Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West (2002)

Director:

Bruce Neibaur

Writer:

Mose Richards (writer)

Genre:

Short | Drama | History

Plot Keywords:

IMAX | U.S. President | Cliff | Oregon | Ocean

Cast

Kelly Boulware	...	Meriwether Lewis
Sonny Surowiec	...	William Clark
Alex Rice	...	Sacagawea
Gregory Paul Jackson	...	Charbonneau
Tobijah Tyler	...	York (as Toby Tyler)
Travis Dugas	...	Drouillard
Xavier Pilsudski	...	Labiche
Jeff Bridges	...	Himself - Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bern Kubiak	...	Corps of Discovery
James Zahnart	...	Soldier

Runtime:

42 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-G

Filming Locations:

Beacon Rock, Columbia River Gorge, Washington, USA

Company:

National Geographic Television

For 45 minutes, what a great ride...

I couldn't believe how SHORT this was and yet how substantial the filmmakers managed to make it. You know, while Eyes Wide Shut, The Green Mile, Titanic, and other films are making it seem like "epic" has to mean "ass falling asleep in seat" moviemaking, this film actually manages to achieve the same kind of epic scope, adventure, sense of drama, and sheer wonder yet maintain BREVITY! Believe me, even though it's less than an hour, you're definitely getting your money's worth. What I realized halfway into the film was I wanted to come away from the film with an education about the route that Lewis & Clark took, not just its effect on the country. I think everybody knows that Lewis&Clark explored and opened up the Northwest for the United States, producing questionable effects for the Indians of the time period. However, until seeing this film, I would not have been able to tell you the rivers, nor the states that their crew traversed. I also liked the little details they took the time to put in, like that of Sacagawea and the slave being the first woman and black man officially voting for a decision of the United States of America, that being where to set up Lewis&Clark's winter base camp on the Pacific.

The lack of dialogue between the characters (for the most part) is odd, but after a while, you get used to it. It's almost like a return to silent filmmaking somehow, where facial expressions made all the difference. Jeff Bridges provides a commanding and wise presence for the journey, and the score soars. ****