10 Most Visually Stunning Westerns Ever Made

Is there a better definition of widescreen western than this John Ford masterpiece? The only work in the genre made by the six-time Academy Award winner during the fifties remains high in the estimation of both fans and critics, widely hailed as one of the finest films of all time for its tale of a Civil War veteran (played by John Ford) hunting for his abducted niece.

It also made for the director's final collaboration with three-time Oscar-winning cinematographer Hoch, one of the men who helped pioneer Technicolor in the industry. The pair had worked together to acclaimed results on westerns before, including She Wore a Yellow Ribbon - but their partnership here has stood the test of time for obvious reasons.

From the panoramas shot in Monument Valley, with their achingly large skies and bush-scrubbed desertlands beneath, it effectively is the quintessential western vision, to which just about all others are held against. It remarkably pulled a donut on Oscar nomination day, not even making it to the Dolby Theatre, but that has if anything only served to increase its reputation over the subsequent years.