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Rating:  - "The Big Trail" is HUGE!
"The Big Trail" (Fox, 1930) is one fine Western. With John Wayne in his first starring role, this film is eminently enjoyable. Filmed in both 70mm (Fox Grandeur) and standard 35mm, the widescreen version is the better of the two. It really captures the scope of the scenery and the interactions of the actors. It was the first sound film made entirely on location, in six states covering some 4,000 miles.
The acting is very good, with Tyrone Power, Sr. a standout as the villain. (This was Sr.'s only talky; he died of a heart attack in 1931.)
The print quality is excellent, but the sound is somewhat muffled, as is true of many films of that era. There was talk at one time of re-releasing this film to theaters (now I'd go to see that one!) but nothing ever came of it.
This is one film that everyone should have in their collection. The quality of the picture is in many ways far ahead of most of the big-budget Westerns that followed.
Rating: - Thanks to Fox for this Widescreen release
Fox deserves much credit for releasing "The Big Trail" on DVD in its original 70mm widescreen format. The film is clearly best viewed in this format, as director Raoul Walsh composed every shot with seemingly hundreds of extras and animals milling about in the background to give a real sense of what it was like to be involved in the move westward.
The film itself is a truly big epic, and is of historical interest for a number reasons, not least of which is the first starring appearance of John Wayne. Raoul Walsh, whose career went back to the days of Griffith, does a magnificent job marshaling the extras and controlling the spaces within the widescreen frame.
Fox has provided the standard, 4:3 ration version on Disc 2. This is not a pan&scan or cropped version, but is quite literally a different film altogether, having been shot separately from the widescreen version to be shown in theatres not equipped with the wide screen projectors. It's worth owning, but can't match the grandeur of the widescreen version.
Also included (on disc one) is a commentary track with historian Richard Schickel, and a number of informative featurettes detailing the early careers of both Raoul Walsh and John Wayne, the development of the 70mm widescreen system used on this film, and finally, a "making of" documentary.
Well worth the cost, and coming in attractive packaging, this is a DVD set well worth owning.
Rating: - The Big Trail
This is the film that should have made a star of John Wayne - But did not.
Having watched it several times since I purchased it I really am at a loss
to see why. I have now seen both the standard screen version and the widescreen and, although the widescreen was not shown in many cinemas at the
time due to the need for special projectors (unlike Cinemascope where only
special Projector lens are required) the film itself does not lose a lot by
being shown as standard. It is an extremely good story with plenty of action
and great scenery and the acting well above the norm. for the time it was made. Tyrone Power (in his last film) is excellent as a baddie and John Wayne is a cracking hero-as good as he has ever been. I rate the film 8 out of 10, and not to be missed.
Rating:  - the big trail
A great film from 1930, filmed in both 35mm and 70mm. The 70mm version has "footage" both left and right of what is seen in the 35mm version that is good (important) to see as the story progesses. This movie was about 7 or 8 years before John Wayne's roll in Stagecoach. Thus, this gives you the chance to see John Wayne's early developement as a western actor.
Rating: - Jimksullivan
The two disc version is Great and includes the wide screen version. The movie is very interesting from a historical perspective.
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