Opening like an early '60s western complete with a sweeping Elmer Bernstein-like main title sequence, this program aims to debunk the mythologies of the West and some of its most colorful characters. Host Harry Carey Jr. points out that public perception of the Wild West was largely shaped by motion pictures (beginning with 1903's The Great Train Robbery) that were meant to entertain not educate; scriptwriters often took tremendous literary license, resulting in fabricated tales not even remotely similar to actual events. In the opening volume of this double-disc set, viewers are offered a quick overview on how the white settlement of the West evolved, some facts about cowboys and cattle drives, and a few chapters devoted to Frank and Jesse James, Billy the Kid, the Shootists, and Wyatt Earp and the famed gunfight at the O.K. Corral, before concluding with the story of the near extinction of Native Americans. The second disc is specifically devoted to Billy the Kid, who--like other bandits--was romanticized in his day as a Robin Hood-type hero by many. Combining period paintings, drawings, sculpture, and archival photos, this set does an admirable job of presenting a balanced view of the (perhaps not so wild) West. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (L. Stevens)
True Stories of the American West
(2004) 2 discs. 180 min. DVD: $24.95. White Star (dist. by Kultur). Color cover. ISBN: 0-7697-3103-1. Volume 20, Issue 1
True Stories of the American West
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