How The West Was Won - 1962 - 7/10

Overlong “Western” is as good or bad as any given chapter.
The West sweeps from the Alleghenies to Arizona in a rough fifty year span.
Generations of one family are profiled, but they are stand-ins for everyone.
Yarns about river pirates and the Civil War seem the weakest, with poorly drawn characters.
The wagon train is too Hollywood for my taste, but this has one of the few roles I’ve enjoyed Gregory Peck in.
Final two chapters are rousing excitement.
Railroad going though Indian territory, unflinching is observing (broken) agreements with tribes.
An outlaw gang trying for a train robbery as civilization begins to the “wild” West.
Recent BluRay addresses / fixes the Cinerama bars.
I originally saw this old-fashioned Hollywood spectacle with my grandfather, and a recent rewatch reminds me of how completely immersive it had been – and how it is less now.