Rating: PG13
Genre:
Musical
Release Date: 07/24/2001
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DD5.1/DDS/DD1
Run Time: 164 Minutes
Flags: Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language
Distributor/Studio: Paramount
After a debut on Broadway in 1951,
Paramount spent an estimated 17 to 20 million dollars in production costs for this
Lerner and
Loewe musical. With
Loewe's permission,
Lerner wrote five additional tunes for the film with
Andre Previn. Ben Rumson (
Lee Marvin) is the grizzled prospector trying his luck panning for gold in California. Pardner (
Clint Eastwood) is his companion. When Ben buys a woman from a Mormon, Elizabeth (
Jean Seberg) expects equal rights for her gender and chooses to live with both men. Ben and Pardner tunnel under the boomtown to gather the fallen gold dust that has filtered through the cracks of the saloon and other places. The musical comedy features 13 songs, the most recognizable being
"They Call The Wind Maria".
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band helps out on the song
"Hand Me Down That Can O' Beans". Both
Clint Eastwood and
Lee Marvin are given a chance to show their vocal ability (or lack of it) in several songs. The initial release fell far short of regaining the millions put into the production, and most critics dipped their pens in poison to pan the picture -- though the film plays better than the critics would lead anyone to believe. Many jumped on the
Paint Your Wagon smear campaign after the film proved to be not nearly as successful as other musicals.
~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
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