Rating: 
Summary: What a movie!
Review: I love this film. The humor is very good, the acting is superb, and it has a very catchy theme.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor Quaility From MGM
Review: I was looking forward to seeing one of my favorite western films on widescreen DVD for the first time. How disapointing! The Hallelujah trail was full of white spots(film burns) and the picture in spots would shimmer so much that it was almost unwatchable. I would expect this kind of DVD transfer and quality from Good Times Video and other cheap companies, but not MGM. They should have taken the time to find a good quality copy of the film to transfer or touched up the master to preserve this classic western film. Hopefully they someday release a restored DVD version. I wouldn't recommend this DVD version to anyone. The film deserves five stars, but this DVD version only gets one star due to widescreen.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious Western insanity. . . .
Review: If you can imagine a comic twist on Wild West legends, it's probably in this film. Burt Lancaster shows a part of his talent that few are aware of: he is a superior comic actor. A sprawling lampoon of Calvary vs Indians, whiskey-swilling miners vs temperance workers and man vs woman, the Hallelujah Trail is a mad-cap roller coaster ride through the back trails of the classic western. If you love boots and saddles, comedy or Burt Lancaster, this is a must see. Just keep the tissues handy and find a soft place for falling out of your chair or off the couch. They don't get much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Hallelujia, now I see it !!!
Review: John Sturges directed so many of my favorite films, from "The Great Escape" to "The Magnificent Seven", that I have to pay hommage to his great humorous homage to The West. One of the earliest films to lampoon it's leads (but nicely) it stands out as both a tribute to all the great Westerns as well as a campy send-up as well. And what a cast! Burt Lancaster demonstrated a talent for comedy that I would never have thought at the time. And Jim Hutton, Brian Keith, Lee Remick.... One of Sturges' regular contributers, Elmer Bernstein wrote an emcompassing score that went right to the heart of things. Very recommended, especially if you loved westerns.
Rating:
Summary: Hallelujah Trail DVD, Great Movie, very poor quality...
Review: Just received my DVD of Hallelujah Trail. If not in your collection, add it! One fantastic funny classic movie you'll watch again and again, but.... My old VHS duel tape copy was mastered from a better copy of the film than the DVD. Several spots where film burns are noted, grainy, pixilated, jumpy too. And audio? Just causing the Dolby light to turn on is not Dolby (plus it is a mix down Dolby audio). I'm Very Very disappointed, not in the movie, but by the lack of quality and attention given to the transition to DVD. If not for the longevity of the DVD to preserve this classic it would not be worth the purchase price. I would hope someone takes the time to view the DVD a see the very poor attempt to create a DVD. Thank you MGM for taking the time to make the DVD available, but I had hoped the expected quality would have been preserved....
Rating:
Summary: Terrible DVD Transfer
Review: MGM has made the decision to offer this presentation of Hallelujah Trail on one side (two layers) of a DVD disc, requiring more compression of the video image than we normally see on higher quality DVD's. This has resulted in a DVD that is positively painful to watch due to digital artifacts. MGM should be embarrased about releaseing such an inferior product.
Rating:
Summary: A Strange, Offbeat Tongue-in-Cheek Comedy
Review: Never seen this "western" musical before, and I can guess why. The humor is so much over the heads of the viewers that they take it seriously and are offended by the extreme politically incorrect descriptions of Indians and women. Regular networks won't show it (I saw it on TCM-- they have guts). Made in 1965 during a socially tumultuous time-- but as I intimated, the perspective is a spoof-in-disguise. The music is terrible, and the plot a comic strip. But the stars are great to watch, and the whole thing is as fascinating as a train wreck-- you can't take your eyes away.
Rating:
Summary: WILD ROLLICKING ALL STAR TRAIL TO COMEDY!
Review: THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL is a must see western comedy! THIS MOVIE HAS IT ALL!!!! WILD CHASES, SANDSTORM, INDIANS, THE CALVARY, WAGONLOADS OF HIGH OCTANE, TEMPERENCE MARCHERS AND QUICKSAND! (YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT "QUICKSAND!!!!") I'm probably one critic, who mentioned that! Lead by an all star cast, this western turns a simple adventure into a collision of the wildest, zaniest characters that turn THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL into a FUN ROLLERCOASTER RIDE OF THRILLS AND SIDESPLITTING MADCAP COMEDY!!! The cast is top notch! Burt Lanchaster, Lee Remick, Brian Keith, Donald Pleasance, Jim Hutton, Pamela Tiffon, Robert Wilkes, and Martin Landau add their special humor to this funny parody! You could write a ballad about THE BATTLE OF WHISKY HILLS, or THE DISASTER AT QUICKSAND BOTTOMS, but you got to witness it in the making to really enjoy this movie! ELMER BERNSTEIN does a magnificent job with the music score! One of my favorite parts of THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL is the climax at QUICKSAND BOTTOMS! I repeat this scene over and over again!
The music to depict the wagons sinking in the quicksand, is one of the most facinating pieces of music that Elmer Bernstein uses and the most interesting piece I ever heard in a motion picture! I believe it is properly entitled "DOWN DOWN, DOWN because of the downward trend depicting the quicksand! The wild chase leading up to QUICKSAND BOTTOMS is outrageous!!!! This is indeed the west at it's most HILLARIOUS! It it really is "HOW THE WEST WAS FUN in grand style! The funniest western I ever saw!
Rating:
Summary: WILD ROLLICKING ALL STAR TRAIL TO COMEDY!
Review: THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL is a must see western comedy! THIS MOVIE HAS IT ALL!!!! WILD CHASES, SANDSTORM, INDIANS, THE CALVARY, WAGONLOADS OF HIGH OCTANE, TEMPERENCE MARCHERS AND QUICKSAND! (YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT "QUICKSAND!!!!") I'm probably one critic, who mentioned that! Lead by an all star cast, this western turns a simple adventure into a collision of the wildest, zaniest characters that turn THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL into a FUN ROLLERCOASTER RIDE OF THRILLS AND SIDESPLITTING MADCAP COMEDY!!! The cast is top notch! Burt Lanchaster, Lee Remick, Brian Keith, Donald Pleasance, Jim Hutton, Pamela Tiffon, Robert Wilkes, and Martin Landau add their special humor to this funny parody! You could write a ballad about THE BATTLE OF WHISKY HILLS, or THE DISASTER AT QUICKSAND BOTTOMS, but you got to witness it in the making to really enjoy this movie! ELMER BERNSTEIN does a magnificent job with the music score! One of my favorite parts of THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL is the climax at QUICKSAND BOTTOMS! I repeat this scene over and over again!
The music to depict the wagons sinking in the quicksand, is one of the most facinating pieces of music that Elmer Bernstein uses and the most interesting piece I ever heard in a motion picture! I believe it is properly entitled "DOWN DOWN, DOWN because of the downward trend depicting the quicksand! The wild chase leading up to QUICKSAND BOTTOMS is outrageous!!!! This is indeed the west at it's most HILLARIOUS! It it really is "HOW THE WEST WAS FUN in grand style! The funniest western I ever saw!
Rating: 
Summary: Blech. Just...blech.
Review: THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL is one of those big Westerns from the 60s, but rather than a straight Western, it's a "comedy." John Gay's script lacks jokes and humor, and John Sturges' direction does not make for a really enjoyable 2 hours and 35 minutes. The acting is fair at best, with the major exception of Donald Pleasance, who is marvelous as Oracle Jones. Watch his prophecy at the beggining of the film; it's a real gem. Elmer Bernstein provides a memorable title theme. But overall, it does not make this film worth you while.(It seems suprisingly low-budget.) MGM's mediocre DVD(solely utilizing the trimmed general release print, but with Overture, Intermission, Entr'Acte, and Exit Music) raises questions as to what extra was in the original 167 minute roadshow version(though for the life of me I can't imagine why anyone would reserve seats for this. If anyone can give me information supporting the fact that this film was wildly popular on first appearance, kindly post it on this website. -Jamie Teller
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