This epic re-creation of the settling of the American west seen through the eyes of a single family is one of only two narrative films made in three-camera Cinerama - if you look very carefully you can see the joins in its widescreen version. To match the scale of the movie, it also has a truly all-star cast with the likes of James Stewart and Gregory Peck pairing up with feisty pioneering women such as Carroll Baker and Debbie Reynolds. Genre icons John Wayne, Henry Fonda and Richard Widmark also make significant appearances. Of the three credited directors, Henry Hathaway shot the all-star Rivers, Plains and Outlaws sections, George Marshall filmed that dangerous stunt-work on the railroad and the great John Ford directed the splendid American Civil War sequence, beginning with a marvellous slice of widescreen action, as surgical tables are sluiced down, seeming to drown the audience. A massive undertaking at the time, it really is true to say they don't make them like this anymore. Alas, the total impact will inevitably be dwarfed on your average television.

The epic tale of the development of the American West from the 1830s through the Civil War to the end of the century, as seen through the eyes of one pioneer family.