The Covered Wagon. 1923. USA. Directed by James Cruze. Screenplay by Jack Cunningham, based on the novel by Emerson Hough. With Tully Marshall, John Fox, Alan Hale. DCP. Silent, with musical accompaniment. 98 min.
“In The Covered Wagon, many of the best functions of the cinema are combined. There is the element of actuality, such as occurs most commonly in topical or travel pictures, for real cattle swim a real river, mountains and skies and dust are authentic. There is also the ability of the cinema to reconstruct past as well as to mirror present life, for this glimpse of American pioneer endeavor resembles the real thing as scrupulously as possible.” Courtesy Kino-Lorber