Customer Reviews

Westward the Women [VHS]

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Robert Taylor -a prominent male star of its era -gets top billing in this exceptional Western but it it among the small number of genre movies that focuses primarily on women and their role in opening up the West .
It is blessed by having the experienced genre hand William Wellman in the director's chair and also by being able to call on the services of cinematographer William Mellor whose striking monochrome photography shows the rugged landscape to great advantage
It is 1851 and rugged Californian rancher Roy Whitman -played well by John McIntire -hires trail guide Buck Wyatt ( Robert Taylor )to guide a troop of 150 women from Chicago to his ranch to provide brides for his lonely cowhands and other residents of the area .The women who sign up for the venture are a cross section of society ;there is a a robust Massachusetts woman ,the widow of a deep sea fisherman ; a schoolteacher ;an Italian widow and her nine year old son ; a pregnant single woman ;and the main heroine of the movie A Frenchwoman of dubious past Fifi Danon ( Denise Dax ).These -along with many others embark on the perilous journey .Trouble flares with some of the men hired to accompany the party and Tylor does not scruple to enforce his rules reagarding his men who fraternise with the women -death .Most of the crew leave Taylor and the women to go it alone .This is where the movie shifts gear into a tale of a group of outsiders banding together to overcome great odds and the many perils of the trail-Indians , hauling waagons over mountains ,quicksand ,storms and freak accidents .It is greatly helped by having a cast of women who look capable of achieving these odds rather than a colection of people who would appear lost if they were out of sight of the beauty salon
Taylor is good as the misogynistic Wyatt who comes to moderate his views on his charges -" There are only two things that scare me and a good woman is both of them " is a key line from the early part of the picture and is spoken by Wyatt .He comes to regard his charges as great women and demand the waiting men to be worthy of them

It is useful to set this along side the best known wagon train movie John Ford's Wagonmaster which set out to achieve a mythic and archetypal quality ,right down to its self consciously mythologising main title song .The Wellman movie is a great deal more specific in its focus on one particular group and is a worthy tribute to the pioneer women , a group whose role in Western expansion has not received its due from the movie industry

"Westward the Women" is the story of a group of women who have been recruited as wives for a settlement of men in a California valley. Their hopes and dreams, hardships and struggles, laughter and tears are all a part of their trek to the west. Soon after leaving for California, nearly all of the men who signed on to work with the wagon train left during the night. The train boss (Robert Taylor) decided that he would "make men out of the women" so they could be tough enough to make it on their own. This film gives you a feeling of actually being there. It is a true-to-life adventure--one that you will want to come back to and relive.

"Westward the Women" is the story of a group of women who have been recruited as wives for a settlement of men in a California valley. Their hopes and dreams, hardships and struggles, laughter and tears are all a part of their trek to the west. Soon after leaving for California, nearly all of the men who signed on to work with the wagon train left during the night. The train boss decided he would "make men out of the women" so they could be tough enough to make it on their own. This film gives you a feeling of actually being there. It is a true-to-life adventure-- one you will want to come back to and relive.

This is a rousing story starring that handsome but in this movie, unshaven and grizzled Robert Taylor leading a group of resilient pioneer women heading west to meet their future husbands for the first time. The plot moves along briskly. The great director William Wellman shows real flair for staging exciting action sequences. He handles a large cast of actors, horses, cattle, wagon trains, and even a cute little dog with great ease and skill.

"Westward the Women" contains some wonderful comic moments along with occasional tragedies and much hardship along the westward trail. The movie makes you appreciate how brave and industrious these pioneers had to be to endure the harsh weather and terrain along with occasional Indian attacks and frequent lack of provisions.

Watching "Westward the Women" will give you the audience a very pleasant two hours of entertainment and enlightenment about America's westward expansion.

I first saw this movie a long time ago, before cable. I was a young girl then. This movie FINALLY gives women a place in the movement west. Most history books and movies make women of that era look like a bunch of pansies! Westward the Women depict women in a true pioneer light, able to do what is considered the work of men. This movie spurred on my interest in women's histories. This should be part of any school pioneer studies. At least a jumping off point for discussion regarding the authentic role of women since the first European woman set foot in North America.

Wonderful, wonderful movie. Not predictable or sappy. Great acting and excellent location filming. One of the best westerns ever made, but probably few have heard of it. Captures the pioneer spirit like no other film, and has all the heroes being women! Don't miss it.

Not very many movies show the true american spirit, least of all the pioneer western woman, that had much to do in taming the west and opening up america. If you see movies and documentaries they usually refer to the women of the west as seedy or pompus. Not this movie; it is the only movie I have ever seen that show pioneer women as brave, shy, tough, feminine and masculine all in one story. All the attributes that pioneer women had to have in order to survive. I am sure that some feminist wont like the fact that the women were going west to be brides, but who cares its worth seeing. My wife considers this her all time favorite movie. I may not agree with that, but I do consider it in my favorite top 10.

This film depicts a classic westward journey. Not the usual family voyage, but single women yearning for home and family in a California valley. Their journey begins with the women, the train boss (Robert Taylor), and the men whose work it is to help get the wagon train and the women to their destination. One night, however, all but 4 of the men desert the train. The next morning, the boss decides to "make men out of the women", so they can complete the trip. The struggles, heartaches, and accomplishments of these women are lived out in their quest. The realism of this story is compelling. You, the viewer, will want to revisit this movie often and share it with your family and friends who admire bravery and strength when it shows up in ordinary people.

I would like to see this movie in DVD format. I recently saw a colorized version and wonder if it is available.

Robert Taylor stars as the tough head of a wagon train of women heading West to California to marry men in need of female companionship at a new settlement. The women are an odd assortment who prove their mettle in the face of floods, Indians, and various other obstacles. It's an unusual premise, but director William Wellman and the story's creator Frank Capra make it memorable, along with capable performances by all the cast, especially Hope Emerson as the no-nonsence Patience. You've got to have respect for the women and all that they faced and conquered. The West needed a lot of strong women to help build it, and this film gives them credit.