror. The film’s music by Bernard Herrmann is amazing as it is one of the film’s highlights as its orchestral-based score is filled with eerie string arrangements and themes that play into the drama as well as much of the suspense as it’s one of his best scores.
The film’s remarkable cast include some notable small roles from Joan Staley as a waitress Cady tries to flirt with at the bowling alley, Edward Platt as a judge, Will Wright as a doctor friend of Bowden, and Paul Comi as Bowden’s paralegal aide. Barrie Chase is wonderful as Diane Taylor as this woman Cady meets at a bar and flirts with only to be in for a night that she wouldn’t forget for all of the wrong reasons. Jack Kruschen is terrific as Cady’s lawyer who tries to ensure Cady’s innocence as well as get Bowden disbarred. Telly Savalas is fantastic as the private detective Charlie Sievers as a man who is asked by Bowden and Dutton to see if Cady is up to something where he would help Bowden out in a scheme to capture Cady for its climax. Martin Balsam is excellent as Bowden’s friend in police chief Mark Dutton as an authority figure who also knows Cady is up to something but also realizes how much trouble Bowden is getting himself into by trying to go after Cady.
Lori Martin is brilliant as Nancy as Sam and Peggy’s 14-year old daughter who is aware of what his happening as she would have her own frightening encounter with Cady where she also struggles with what he might do. Polly Bergen is amazing as Peggy Bowden as Sam’s wife who deals with the severity of what is happening as she tries to get her husband to see reason when he starts to fall apart while having her own terrifying encounter with Cady in the film’s climax. Robert Mitchum is phenomenal as Max Cady as a released convict who is hell-bent on getting revenge on Bowden as he’s a man that is very intelligent but also one that has a real grudge towards Bowden where it’s a role that has Mitchum be very evil but also in a way that is just fun to watch. Finally, there’s Gregory Peck in an incredible performance as Sam Bowden as a good-hearted attorney who copes with the presence of Cady as well as what Cady would do where he nearly descends into very dark areas as it’s one of Peck’s definitive performances as he and Mitchum have great rapport together in the scenes they’re both featured in.
Cape Fear is a spectacular film from J. Lee Thompson that features top-notch performances from Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum. Along with a great supporting cast, chilling moments of suspense, and Bernard Herrmann’s eerie score. The film isn’t just a thriller that manages to create a sense of discomfort and terror but a film that is about will and wits and how two men try to battle each other in a game of good vs. evil. In the end, Cape Fear is a tremendous film from J. Lee Thompson.
Related: Cape Fear (1991 film)
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and George Marshall and written by James R. Webb, How the West Was Won is a five-part story about the life of a family told through four generations in the development and migration of the American west. Narrated by Spencer Tracy, the film is a mixture of the epic films of mid-20th Century mixed in with the broad canvas of the western. Starring Carroll Baker, Walter Brennan, Lee J. Cobb, Andy Devine, Henry Fonda, Carolyn Jones, Karl Malden, Harry Morgan, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Robert Preston, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, Eli Wallach, John Wayne, and Richard Widmark. How the West Was Won is a majestic yet sprawling film from John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and George Marshall.
The film is a five-part series that tells the story about one family in the course of fifty years that would shape the American west through various periods in American history. All of which plays into the lives of a few people in the family known as the Prescotts where they travel on the Erie Canal to find a new home where two sisters would later take different paths in the second act. One goes to California to claim a piece of land she’s inherited with a gambler while the other settles into farm life with a trapper she fell for during her family’s journey in the river. The story then moves into the 1860s where the son of these women becomes part of the Civil War and later a cavalryman dealing with the changing times and the arrival of the railroad until he would meet his aunt for the very first time in the final part of the story.
It’s all part of James R. Webb’s extraordinary story about a family living in a period where the American west is discovered as they also endure the many changes in those fifty years as it’s told by Spencer Tracy as his narration only fill in moments about what has happening in America instead of the story about the Prescotts. All of which is separated in five parts with the first part being about the Prescotts at the Erie Canal and the treacherous journey they take where one of the daughters in Eve (Carroll Baker) falls for a trapper named Linus (James Stewart). The second part is about Eve’s sister Lilith (Debbie Reynolds) and her journey through the prairies where she and a gambler named Cleve (Gregory Peck) go to the west to get some land she’s inherited. The third part is about Eve’s son Zeb (George Peppard) and his encounter with the Civil War as he becomes a key player in the fourth and fifth part where he deals with the railroad where he meets an old friend of his father in Jethro Stuart (Henry Fonda).
It would play into this family’s encounter with history and how times are often changing in the West as they deal with the chaos of the Civil War, conflict with the Native Americans over the railroad, and also criminals and bandits over cattle and such. Notably as Zeb in the film’s third act realizes the horrors of war and the greed that comes into play involving the railroad as he definitely carries a sense of pride and honor that his father and uncle would carry in their lives. Even in the fifth and final part where he meets his aunt Lilith for the very first time while having to deal with a criminal named Charlie Gant (Eli Wallach) who has a grudge with Zeb.
The film’s direction is definitely vast in not just its composition but also in the way it wanted to tell a story about the development of the American west. Shot in the curved-three screen projector that was known as Cinerama, the film has this truly grand scale to capture not just the landscape of the American west but also the moments that shaped that world in the span of five decades. Under the vision of three filmmakers, with transitional scenes helmed by Richard Thorpe, the film does have this sense of unification in the filmmaking while each director does bring in their own ideas to the story to add that sense of epic storytelling. The Civil War segment is helmed by John Ford as it features not just some extravagant battle scenes but also some intimate moments where Zeb encounters the horror of war while meeting a Confederate drifter (Russ Tamblyn) as it’s a very telling piece to display Zeb’s sense of loss and his desire to find himself in an ever-changing world.
The railroad segment is helmed by George Marshall as it displays a lot of dramatic tension and some very intense scenes involving a buffalo stampede which would play to Zeb’s resolve over the conflict between the railroad company and a tribe of Native Americans. The rest of the film is helmed by Henry Hathaway who maintains the same sweeping vision like his other filmmakers as he also creates his own ideas that includes some intense moments involving the Prescotts in the rapids as well as other suspenseful moments such as Gant’s attempted train robbery. All of which plays to the grand spectacle of the west as the overall results is a very sensational yet engaging film about a family living in the changing times of the American west.
Cinematographers William H. Daniels, Milton Krasner, Charles Lang Jr., and Joseph LaSelle do fantastic work with the film‘s very colorful and vast cinematography to capture the vast beauty of the different landscapes in the American west along with some amazing shots set at night and the interiors to display some of the film‘s vibrant look. Editor Harold F. Kress does brilliant work with the editing in not just bringing some energy to some of the shootouts and battle scenes but also going for a methodical approach to some of the film‘s dramatic moments. Art directors George W. Davis, William Ferrari, and Addison Hehr, along with set decorators Henry Grace, Don Greenwood Jr., and Jack Mills, do excellent work with the set pieces from the look of the rafts in the first segment to the farms and buildings made during the film‘s duration and how it would evolve over time.
Costume designers Walter Plunkett and Ron Talsky do terrific work with the costumes from the showgirl costumes that Lilith wear in the second segment along with her dresses to some of the more low-key costumes most of the characters wear in their journey. The special visual effects work of A. Arnold Gillespe and Robert R. Hoag do nice work with the visual effects for the scenes set in the river rapids despite the fact that it sort of looks fake given the primitive technology that was used at the time. Sound editor Van Allen James does superb work with the sound to capture the extravagance of some of the gunfights and battles along with more intimate moments in some of the film‘s locations. The film’s music by Alec Newman is wonderful for its array of themes from broad and sweeping to more serene yet somber in their orchestral arrangements while the soundtrack also includes lots of traditional folk and country songs some of which are actually sung by Debbie Reynolds.
The film’s cast is phenomenal as it features some small but notable appearances from Lee Van Cleef as a river pirate, Harry Dean Stanton as a member of Gant’s gang, Raymond Massey in a brief scene as Abraham Lincoln, Harry Morgan as General Ulysses S. Grant, Russ Tamblyn as a Confederate deserter that Zeb meets, Carolyn Jones as Zeb’s wife Julie in the fifth segment, Thelma Ritter as Lilith’s traveling companion Agatha Clegg, and John Wayne in a small yet amazing performance as General William Tecumseh Sherman who gives a great monologue about not giving up the Civil War. Other noteworthy and memorable performances include Karl Malden and Agnes Moorehead as Lilith and Eve’s parents in the first segment, Walter Brennan and Brigid Balzen as a couple of river pirates, Robert Preston as a wagon master who tries to win Lilith’s heart, and Lee J. Cobb as a marshal who reluctantly helps Zeb to battle Gant.
Eli Wallach is excellent as the smarmy criminal Charlie Gant who is eager to cause trouble for Zeb Prescott while Richard Widmark is terrific as an immoral railroad baron who is more concerned with making money with the railroad no matter what the cost is. Henry Fonda is great in a small but memorable role as Linus’ old friend Jethro Stuart as a man who helps Zeb out over the conflict between the railroad and a Native American tribe as he would also help Zeb find his way in life. Gregory Peck is superb as the gambler Cleve Van Valen who is smitten by Lilith as he hopes to do whatever it takes to make her a proud woman. James Stewart is brilliant as the trapper Linus Rawlings who helps out the Prescotts in navigating the river while dealing with river pirates as he falls for Eve.
George Peppard is wonderful as Zeb as a man who has the same sense of pride and honor like his father Linus while dealing with the chaos in the changing times he encounters. Carroll Baker is amazing as Eve Prescott as a woman who falls for Linus as she deals with the dangers of the river. Finally, there’s Debbie Reynolds in a remarkable performance as Lilith Prescott as a woman who is very tough as well as talented as she is someone trying to define herself as a woman while finding a good man in Cleve as she later helps Zeb’s wife in the way Zeb is when it comes to action.
How the West Was Won is a sensational film from John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and George Marshall. Thanks to its sprawling vision, engaging story about a family encountering historical moments in the course of five decades, and a brilliant ensemble cast. The film is definitely an epic-western that has to be seen in a big screen or a big TV to display its vast images. It’s also a film that explores the life of a family and how they manage to define themselves in the American west no matter how troubling it is. In the end, How the West Was Won is an incredible film from the trio of John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and George Marshall.
© thevoid99 2013
