The Hallelujah Trail

Rating:
Summary: Janelso
Review: A great movie, and a classic comedy. I saw this in the theaters when it was new, enjoyed it then and now. My only complaint is that the the the picture quality is extremely bad, with obvious pixilation. When the camera pans the picture is nearly unwatchable. Diagonal lines turn into stair stepped pixels that remind me of old DOS computer graphics. This is the worst example of DVD movies that I have ever seen.

Rating:
Summary: Janelso
Review: A great movie, and a classic comedy. I saw this in the theaters when it was new, enjoyed it then and now. My only complaint is that the the the picture quality is extremely bad, with obvious pixilation. When the camera pans the picture is nearly unwatchable. Diagonal lines turn into stair stepped pixels that remind me of old DOS computer graphics. This is the worst example of DVD movies that I have ever seen.

Rating:
Summary: Glory glory hallelujah
Review: A true to life movie about the trials and tribulations in transporting necessary supplies through the west to save Denver from a most unthinkable drought.

Two major incidences are chronicled here "The battle of Whisky hills" and "the Battle of Quicksand Bottoms."

Crossroads in a sands storm see many groups passing. There is the vital element being driving by striking Irish teamsters, approaching evil temperance females led by troops desperate to get rid of them, Indians including "Sky Eyes" (blue eyes due to irregularity in his ancestry), and last but not least the Denver militia.

The list of actors alone could carry this movie. Martin Landau needs lose watching.

While you are watching this confrontation, be sure to protect both your rears simultaneously.

What does the oracle see? Many things are bout to go awry. Has Cora a change of heart? Col. Gearhart tells Cora to "Get away from my cords." Will there be some interesting solutions? Stay toned for the fascinating conclusion.


Rating:
Summary: A great comedy
Review: Although I do not have still this DVD I remember the film perfectly. I saw it a few times in the past. It's a great western comedy well directed by Sturges with a flock of hilarious situations due to the fact that all the "tribes" (not just the indian ones) in the film go after a trail of whiskey: from the gold miners until the cavalry, the women league against the alcohol, the indians and so on. In my country, Spain, this film is generally known as "Whisky Hills Battle". I hope to see it released here soon... it's a kind comedy for all the family. Buy it because you surely will enjoy
and revisit many times

Rating:
Summary: Old west comic genius.
Review: Delightful farce of all that the old west stood for. This movie will hold a place in your heart forever after you've seen it. Wonderful for the whole family. True Americana.

Rating:
Summary: What a waste of talent, location and western tradition.
Review: For buffs of the classic Hollywood western this is pure blasphemy. The film is ridiculously long, racist, sexist and monumentally unfunny. "Trail" has got to be one of Sturges' and Lancaster's biggest McGuffins of their illustrious careers.

Hutton was always playing a dopey military sidekick and Donald Pleasance frequently a sunburned nutcase; but Martin Landau doing a "blackface" routine must be a major personal regret within his impressive oeuvre. In particular one of the more odious slapstick sequences must be the drunken, moronic "Indians". The devastation of indigenous cultures due to alcohol would have been widely known by 1965 - clearly this is no affectionate nod but a careless cruel in-joke indicative of the general tolerance level of the period.

The "clichés and stereotypes" they lampoon in this epic misfire are hard won filmic signifiers and cultural / geographical landmarks that allow easy entry for the viewer into the western genre. The long evolved traditional western elements avail "western" directors to dispense with lengthy exposition to enjoy this freedom spending precious screen time exploring character motivation and subsequent action along with (as in Ford's later work) the clandestine inclusion of sub textual current social concerns (see miscegenation in "The Searchers"). Like they used to say - you don't crap where you eat.


Rating:
Summary: Nice try - but no cigar as the saying goes
Review: From the 'BIGGER IS BETTER' school of film-making that was in vogue in the mid-sixties comes this so-so comedy/western. Beginning with "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" in 1964 movie comedies took on the form and approach of an epic. Immediately on it's heels followed Blake Edwards's "The Great Race", Ken Annakin's "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines" and this film. This trend continued and lasted for five years, culminating in Annakin's 1969 second mammoth effort "Those Daring Young Men In Their Jaunty Jalopies". But movie audiences had lost their appreciation for the formula by the time it appeared - the caper film was the newest rage and the slew of disaster films was only lurking around the corner ready to take up the rest of the slack! "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" has gone on to enjoy bona-fide cult classic status and is still highly regarded and well-loved by its many defenders. The others all have their defenders as well and rightly so where Edwards's "The Great Race" is concerned, definitely a classic in it's own right. And over forty years later many others within this sub-genre continue to delight and entertain young audiences today and that is a success that doesn't show any signs of diminishing.

In 1965 director John Sturges could have made any movie he wanted to. He was fresh from the success of back-to-back international sensations "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Great Escape"; mysteriously he picked this project (he would never again direct another comedy). Burt Lancaster was in a similar position, owning his own production company and undeniably a firmly established star of the screen. He agreed to star in this film, reuniting him Sturges with whom he had done the immensely entertaining and hugely successful "Gunfight At The O.K. Corral" back in 1957. I'm sure they were both counting on nothing but the best when they set out to make this picture. Well, you know what they say about good intentions...

What must have looked like fun on paper doesn't quite make it completely to the screen here. Right at the point the comedy should be peaking it falls flat and only rarely recovers. Many of the sight gags, slapstick routines, one-liners and snappy comebacks drop dead on arrival. This is not the fault of a great and very capable cast though; everyone put forth their best foot here in a solid effort to pull this off. The two major liabilities here: a director that didn't understand comedy and the film's mammoth length. Sturges, who had never had any experience in working with comedy, was probably unsuited to direct this film and that is painfully evident throughout. In hindsight it would have been wise to have an assistant director with experience in this field of movie-making. The script itself is stretched to the point of no return and should have been trimmed and tightened up. At 165 minutes it's just too long to sustain the singular idea.

If you're not familiar with the film here's the story: The town of Denver is nearing a crisis with winter nearly upon them - there's only a few bottles of whiskey left. A shipment is on the way to Denver but the odds against it making it to them are great. Several tribes of Indians want to liberate some (or most) of the shipment themselves; a ladies temperance union wants to prevent the shipment entirely and runs interference with the military men assigned to protect it. The Irish teamsters who are the wagon drivers for the shipment threaten to strike in order to procure as much of the whiskey for themselves as possible. None of this sits well with the Denver miners who decide to form their own citizens' militia and meet the shipment to bring it safely home. The groups all converge on one another during a sandstorm resulting in a bit of chaos. Afterwards the commander of the military assumes charge of the situation; he works to resolve the teamsters threat to strike, gains the respect of the Denver citizens' militia, continues verbal battles with the ladies and brokers a deal with the Indians that is misunderstood or misinterpreted - you'll have to watch to decide for yourself. Later on the Indians surprise the military, disarm them and take the women hostage - demanding the whiskey as ransom. Eventually one side wins out...or so it seems. Again you'll have to watch to see what I mean.

All the usual cultural stereotypes are in place here: Irish teamsters thirsting for whiskey, Indians desperate for 'crazy water', women urging the men to practice temperance, etc. The cast tries to get the best out of this but the overall result is only middling. Donald Pleasance as Oracle Jones and Lee Remick as Cora Templeton Massingale fare the best; Martin Landau as Chief-Walks-Stooped-Over is an embarrassment to see in this day and age (why couldn't they have cast an Indian actor in this role?) and Lancaster himself seems to appear as if working under a great strain in some scenes - I can't be sure if this is part of the character he is playing or not. A definite mixed bag, "The Hallelujah Trail" was poorly received in 1965 and time hasn't been kind to it either. It plays better on TV when broken up by commercials which is how I first saw it.

The best bit in the movie: When Remick is trying vainly to convince Lancaster about the dangers of alcohol she reports to him that "Three of the women in my movement have lost their husbands to alcohol. The men literally drank themselves to death!" Burt's snappy reply? "One can only wonder why." There are other gems like this scattered throughout that are worth hearing.







Rating:
Summary: See this for film what it is.
Review: Having read the previous member reviews I was prepared not take this movie seriously resulting in pure enjoyable entertainment. Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick and entire cast must have had a fun time making this film. The satire and laughs are side-splitting, especially in the tub scenes which are often. Compares well with Rossini's "Barber of Seville" referred to as Opera Buffa (Italian comic opera) and works of Jacques Offenbach called Opera Bouffe (French) defined as humorous frequently farcical, and often satirical. Hallelujah Trail is not serious and a must see for those who enjoy poking fun a so many routine beliefs. Lee Remick is her beautiful self; her costumes only enhance her natural beauty. Burt Lancaster's quips and facial expressions demonstrate his total confusion. The day will come when "West Side Story", Man of "La Mancha" and "Chicago" are classified as American Opera, at which time "Hallelujah Trail" may find its place as American Opera Buffa.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: I don't have this DVD, but when I was younger, I used to watch this movie all the time. My brother and I loved rewinding the movie to watch certain scenes over and over again. The only word I can think to describe this movie accurately would have to be quirky. It has whiskey, women protesting the whiskey, men protesting the women, and Indians doing who knows what. It's a great movie to watch.

Rating:
Summary: Great Fun! A wonderful western with some great humor!
Review: I fell in love with this film the first time I saw it in my younger days. I never noticed the potential political "incorrectness" with women and indians in this movie, and I still don't. As a matter of fact, everyone (including the cavalry, irish teamsters, even "good" republicans) enjoy thier own gags and spoofs. This wonderful comedy set close to the Denver area contains a whirlwind of a plot which includes everything that makes a good western - dramatic desert landscapes, arid weather, thousands of horses, and forty wagons stocked full of whiskey (perhaps the one and only shipment left before a long hard winter). But what happenes when you combine the Denver Militia, Irish Teamsters, Temperance Marchers, 90% of the western Indian tribes, and the United States Calvary over those forty wagons of precious booze? Go ahead and watch it to find out! I highly recommend it!