The Way West

"Cracking Like a Whip From Here to Excitement!"

1967 2h 2m EN

😐

6.1

MID

🥫

29%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.2

IMDB

★6.1TMDB · 113🥫29%Rotten Tomatoes●42Metacritic★6.2IMDB · 4,365

ActionAdventureDramaWestern

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the mid-19th century, Senator William J. Tadlock leads a group of settlers overland in a quest to start a new settlement in the Western US. Tadlock is a highly principled and demanding taskmaster who is as hard on himself as he is on those who have joined his wagon train. He clashes with one of the new settlers, Lije Evans, who doesn't quite appreciate Tadlock's ways. Along the way, the families must face death and heartbreak and a sampling of frontier justice when one of them accidentally kills a young Indian boy.

“Cracking Like a Whip From Here to Excitement!”

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Cast

Kirk Douglas
Sen. William J. Tadlock
Robert Mitchum
Dick Summers
Richard Widmark
Lije Evans
Lola Albright
Rebecca 'Becky' Evans
Jack Elam
Preacher Weatherby
Stubby Kaye
Sam Fairman
Michael McGreevey
Brownie Evans
Harry Carey Jr.
Mr. McBee

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Writers: Ben Maddow, Mitch Lindemann
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

59 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, shot by William H. Clothier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bronislau Kaper. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Otho Lovering shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Kirk Douglas and Robert Mitchum and Richard Widmark carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Cracking Like a Whip From Here to Excitement!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0062479 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andrew V. McLaglen directs. William H. Clothier behind the camera. Bronislau Kaper scores. Otho Lovering cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

159 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, shot by William H. Clothier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Bronislau Kaper. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Otho Lovering shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Kirk Douglas and Robert Mitchum and Richard Widmark carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Cracking Like a Whip From Here to Excitement!".
7IMDB entry: tt0062479 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: William H. Clothier
Original score: Bronislau Kaper
Editing: Otho Lovering
Costume design: Norma Koch
Makeup / hair: Jean Udko
Runtime: 122 min · 2h 2m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Way West (1967)
Rotten Tomatoes: 29% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 42/100
IMDB rating: 6.2/10 · 4,365 votes
MPAA: Approved

Also by

Andrew V. McLaglen

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2021-04-14
★ 6/10
The exploits of a wagon train on the Oregon Trail with Douglas, Mitchum and Widmark The adventures of a wagon train in 1843 traveling from Independence, Missouri, to Willamette Valley, Oregon, are chronicled. Kirk Douglas plays the dictatorial leader, Robert Mitchum an aloof scout, Richard Widmark a fiery farmer, Lola Albright his wife and Jack Elam a stowaway Preacher. "The Way West" (1967) was based on the wagon train tome by A. B. Guthrie, Jr. There are elements reminiscent of earlier such movies, such as “Bend of the River” (1952) and “How the West was Won” (1962), as well as later ones, like “Meek’s Cutoff” (2011). It’s generally realistic, but some viewers don’t appreciate the occasional Hee Haw-like caricatures thrown in for light amusement, e.g. Widmark’s Lije, Elam’s preacher and Sally Field’s flirty teen. But I didn’t mind; I just rolled with it. What I didn’t appreciate was the use of extreme southern Arizona (Yuma & Tucson) as a substitute for locations along the Oregon Trail, which is geographically disingenuous. Thankfully, the bulk of the movie was shot in Oregon, including Crooked River Gorge shown at the end. Sally Field was 19 during shooting and cute as ever. Meanwhile redhead Katherine Justice is stunning as the newlywed wife. Overlooking the obvious flaws, “The Way West” is an entertaining enough mid-60’s Western, highlighted by the charismatic cast and the awesome locations, not to mention the realistic depictions of life on a wagon train. It just doesn’t rank with the greats of the genre. The film runs 2 hours, 2 minutes. GRADE: B-/C+

Production companies