if one overlook the technical problem of this early ( 1930 ) sound movie such a the sound quality and the occasional stiffness of john wayne and one will find this movie to be an epic that be more realistic than almost any movie make since . begin at the missouri and a large caravan of conestoga wagon and people and and animal head west . the wagon be pull down huge cliff and cross a flooded river with considerable risk to the rider in the wagon . indian meet with wayne and and allow the train to pass through their land . later and indians gather west of the train to combat them . the wagon form a huge circle with horse and cattle in the circle and and fire their rifle create with the circling indians a veil of smoke . when the battle end and the dead be bury on the spot and the people and wagon depart . this scene be remarkable and a the camera stay with the dead a the living depart . it be unique in the way it link the viewer with the dead and separate the viewer from the living . the wagon encounter a major thunderstorm with torrential downpour and mud everywhere . they finally arrive at their destination near a redwood or sequoia forest in oregon . the film be do in 70 mm widescreen at about a 2 . 0 represent1 ratio ( in 1930 . ) . i haven not mention the plot because it be secondary to the scenic grandeur and the enormous amount of work involve in make this film . moviemakers will never work this hard again to make such a movie or any movie . give the technical limitation of the sound and the music be at time move and such a when wayne leave his girl to hunt down his friend killer and at the end . while all the critic rave about the searcher and wayne psychology and racism and short temper and and complex character and the big trail give u a story of simple people encounter extraordinary hardship . one of the best western i have see .