FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West Returns to the Giant Screen at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The reenactment of the Corps of Discovery’s trek across North America opens Friday, May 6, in Phipps IMAX Theater
DENVER—Follow in the footsteps of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their historic exploration of America when Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West returns to Phipps IMAX Theater at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science on Friday, May 6. The film is a perfect complement to Lewis & Clark: The National Bicentennial Exhibition, the Museum’s new temporary exhibition which opens the same day. The IMAX film and exhibition are presented in Denver by Qwest.
With sweeping panoramas of the rugged American West and stunning aerial photography, one of the greatest adventures in American history comes to life in Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West. The film follows the grueling 8,000-mile expedition past buffalo-filled prairies, through thick forests and raging river rapids, over towering peaks and plunging precipices. Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West opens with the expedition’s launch up the great Missouri River with modern-day watermen portraying the Corps of Discovery, giving the film a gritty authenticity. The film captures the wonder of spectacularly pristine wilderness as the expedition crosses the Great Plains and the treacherous Rocky Mountains and perches atop the Continental Divide, discovering that a Northwest Passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans did not exist. Viewers can watch as Lewis and Clark document plant specimens and animals unknown to science, meet with Native American tribes and paddle down the mighty Columbia River to their ultimate destination—the Pacific Ocean.
Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West required the cast and crew of 120 people to work in some of the most remote locations that still exist in the western United States. People accustomed to working in these environments were also recruited for their special skills. For instance, whitewater rafting guides from the Jackson, Wyoming, area were cast as members of the expedition because of the number of boat and canoe scenes in the film.
The filmmakers also attempted to make modern-day America look as much like it did when Lewis and Clark first encountered it as possible. But in a nation increasingly dotted with human habitation, finding sites that were untouched by civilization and representative of Lewis and Clark’s journey was one of the greatest challenges the filmmakers faced.
Another challenge for filmmakers was taking a journey that took years to complete and condensing it down to a 42-minute IMAX film. “We looked at it as the hit parade,” said Jeff Miller, one of the film’s producers. “What were the significant high points on the trail? We tried to convey the human struggle, how the leaders were helped by the Native Americans—most significantly Sacagawea’s contribution—show their success and say good-bye.”
Research also played an important role in keeping Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West as authentic as possible. The film relied on the expertise of noted historians Stephen Ambrose, author of Undaunted Courage and a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, and Gary Moulton, a professor of history at the University of Nebraska and editor of an unabridged version of Lewis and Clark’s journals. In addition, filmmakers consulted the Missouri Historical Society, the National Council of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial and many Native American tribes to ensure the film’s factual accuracy. Details related to clothes and equipment—even the type of paper the journals were written on, the kinds of pens used and myriad other minutiae—were all meticulously researched and double checked.
Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West is made possible through funding by Eddie Bauer, Inc., and the Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation. The film is produced by National Geographic Television and Film, distributed by Destination Cinema, Inc., and is endorsed by the National Council of the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial. Presented in Denver by Qwest.
Note to Reporters and Editors: Press screenings of Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West will be held on Thursday, April 28 and Friday, April 29 at 8:30 a.m. in Phipps IMAX Theater. Please RSVP to 303.370.6407 by Monday, April 25 if you plan to attend.
Ticket Prices:
Non-member
Adults Seniors (65+) Juniors (3-18)
Exhibition, Museum $15 $10 $6
Exhibition, IMAX, Museum $20 $14 $10
Member
Exhibition (There is no exhibition surcharge for members) Exhibition + IMAX $5 $4 $4
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Many of the Museum’s educational programs and exhibits are made possible in part by generous funding from the citizens of the seven-county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). IMAX is a registered trademark of Imax Corporation.
