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

"The Way West" vs. "The West"
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...

Of two minds...
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...

The Most Moving Documentary I've Ever Seen
As movies and TV (except HBO) become so stupid and banal as to be unwatchable, I find myself watching more and more documentaries, and this is the best I've ever seen.

Unlike Ric Burns "The West" (which covers everything from the Conquistidors in Mexico to the Indians of the Northwest), this focuses almost entirely on the unending battle for the great plains between native americans and the whites. The photography, the narration, the actors readings, and especially the music are first rate, all lending to a sense of inevitable tragedy.

To me this seemed very balanced in presenting both sides of the story. It documents the breaking of treaties and the atrocities committed by Indians every bit as much as those committed by whites. There are several very graphic photos of white men mutilated by Indians. (This is NOT for children.)

I'm at a loss to understand the previous reviews saying this portrays "all white Christian men" as evil and all Indians as...

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