How the West Was Won Reviews

Dense and episodic western omelet, tries to condense the evolution of the American west by channeling it through one family's experiences, over three generations. The film is split between four directors with Hathaway's sequences clearly the most cohesive and colorful. This is an all-star guessing-game cast that adults can have fun with, and there's enough history lesson to validate it for children. The acting alternates between star turn, cute, and storybook portmanteau. It's a big-budget fastfood history lesson with Debbie Reynolds as brash schoolmarm. Spencer Tracy narrates, and was probably grateful for the relative safety.