MacKenna's Gold
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Movie Reviews of MacKenna's Gold
Movie Review: All that glitters is not gold!
Summary: 3 Stars
Forget the gold; it's nothing more than some "technically challenged" or "special" effects. The real gold is Julie "Cat Woman" Newmar who plays a scarred, but dangerously sexy squaw named Hesh-Ke. The real mystery is not the "Canon del Oro" but rather Gregory Peck's (Mackenna) rejection of Hesh-Ke's sexual advances! What's the film about? The film begins with an old coot narrating to the theme song, "Old Turkey Buzzard". Sound promising so far? Sheriff Mackenna is casually riding his horse in the middle of the desert when an old Indian with a rifle attempts to kill him but ends up dead himself. On his person is an old Indian map, supposedly leading the way to the legendary "canyon of gold". Mackenna, having been blessed with a photographic memory, stores away the data and burns the map but unwittingly gets bushwhacked by his arch nemesis Colorado (Omar Shariff) a crazed bandito. Colorado and his sidekicks would be happy to finish the old Indian's job, but are willing to prolong this eventuality by using Mackenna as a human treasure map. Of course, gold is a word that echoes invitingly throughout the land, attracting all sorts of out of work character actors willing to drop by the set for a piece of the action. This film may be glittering with stars, but all that glitters . . ."Movie Review: A film pregnant of good intentions!
Summary: 3 Stars
The main factor that one should remark around this movie resides in the best intentions to work out as a deserved homage to Erik von Stroheim's Greed (1924).
The ambition for gold as symbol of power and emblematic icon, permeates a good part of myths, tales and transcendental works (Wagner's masterpiece, for instance) when we have Alberich stating that he would change the possession of gold instead love.
But the best intentions (at least in this case) really fell down when an uninspired script and a very weak direction, twisted the story into simple fragments. The anecdote of the bad guy and the good guy who knows where the gold is supported by common places and untied episodes that seemed to serve as a huge introduction for the final sequence of the holy earthquake, as a clear warning the gold is part of the earth and so no man deserves to acquire it.
And so, we will watch an actor of the stature of Gregory Peck visibly disgusted with a script that simply doesn't resist the implicit transcendence of the portrait.
A majuscule disappointment.
Movie Review: No Widescreen?
Summary: 3 Stars
In the past I've seen this movie only in 1.33:1 pan and scan. From its opening titles, I knew it was a Super Panavision film, which means to me it was released in 70mm widescreen. The case clearly states that Side A is 2.35:1 and that Side B is 1.33:1 pan and scan, and I bought it hoping finally to see it in all its glory. I've always had a "thing" for the Arizona and southern Utah canyon lands.
Except for the opening credits and end titles, there is no widescreen version on this disc. In fact, contrary to the advertising it's a one-sided disc. I consider this product misrepresentation and a big disappointment. With virtually the entire film presented in close-ups, every flawed and cheesy process shot appears as if under a microscope. You can see every bad matte painting, every poorly blended green screen (or did they use a blue screen?), every transition from full-sized live to miniature. Worst of all, most of the great southwestern scenery is somewhere offscreen beyond the edges of my television.
I'd still really like to see this film in widescreen. Any hope?
Movie Review: Just a damn good film, even if a bit corny.
Summary: 3 Stars
Saw this originally in home town theater with a bunch of high school buddies. I was bowled over by the location scenery (yes, some of it is fake, like the valley of gold of course). What I'm not sure of, is how much of this film was widescreen. In this edition, the widescreen cuts out after the opening sequence, and goes to standard proportion. So if it IS entirely in widescreen, this is one of the few flicks I would want to have in widescreen, seeing as how I currently still own a standard tv. (Take your purchase decision into consideration. I believe one other reviewer said an earlier edition had both wide and standard versions.)
Buy it if only for the presense of a great ensemble cast, great location scenery (Monument valley, etc.), and more action than the usual western. Like, an earthquake, for instance.
I own very few westerns, but this appeals on many levels, to non fans alike. And Julie Newmar is the guy-flick icing on the cake!
Movie Review: Another Sony Reissue Scam
Summary: 3 Stars
Three stars for the film, NO stars for Sony.
Columbia Pictures released many of its classic films on DVD in double-sided, widescreen & pan-and-scan format. However, after Sony bought out the Columbia film library, it then proceeded to reissue them in SINGLE-SIDE, PAN and SCAN ONLY format WITHOUT CHANGING THE UPC CODE OR FRONT COVER ARTWORK. Mackenna's Gold is only one example of this.
So because online DVD sellers cannot separate the two versions by UPC code (and some list the wrong aspect ratio or none at all), people who buy these titles for the widescreen content are cheated. The only way to tell the difference is looking at the back cover AFTER receiving the DVD (and sometimes that's wrong too) or by playing it. This is deceptive practice at its worst.
If you're a widescreen fan, beware of any Columbia title released by Sony.