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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The western (almost) starts here, May 19, 2002
This review is from: Covered Wagon [VHS] (VHS Tape)
It's refreshing to see this well-loved, simple classic in such good condition. The VHS print is excellent, the film itself is only slightly dated, and the actors don't ham too much (Ernest Torrence and J Warren Kerrigan are stand-outs). The direction by James Cruze is solid. His use of close-ups is sparing, but effective. The storyline began to wander a bit after the wagon-train had crossed the Platte, but the final 10 minutes puts things to right again. Together with "Tol'able David" and "the Iron horse", this is the start of the modern western-movie and as such important viewing.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Early Silent Western Was The TITANIC Of Its Day., July 26, 2001
This review is from: Covered Wagon [VHS] (VHS Tape)
THE COVERED WAGON was based on the novel of the same name by the now forgotten writer Emerson Hough and recounts the 1848 trek of a wagon train from Kansas City to Oregon. It remains a landmark film in many ways. Originally planned as just another Western programmer, it was expanded by director James Cruze into the TITANIC of its day.
Cruze, the son of Mormon parents, grew up in Utah and could still remember the Old West as it really was. He saw this film as the opportunity for him to advance beyond the programmers and Fatty Arbuckle features that he had been doing at Paramount up until then. He demanded total authenticity which included not only the original locations, but also a cast of 3000 (including real Native Americans) and over a hundred genuine Conestoga wagons. Despite the enormous expense and the prolonged shooting schedule, the film was one of the biggest successes of the Silent Era and Cruze was on his way to becoming one of the top directors of the 1920's (another of his epic films OLD IRONSIDES is also available on video).
The acting is restrained by the standards of the time which helps the film to play well with modern audiences. J.Warren Kerrigan and Lois Wilson are fine as the lovers but the film belongs to character actors Alan Hale Sr.(the father of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND's Skipper), Tully Marshall, and Ernest Torrence. Watching the film is like having history come to life before your eyes. The print used for the video is of high quality with a colorful score by Gaylord Carter, one of the last great practitioners of silent film organ playing. Many thanks to Paramount for making this landmark epic along with several other silents available for home viewing and at a reasonable price too.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great classical forerunner of all that came after., June 30, 1999
This review is from: Covered Wagon [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Considering the era of films and the yet unexplored technology of the firm industry, The Covered Wagon remains a classic unto itself. This film is the granddaddy of all the great western epics yet to be filmed. I must also mention that the star, J. Warren Kerrigan is my third cousin, and I have spent my lifetime trying to discover if The Covered Wagon was on video or if the film still existed. Casually strolling through your website, not even thinking about this great film, I was in shock when the title popped up on my computer screen. I must say I became quite emotional. Thank you amazon.com.
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