The Covered Wagon

The Covered Wagon is a 1923 American silent film directed by James Cruze. It is considered the first epic western film. The movie depicts a wagon train traveling to Oregon and was filmed on location with attention to historical detail.1

The film was a significant financial success and established James Cruze as one of Hollywood's highest-paid directors during the silent film era. The silent film era, which spanned from the mid-1890s to the late 1920s, was a foundational period in cinema history before the introduction of synchronized sound. During this time, filmmakers developed many techniques still used today and introduced popular genres like westerns.12