| The Big Trail |
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| 1930 films | |
| american films | |
| big trail, the | |
| english-language films | |
| western films | |
| black and white films | |
| united states national film registry | |
| films directed by raoul walsh | |
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''The Big Trail'' was the first movie shot in widescreen because studio head William Fox was convinced by 1929 that television, which hadn't appeared commercially yet, would eventually give movies ruinous competition. The same lenses were used for the widescreen movie '' The Robe '' more than two decades later, when Fox's dire predictions were becoming a reality. Because the terrifying Depression made it difficult for many theatres to make the switch to widescreen in 1930 (especially since they'd just spent a lot of money to convert to sound), two versions of the movie were simultaneously filmed, with the cameras side by side and the widescreen camera getting the better angle. The film was restored to its full widescreen glory in the 1980s and re-screened at the Museum Of Modern Art , and modern viewers wondered what audiences in 1930 had been thinking, since ''The Big Trail'' holds up astonishingly well given its age. The wagon train drive across the country was pioneering in its use of camerawork and the stunning scenery from the epic landscape. An extraordinary effort was made to lend authenticity to the movie, with the wagons drawn by Oxen and lowered by ropes down canyons when necessary. Tyrone Power's character's clothing looks grimy in a more realistic way than has been seen in movies since, and even the food supplies the emigrants carried with them were researched. Locations in 5 states were used in the movie caravan's 2000 mile trek. The movie was shot in both English and German (German-speaking leading men acted in the German version). Since it was filmed in both 35 mm and in 70 Mm Grandeur Film , there were two film crews. Filming began in April, 1930, but John Wayne, a completely unknown actor recently promoted from prop man by director Raoul Walsh , fell sick from Dysentery and was nearly replaced as the lead. FURTHER READING
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