Shalako
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Movie Reviews of Shalako
Movie Review: 75% Entertaining
Summary: 3 Stars
Given its director (Edward Dmytryk) and its cast (Sean Connery and Brigitte Bardot) it is rather odd that 'Shalako" (1969) is such an obscure film and that so many of the comments/reviews are totally negative. "Spaghetti" westerns (filmed in Italy or Spain) were quite the rage in the late 1960's and "Shalako" is about what you would get if "Hombre" (1967) had been given a mild "Spaghetti" treatment.
While not even remotely on the level of Monte Hellman's stuff, "Shalako" is an entertaining and comprehensible western that most viewers will get into and enjoy until about the ¾ mark when the wheels fall off and it drags along to a less than spectacular resolution.
Dmytryk was a veteran action director who occasionally ("The Young Lions") even did a good job of directing actors for the camera. This was one of his last efforts and he seems to have stayed focused on the action and paid little attention to the performances themselves.
Connery plays the title character, an experienced frontiersman who (like Paul Newman in "Hombre") is forced by circumstances into guiding a bunch of clueless civilians to safety. "Hombre" had Newman (a white man raised by Indians) in the moral dilemma of having to assist a group of people for which he has total contempt. Shalako ' s situation is simpler: he must extract a European aristocrat's hunting party who have ticked off the Apache's by coming onto their reservation and who have been betrayed by their cowboy hunting guides. Although he has little use for most of this group he has developed a grudging respect for a plucky countess (Bardot). There is decent chemistry in the early Connery-Bardot scenes but it does not sustain itself as the relationship begins to turn romantic.
As in "Hombre" there is an interesting twist with the young wife (Honor Blackman) of one of the aristocrats deciding to leave her husband for the dangerous cowboy (Stephan Boyd) who has just placed the group at the mercy of the elements (and the Indians). Blackman is excellent in this part , the only really challenging role in the production.
Dmytryk does an excellent job with his first three action sequences, including a surprisingly credible dawn attack on the camp of the hunting party and a more traditional stagecoach chase sequence. But as already mentioned, the film is extremely front-end loaded and he has dissipated all the tension before the climatic sequence even begins.
"Hombre" on the other hand withheld its best sequence until the end and managed to pack some nice irony into its resolution. You won't find this in "Shalako", in fact the final 20 minutes are so listless your mind begins mulling over the plot holes. Like how did Boyd's character manage to walk all the way to the top of the plateau without being detected by the Indians? When you have to insert a detailed verbal explanation for something totally inexplicable (that has happened "off" camera) a competent editor knows that it is time for some major trimming and a focused director begins revising his script.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
Movie Review: Shalako
Summary: 3 Stars
Sean Connery's only Western is certainly an oddity. The failure isn't Connery's fault, he acquits himself rather well. Most might think it very strange that he was cast in this role but the casting was of Connery was perfect. The movie is based on the novel of the same name written by Louis L'Amour; the character of Shalako from the book had an European background &, for reasons that escape me at the moment, he immigrated to America. In fact, much of the film follows L'Amour's novel closely. As it states in the opening credits of the film many Europeans visited the West on hunting expeditions.
Where the movie fails should be blamed on the production company. It was a British film company that was produced this & they didn't have much experience for this endeavor. Edward Dmytryk (Broken Lance, The Caine Mutiny) was chosen to counter this lack of experience. But Dmytryk hadn't directed but a handful of Western up to this point. The casting of Brigitte Bardot was simply atrocious. I'm not saying she couldn't act but English was not her language. She certainly was easy on the eyes but this does not make her right for the role. The casting of the British hunting party had no problems; Peter Van Eyck (Von Hallstatt), Honor Blackman (Lady Daggett) & Jack Hawkins (Sir Daggett) were all Brits portraying Brits. Nothing wrong with Stephen Boyd playing the nefarious heavy, Bosky Fulton. But Woody Strode (Chato) as an Indian was another BIG stretch. Strode was an underrated actor & he was adequate in the role but it was completely wrong. I know, it isn't the first time an Indian was portrayed in the movies by someone who didn't have a drop of Indian blood.
The scene that has stayed with me the most (40 years, in fact) is when the Indians catch the coach. The last survivor is Lady Daggett & when she's straddled by a brave she attempts to bribe him with an expensive piece of jewelry. This is funny to the brave & he forces her to swallow it & she dies. This was brutal for 1968 & I still find it chilling.
But for all the things wrong with the movie it's still decent. Connery is great at anything he does & I love watching actors cast against type. Connery was trying hard to break his James Bond image so I'm sure that led to his accepting the role. He normally would do another movie between his 007 films & these were considerably different than what he had become famous for. The transfers are great so the movie looks great. It's shown in the wide screen format (2.35:1) & hasn't any bonus features except for subtitles.
Movie Review: The film never becomes exciting despite incidental brutalities...
Summary: 3 Stars
Brigitte Bardot went on to Hollywood but did not fare any better... 'Shalako,' a British-produced Western directed by Edward Dmytryk, teamed her with Sean Connery and Stephen Boyd (her partner in 'The Night Heaven Fell') in a smoldering relationship charged with tension and passion...
The idea is cute and unbelievable: A party of European aristocrats are on a hunting safari in New Mexico in the 1880's... They are traveling with full equipage including butlers, maids, fine linens and vintage wines...
When their safari is led upon an Apache reservation, the Indians become annoyed, and Countess Irina Lazaar (Brigitte Bardot) is attacked by a savage Apache... Shalako (Sean Connery), a scout for the U.S. Army, bravely attempts to save her and leads the aristocrats away from imminent annihilation... With the Indians determined to attack, each member of the hunting party faces the greatest peril of their lives...
Edward Dmytryk seems to have attempted to recapture the freshness and essence of the 'B.B.' that Roger Vadim had helped to shape... But the re-creation escapes him, despite the careful choice of Louis L'Amour's novel and the casting of international stars as Jack Hawkins ('Lawrence of Arabia'), Peter Van Eyck ('The Longest Day'), Honor Blackman ('Goldfinger'), Woody Strode ('Spartacus'), and Valerie French ('Jubal').
Movie Review: There's A New Guy At MGM And He's So Out Of Touch!
Summary: 3 Stars
Another DVD from MGM that is widescreen (That's Great) but it's not ANIMORPHIC ( Enhanced For Widescreen T.V.'s ). This seems to be the trend for MGM now and it doesn't make any sense. Previous releases were animorphic. I can only assume there's a new guy in charge and he's an idiot! ( The other recent titles are "Follow That Dream" and "The Magnificent Seven Ride!".If this bothers you as much as it does me then send an email to MGM. These movies deserve better treatment.Movie Review: Widescreen but NOT Anamorphic
Summary: 3 Stars
MGM has suddenly stopped making these older films Anamorphic (Enhanced for Widescreen T.V.'s)which doesn't make sense. Other recent titles include "Follow That Dream", "A Minute To Pray, A Second To Die" and "The Magnificent Seven Ride!". If this bothers you as much as it does me, send an email to MGM.