Monday 26 July 2010

How the West Was Won (1962)

Someone was saying on Youtube that Horse Soldiers was the only time John Ford actually dealt with the Civil War but that's of course forgetting this sequence which he directed in this 60s widescreen 'cinerama' epic. John Wayne plays Sherman in the hours after the battle of Shiloh. It is a dark and downbeat sequence, but still worth remembering. If you watch the trailer there seems to be an epic battle scene which I don't remember being in the movie - maybe I'm wrong searching on the web I can't find anything about it. Deleted scenes page
Wiki on the movie.

2 comments:

  1. Among the 1870s and Spanish-American War uniforms and gear you do see some good detail. Look for the bandanna on John Wayne's hand. As General Sherman, Wayne has the detail of a minor wound Sherman received that day.

    A lot of the battle stock footage from HTWWW shows up in later films and TV shows.

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  2. There a bit of that battle scene footage you are looking for is in the 1965 film Shenandoah. The image was reversed to have the Union troops charge the right way for the action but they are holding their rifles on the left with the hammers ALSO on the left of their rifles.

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