Rating: Summary: A Fun Family Movie... Review: Tough Guy Lee Marvin swaps his CAT BALLOU drunken gun fighter for the more sterling image as reprobate prospector Ben Rumson. Ben "pardners-up" with younger-than-yesterday Tough Guy, Clint Eastwood (Sylvester Newel: again a Man with No Name) to found decadent, "swamp of sin" NO NAME CITY....the fun is watching some good timing FUNdamentalists sing, dance and swindle their way to short-lived GOLD RUSH glory. THEY CALL THE WIND MARIA is the memorable, show-piece song vibrantly sung by Harve Presnell. Jean Serberg is the engagingly beautiful centerpiece of Marvin & Eastwood's polygamous "pardnership". Ray Walston is fine as Mad Jack who joins the two main dudes in a nefarious plot to (literally) undermine No Name by swindling its gamblers of their gotten & ill-gotten fortunes. My favorite "riff" is Ben mentoring young Horton Fenty... played with obvious relish and oblivious "lust" by TOM LIGON...in finer arts of smoking, drinking, "womanizing", and gambling. There is no violence and minimal, mild cursing in this film which unusually celebrates kindness and FAMILY values. Mayhem and raucous good humor mask this musical's not-subtle moral: GOODness is good; grace is kindness tested under fire and BS. Yes; there is a lot of BULL: a final BEN extravaganza plotted by The Pardners is the "Lord's Day Bull fight" ( Bull Liberation Leaguers would be on this El Toro pronto)! But, WHO GIVES A DAMN? PAINT YOUR WAGON: join the decadents of No Name; watch a great family film!
Rating: Summary: Call the Wind Mariah Review: Homer Simpson once said of PAINT YOUR WAGON, "Aw. Why did they have to screw up a perfectly serviceable wagon story with all that fruity singing?" Okay, that is a bit extreme, but he is entitled to his opinion. PAINT YOUR WAGON is another musical directed by Joshua Logan who brought us the colored-filter heavy SOUTH PACIFIC and the close-up heavy CAMELOT. And of this musical trilogy, PAINT YOUR WAGON is by far the most successful visually. What more can one hope for from a musical than wonderful musical scoring and song arrangements? Here they are nothing short of exceptional! The songs from LERNER & LOEWE are not their most popular and they suffer even more in this film where they are handled by also-ran singers like Jean Seberg and the youngster Clint Eastwood. But, the worst sound comes from the 'character-only' voice of Lee Marvin. He is not a singer but he sure embodies his role. The only exceptional singing voice in the film is Harve Presnell demonstrated beautifully in his glorious rendition of THEY CALL THE WIND MARIAH. Both Marvin and Eastwood are great in the meandering story as is the production design. But, the story has some difficult issues in it: From prostitution, drinking, smoking to multiple spouses. We can get by that, though, especially if you sit around long enough to watch the destruction of NO-NAME CITY. Its nice to see a widescreen release of this on DVD but, something additional on the disc would be nice, or at least, Chapter stops highlighting the songs.
Rating: Summary: Most favourite movie ever Review: I was coaxed by a friend to see it back in '69. Didn't think I would like it as I was not really into musicals. However the movie totally absorbed me - the scenery, superb acting and great laughs. Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood singing was a pure treat! I went back and saw it 5 times over 5 weeks. To this day, it is the yardstick by which I rate all other movies. Few have come even close for sheer entertainment value. I can't wait for the DVD release with it's widescreen and big digital sound - I reckon I will be the first person to wear out a DVD disk!
Rating: Summary: Very entertaining. Review: The movie "Paint Your Wagon" was a big budget musical that didn't get it's money back,although it did gross a large amount. I remember in 1970 going past the Royal Theatre in Perth,Australia that had a big sign proclaiming "Paint Your Wagon.....2ND YEAR!",so it did well in some places. It's a pity that this DVD doesn't have some extras,but the movie is eccellent. "Wanderin' Star" was a big international number one hit record for Lee Marvin and it's always fun to listen to Clint Eastwood sing a very credible "I Talk To The Trees" and to see Jean Seberg(who also starred in "Airport")and wonder why she had such a tragic end.A very beautiful and talented actress.
Rating: Summary: The movie they tried to ruin Review: "Paint Your Wagon" is almost a textbook case in how to ruin a film version of halfway decent musical. Take a minor Lerner & Lowe hit, blow it up all out of proportion, cast three non-singers for the main leads, and remove most traces of the whimsy and irony that made this moderately popular in the first place. That the result is STILL somewhat entertaining is almost a miracle. A lot of the credit has to go Lee Marvin, who plays his trademark drunken Westerner to the hilt. But Clint Eastwood and Jean Seberg are bland to the point of nonexistence. A standout (he's hard to miss) is Harve Presnell, an actual singer who belts out the movie's big hit, "They Call the Wind Maria" then promptly disappears. There's a lot of "what-in-the-world-were-they-thinking?" in this one. But it's still worth a couple hours of your time.
Rating: Summary: And Again, And Again, And Again ............................ Review: Obviously I can't rate the DVD 'cause it hasn't been released yet! HOWEVER, this movie is one of my all time favorites, I first saw this film when it was released in Oz in 1970. In one form or another I revisit it at least once every two years (unlike Fantasia, which I revisit every year). I considered buying the VHS tape but believe this production has so much to offer in audio and visual experience that nothing should detract. ANY video library that does not hav a copy of Paint Your Wagon is incomplete. In advance, I'll rate this DVD: FIVE STARS
Rating: Summary: A GUILTY PLEASURE Review: Eastwood can't sing... Marvin REALLY can't sing... It's too long... But somehow it works. It really shouldn't, but somehow it does. The characters are a lot of fun and the Sierra Nevada Mountains are ominous and breathtaking. So is Jean Seberg. Give it a chance on a rainy Sunday afternoon. You'll be surprised.
Rating: Summary: Paint Your Wagon Review: This movie has been a favorite of mine since childhood, and it still entertains every time I watch it. Excellent movie!
Rating: Summary: Simpy Outstanding! Review: This movie is a time peice that holds onto an old reality of the simplicity of life, very humerous, yet practical! You and the whole family will have a WONDERFUL TIME watching this!
Rating: Summary: Worst Musical of All Times Review: This is a perfect example of what went wrong with movie making in the late 1960's. Old Hollywood (cast of thousands, musicals, Technicolor, entertainment on a grand scale) vs. New Hollywood (independent productions, films with a message, up and coming directors and actors who rejected the studio system). The big studios were selling off their assets, being acquired by large mutinational companies, and were totally out of touch with the movie going public. Instead of giving us more films like "The Graduate", "Bonnie & Clyde", "Carnal Knowledge", and "The Wild Bunch" they gave us stuff like "Paint Your Wagon" and "Oliver." Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood singing and dancing! What braniac came up with this idea? The decline of the musical genre as a viable commercial product can be attributed to this movie. It took 15+ years until the rebirth occurred in animated form with Disney's "The Little Mermaid."
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