History Film / HowTheWestWasWon

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: How does anyone manage to explain the background for the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar without mentioning the slavery issue ''at all''? It's likely that the film is Manifest Destiny propaganda, and so deliberately glosses over the issue altogether.

* OverprotectiveDad: Zebulon, who becomes suspicious the next morning when he thinks his daughter slept with Linus Rawlings.

[[caption-width-right:310: ''[[{{Tagline}} ''"The epic journey of four generations of Americans who carved a country with their bare hands.]]'']]

----
->''"Come, come, there's a wondrous land,\\
For the hopeful heart, for the willing hand.\\
Come, come, there's a wondrous land,\\
For I'll build you a home in the meadow."''

* StockFootage: The film utilised footage from other epics, none of which were in Cinerama. It took the Mexican army marching past the Alamo from ''Film/TheAlamo1960'', a Civil War battle and shots of a riverboat from ''Raintree County'' and (then) present-day America from ''This is Cinerama''.

* DefectorFromDecadence: As a result of how he was unwittingly involved in the Arapahos' destruction of King's camp, Zeb resigns from the U.S. Cavalry.

* WarIsHell: By the time of the Battle of Shiloh, Zeb is faced with the realization that the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar isn't what it seems to be.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: At the end of "The Railroad", Zeb decides to leave the Army for good after the Arapahos use the buffaloes to destroy Mike King's camp.

* StockFootage: The film utilised footage from other epics, none of which were in Cinerama. It took the Mexican army maching past the Alamo from ''Film/TheAlamo1960'', a Civil War battle and shots of a riverboat from ''Raintree County'' and (then) present-day America from ''This is Cinerama''.

* TrappedByGamblingDebts: By the time of "The Outlaws", Lilith auctions off her possessions so she can pay off her debts.

* TrappedByGamblingDebts: By the time of "The Outlaws", Lilith has been trapped by debts to the point where she auctions off her possessions.

* TrappedByGambingDebts: By the time of "The Outlaws", Lilith has been trapped by debts to the point where she auctions off her possessions.

* CassandraTruth: Ultimately subverted concerning Gant; the town marshal initially doesn't believe Zeb when he claims that Gant is trying to cause trouble but later agrees to help his attempt to ambush Gant during a planned train robbery.

* AdultFear: Being crushed to death by buffalo is bad enough, but when your toddler child outlives you, and has no one to turn to? Terrifying.

''How the West Was Won'' is a 1962 epic {{Western}} film by Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer. The last major feature filmed in the classic three-strip Cinerama widescreen format, it tells the story of the westward-bound Prescott family through four generations and many events in American history. Famously, the cast boasts [[AllStarCast more than twenty big-name stars of the era]], including Creator/JimmyStewart, Creator/DebbieReynolds, Creator/GregoryPeck, Creator/GeorgePeppard, Creator/JohnWayne, Creator/HenryFonda, and Creator/EliWallach. In fact, there were probably more big-name stars with major roles in this film than any other in the history of Hollywood. The film also had three directors, although one of them, Creator/HenryHathaway, helmed three of the five stories. The other two were Creator/JohnFord and George Marshall. The [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic epic music score]], by Music/AlfredNewman, is also pretty famous.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/how_the_west_was_won_dvd_s_9605.jpg]]

''How the West Was Won'' is a 1962 motion picture by Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer. It was the last major feature filmed in the classic 3-strip Cinerama widescreen format. Tells the story of the westward-bound Prescott family through four generations and many events in American history. Famously, this movie stars over twenty big-name stars from the era, including Creator/JimmyStewart, Creator/DebbieReynolds, Creator/HenryFonda, Creator/CarrollBaker, Creator/JohnWayne, Creator/EliWallach, and Creator/GregoryPeck. There were probably more stars in this movie than any other in the history of Hollywood. It had three directors, though one of them, Creator/HenryHathaway, directed three of the five stories. The other two were Creator/JohnFord and George Marshall (no, not the general). The [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic epic music]] is also pretty famous.

* BadassMustache: Hardy mountain man Jethro has a big, bushy, very impressive one.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: At the end of "The Railroad", Zeb decides to leave the U.S. Calvary for good after the Arapahoes use the buffaloes to destroy Mike King's camp.