HDR is an invention of the “Digital Age” of photography. It just wouldn’t have been possible with film.
These days I mostly shun the technique. Dynamic range has become pretty good, even on “inferior” small sensors like those of Micro Four Thirds cameras. Still, there are situations like this, I on top of a tower, taking images into the sunset, where HDR tremendously helps with shadow detail.
Once you have your bracketed exposures, guesswork begins. What is the correct white balance? There is no right or wrong here. In retrospect I prefer the warmer colors and lighter tonality of the image that ended up as Image of the Day, but that’s largely a matter of taste.