The Film (3.5/5)

THE COVERED WAGON (1923) tells the story of a group of pioneers and their journey from Kansas to Oregon. Will Banion (J. Warren Kerrigan) is our likable hero who has his eyes and heart on the lovely Molly Wingate (Lois Wilson). But this love affair is in danger from the villainess Sam (Alan Hale) who wants to kill Will. All of this is set during a lethal quest through Deserts, Snow, and of course Indians who are not too happy to see these pioneers.

THE COVERED WAGON was one of the first epic westerns. A film filled with high adventure and a larger than life scope. It has also been cited by many critics and historians, like Joe Franklin, as "the first American epic not directed by Griffith". *  Unlike some of the films by D.W. Griffith, THE COVERED WAGON lacks some of the nasty racial undertones.

I personally became aware of the movie in the form of Kaiju movies. On one of the Classic Media DVDS for one of the Godzilla movies, I learned that THE COVERED WAGON was the film that made Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka fall in love with cinema. So, in an odd way I owe this film as one of the several inspirations for the Godzilla Franchise.

As a silent film THE COVERED WAGON pushes the western genre closer to how we see it today. All the tropes are here. The good guys, the bad guys, the love interest, the offbeat or eccentric side kick, and a high stakes adventure full of action. The shoot outs and chases of this film are truly awe inspiring. One huge set piece being the Indian raid on the wagon camp site.

But sadly, the film suffers from a slow start. The first 45 minutes drag and get stuck with over explaining the quest/ journey. Most of this early material is shot flat and it becomes dull to sit through. The second half of the film is a huge improvement with some impressive early camera work. And as for western history, I could easily see Ernest Torrence as an early inspiration for some of George "Gabby" Hayes' roles.

Audio/Video (4/5)

The film comes with an English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track. The sound mix is bold and doesn't suffer from any hiss or pops. The musical score by Gaylord Carter is charming and doesn't become too much over kill.

The 1080p HD transfer is a beauty. There are still some minor focus issues in some of the scenes. And the film speed seems to change randomly at times. So, the transfer can only catch up so fast. The restoration of the movie is clean and mostly faultless. The black levels are smooth, and the focus is razor sharp.

Extras (2.5/5)

The main extra is an audio commentary by Film Historian Toby Roan. The issue is accessing it. The disc starts freezing if you access the track via remote or if you switch to it during the movie. As for selecting the track, if you don't start by changing to the track first it won't play. So, you must eject the disc completely before you can go any further.

The track itself is fine. Roan comes off as a nice guy. But sadly, the track is filled with dead air. As for the rest of the extras there is a 1932 short entitled PIE-COVERED WAGON. It's a spoof of the movie and it features an early starring role for Shirley Temple. In the case itself is a handsome booklet of liner notes by Matt Hauske.

Overall (3.5/5)

THE COVERED WAGON is a key film in the history of the western genre. While the pacing is off, the film still works as an epic. Despite some of the technical issues with the disc and it's extras, it's a fine addition to any classic film library. Recommended.

*Quote taken from Joe Franklin's 1983 book, Classics of the Silent Cinema.