Search - The Way West: How the West Was Lost & Won 1845-1893 on DVD

"The Way West" vs. "The West"

Thomas Gryn | Washington D.C., USA | 09/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Whenever I try to compare "The Way West" with the Ken Burns series "The West", I'm always of two minds. On the one hand, I consider TWW to be superior in terms of entertainment; the soundtrack remains one of my favorite CDs, and stands well on its own separate from the film. I also find myself somewhat more engrossed in "The Way West" than "The West". However, from a historical perspective, I consider "The West" to be the better production. TW gives a broader and more balanced historical view, with more variety of speakers, than TWW. In its attempt to portray the genocide of the western Indian tribes, "The Way West" glosses over some important points: for example, that the Lakota were recent inhabitants of the Black Hills, having wrested it from other tribes by warfare during the 1700s...while one would get the impression from the Lakota representatives in TWW that the land was always theirs, and that they were a peaceable tribe until the Whites came. It is omissions like this which make one wonder what else wasn't being covered. On the other hand, TWW does go into more detail of the fight for the Black Hills than "The West" could, because of time constraints. Both are strong in their own ways, and well worth owning.

(Review based on the VHS release, will revise if needed when TWW DVD becomes available.)"