Editing How the West Was Won (film) (section)

==Reception==
[[File:How The West Was Won (1962) - Trailer.webm|thumb|thumbtime=9|270 px|Re-release trailer for ''How the West Was Won'']]

===Premiere===
Surprisingly for such an American film, ''How the West Was Won'' had its world premiere in the United Kingdom at London's [[Prince Edward Theatre|Casino Cinerama]] Theatre on November 1, 1962.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=November 7, 1962|page=19|title=Lastfogel Calls London the Best Hard Ticket City in the World}}</ref> It had a $450,000 advance.<ref name=varrev>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=November 7, 1962|page=6|title=Film Reviews: How the West Was Won|last=Myers|first=Harold}}</ref> The film ran at the Casino for 123 weeks, ending in April 1965.

===Critical reception===
Harold Myers of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called it a "magnificent and exciting spectacle" and in relation to the Cinerama process noted that there had been "a vast improvement in the process. The print joins are barely noticeable, and the wobble, which beset earlier productions, has been eliminated."<ref name=varrev/> Reviews from London were favorable but with reservations over the storyline. [[Alexander Walker (critic)|Alexander Walker]] of the ''[[Evening Standard]]'' called it "a super-epic which shucks away your sophistication. If ever I heard the sound of success it is this." ''[[The Times]]'' said "it has a kind of surge and splendour and extravagance not to be despised."<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=November 7, 1962|page=19|title=London Critics Rave Over 'West'}}</ref>

===Box-office performance===
''How the West Was Won'' was a massive commercial success. Produced on a large budget of $15 million, it grossed $46,500,000 at the North American box office,<ref>[http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1963/0HWWW.php Box Office Information for ''How the West Was Won''.] The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013.</ref> making it the [[1963 in film|second-highest-grossing film of 1963]]. The film has grossed over $50 million worldwide.<ref name="IMDb.com" />

===Accolades===
The following people won [[Academy Awards]] for their work:<ref name="Oscars1964">{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1964 |title=The 36th Academy Awards (1964) Nominees and Winners |access-date=August 23, 2011|work=oscars.org}}</ref><ref name="NY Times">{{cite web |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/23458/How-the-West-Was-Won/awards |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311150739/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/23458/How-the-West-Was-Won/awards |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 11, 2011 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2011 |title=NY Times: How the West Was Won |access-date=December 25, 2008}}</ref>
* [[James R. Webb]] – [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen]]
* [[Harold F. Kress]] – [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]
* [[Franklin Milton]] – [[Academy Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]]

The following were nominated for five other [[Academy Awards]]:
* [[Bernard Smith (editor)|Bernard Smith]] – [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]
* [[George Davis (art director)|George Davis]], [[William Ferrari]], [[Addison Hehr]], [[Henry Grace]], [[Don Greenwood Jr.]] and [[Jack Mills (set decorator)|Jack Mills]] – [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]] – Set Decoration, Color
* [[William Daniels (cinematographer)|William Daniels]], [[Milton Krasner]], [[Charles Lang]] and [[Joseph LaShelle]] – [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography, Color]]
* [[Walter Plunkett]] – [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design, Color]]
* [[Alfred Newman (composer)|Alfred Newman]] and [[Ken Darby]] – [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Music, Score – Substantially Original]]

The score was ranked 25th on the [[American Film Institute]] 2005 list [[AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores]].<ref>{{cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/scores25.pdf |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=August 14, 2016}}</ref>

The February 2020 issue of ''[[New York Magazine]]'' lists ''How the West Was Won'' as among "The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars."<ref>{{cite news|title=The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/best-oscar-best-picture-losers.html|magazine=[[New York Magazine]]|access-date=March 17, 2025}}</ref>