Originally released in 1939 for the 70th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869—150 years ago this year—DeMille’s epic won the first ever Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. While its historical accuracy is questionable, the style is pure DeMille as he dramatizes and personalizes the race to lay track. Introduced by James D’Arc, film historian and author of When Hollywood Came to Town: The History of Movie Making in Utah.