DVD Review: THE COVERED WAGON (1923)
Kino Lorber has released a beautifully restored DVD and blu ray of cinema’s first true epic western. Adapted by Jack Cunningham from Emerson Hough’s novel, produced by Jesse Lasky, and directed by James Cruze, this Paramount production was the most popular movie in the United States and Canada in 1923. “The Covered Wagon” is foundational in that it set the tone for future productions within the genre, such as John Ford’s “Iron Horse” the following year.
The buildup to a film like “The Covered Wagon” can be assessed via the films of cowboy stars like Broncho Billy Anderson, Tom Mix, and William S. Hart, dating back to the turn of the century. During the first twenty years of narrative cinema, western themes had been presented for their cogent storytelling, brisk action, and heroic characters. They had even been subject to parody in everything from the Fatty Arbuckle comedies “Out West” and “The Sheriff,” to the Douglas Fairbanks feature “Wild and Woolly.” However by 1923, when this feature was made, the western film had reached a level of production that surpassed its predecessors. It contained all of the elements of previous films, while adding a visual approach that was responded to with awestruck amazement by period moviegoers.
Director James Cruze chooses shots that encompass the vast negative space showing the western location settings, and also offers crowded close-ups that bunch people and horses together in the frame. This dichotomy works mostly because of the rhythm and pacing Cruze uses in his presentation. The wagon train sequences offer a deep focus that extends from the foreground, well into the background, as the wagons twist into the distance.
The dramatic tension of the film deals with the twelve-miles-per-day the wagon train suffers to maintain, the struggles of the individuals, and the setbacks and obstacles by which they are continually confronted. Each landmark they reach is celebrated as a triumph, from discovering a stream after several hot, dry days, to their relations with friendly native Americans and bloodthirsty warriors. The treacherous crossing of the river, the hunting of buffalo for food, the struggles through dry heat and freezing snow.
Perhaps the most amazing visuals occur during the scene where the entire wagon train, their horses, and their cattle, must cross a difficult river to continue their journey. Surrounded by water, actual cattle crossings and wagon crossings are part of the presentation, Cruze filming it with a precision to detail that makes won imagine how treacherous it must have been for the actors and the production team.
J. Walter Kerrigan, unknown today, was a popular actor in 1920s cinem, already a veteran of over 300 screen appearances by the time of his leading role in “The Covered Wagon.” Leading lady Lois Wilson had been in films for a dozen years herself, remaining active into the television era, and living well into the 1980s. Alan Hale, father of TV’s Skipper from Gilligan’s Island, resonates in the sort of villainous role he would rarely play as a popular character actor in sound films opposite Errol Flynn, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, or Laurel and Hardy.
Throughout “The Covered Wagon,” the loss of lives and livestock continues to permeate the journey. And the presentation is so effective, one can feel the sweltering heat and the freezing cold, and then we realize that the actors really did have to work in this weather. Sadly, some animals, and people, did not survive the filming of this epic.
The clarity of Kino’s presentation is remarkable, almost appearing like a 3-D image in its sharpness. Gaylord Carter’s score on the Wurlitzer organ gives the movie a real authentic presentation. The accompanying, well-written booklet by Matt Hauske points out the film’s significance with a lot of interesting information, while the energetic, thoughtful and enlightening commentary by film scholar Toby Roan is fascinating. The extras are topped off with a fun comedy entitled “Pie Covered Wagon” that features an early appearance by Shirley Temple.
The importance of “The Covered Wagon” in film history cannot be overstated. And, thanks to Kino Lorber, we now have a sharp print of the film, with excellent accompaniment and top level special features. This DVD is an absolute must for libraries, research centers, film scholars, historians, and movie buffs.
“The Covered Wagon” is available here.