Mackenna's Gold (1969)

How sad is this?

Best movie ever!

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

MACKENNA'S GOLD is a typical American western made with Leone's epic of THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY in mind; this influence is clear both in the film's epic length and in some of the staging which is very Leone-esque at times. The story is quite simple, involving Gregory Peck's lawman being taken captive by Omar Sharif's bandit and forced to lead him to a legendary desert location said to hide a fortune in gold. A huge amount of famous faces pop up in support, including the likes of Eli Wallach, Anthony Quayle and Edward G. Robinson, but they're oddly underutilised. Apparently there were some problems during the film's production which resulted in an hour of the running time being chopped out, which leaves some problems in the plot and the like. Still, it's a well-shot yarn and there are some good scenes here, so it's not all bad.

Infamous, Infantile, and an enormous Flop. Critics and Fans agree this is one of the most Bloated, Clunky, and Incoherent Westerns of all Time. Mimicking "How the West Was Won" (1962) in its Clueless Pretense of Big is Better Banality.It is a watchable wonder of Odd Stylistics, Grand Landscapes, and Known Actors. The Sophomoric Script is listless Tripe that says nothing beyond Greed is Bad. The Characters are barely recognizable as Flesh and Blood Humans, the Desert Scenery Fluctuates from on Location Beauty to Back Lot Boredom, and the Action draws attention to itself with POV Shots, Odd Angles, and Funky Sound Effects.There is so much Magnificent Mediocrity up on the Screen that it can be Entertaining to Watch it all Play out. Depending on One's Perspective this Box Office Bomb is either highly Enjoyable, Unintentionally Laughable, or You can have a Good Ol' Time Making Fun of its Failings.Recommended to See the Studio System on its Last Legs Producing a Picture that is a good Example why Things Changed so Drastically in Hollywood around this Time. The Money Men and the System They Milked for Decades was on Life Support and this Movie is a good Example of a Big Studio Production not having a clue and this could be Seen as an indication of the Last Rites.

This oater is not your typical western. There are so many well known and famous actors and actresses in this movie that I am surprised they got all of them to appear in it. Gregory Peck gets top billing as the no name, judge appointed marshal, of some nameless town. Omar Sharif is very campy as a bad ass outlaw who I guess is suppose to be Mexican. He portrays a totally venal, amoral, character His accent makes it hard to tell at times. The white's playing the Apache's in this movie are a little outre to say the least. It is refreshing now days to see actual indians playing indians. Julie Newmar as an Apache woman who has a history with Peck is decent since she doesn't speak. There is some humor in this movie from time to time, but overall it is a fairly serious movie.

*Spoiler/plot- MacKennas Gold, 1969, An Indian legend tells of a valley of gold protected by the Indian spirits. This valley was found twice and a group of Western gold hunters go on a quest to find it with varying degrees of failure and success in the late 1870's.*Special Stars- Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Julie Newman, Telly Savalas, Ted Casidy *Theme- In the West, mother nature and the Fates are nothing to bet your life on. You will lose.*Trivia/location/goofs- Monument Valley, but the film was shot mainly at Glen Canyon of Utah and Canyon DE Chelly of Arizona, specifically Spider Rock. The "Old Turkey Buzzard" theme song sequence was shot at Monument Valley, on the Arizona-Utah border.Some very interesting horse riders POV camera shots during chase scenes were used in this film. Also there are some aerial glider shots to show the spectacular landscapes during the 'buzzard' flying scenes. Julie Newmar's work on this film interfered with her re-curring 'Catowman' role that made her so famous in the 'Batman' TV series as such two other women filled the Catwoman role (E. Kitt & L. Meriweather) on the TV series. GOOF: The action of the rock promontory's shadow('Shaking Rock') showing the secret valley entrance is wrong at sunrise. It is only when the sun goes down in the west would the rock spire's shadow get long, not in the morning which would shorten it's shadow until noon when no shadow or a small would fall directly downward. George Lucas was a film school interns of this film and helped in suggesting some scene matters. Julie Newmar's swimming scene was changed by her to a nude scene. Clint Eatswood was offered and turned down the Marshal MacKenna role. John Garfield's son, David appears as the young many caretaker of the blind Mr. Addamms, Edward Robinson role. Eduardo Ciannelli appears in another of his famous ethic roles as native American 'Chief Prarie-dog' and he was the villainous Tug GURU leader in the original 'Gunga Din'.*Emotion- A enjoyable Western saga, one of a dying few produced at this time. In the same mold as 'How the West was Won' and others. An interesting large cast of screen favorites put into some dramatic scenes. More should have been done with the townspeople especially since they were the major bluff of stars receiving roles in this film. Julie Newman is and continues to be a beautiful 'force of female nature' on screen to deal with...Yum!