Product Description

Lawman gregory peck is forced to lead outlaw omar sharif and a greedy all-star cast of cutthroats and thieves to a legendary canyon of gold. Special features: subtitles in english spanish portuguese chinese korean and thai talent files bonus trailers interactive menus production notes and much more. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 04/22/2008 Starring: Gregory Peck Omar Sharif Run time: 123 minutes Rating: Nr Director: J Lee Thompson

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9501 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2000-07-11
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Thai
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 128 minutes

Amazon.com
Attempting to do for Westerns what his Guns of Navarone had done for World War II action epics, director J. Lee Thompson crafted Mackenna's Gold as a lavish, absurdly ambitious variation on Erich Von Stroheim's Greed, resulting in a last-gasp Western so eager to encompass the genre's traditions that it turns into a big, silly, wildly entertaining mess. Gregory Peck surely had more serious intentions when he signed on, and he brings prestigious gravitas to his glum role as Marshall Mackenna, who gets shanghaied into searching for the gold-filled canyon of an elusive Apache legend. The rest of the 1969 film labors to undermine Peck's respectable demeanor; how else to explain Omar Sharif as a Mexican villain, Julie Newmar as a hot-blooded Apache temptress (with underwater nude scenes that were celebrated in Playboy magazine), and a jaw-dropping finale that's so ridiculous it's impressive in spite of itself?

Formerly blacklisted screenwriter Carl Foreman and composer Dimitri Tiomkin joined up to coproduce the film, and one can only imagine how Anthony Mann or Howard Hawks might've handled Foreman's sensible script. Thompson goes for scenic splendor, heavy action, and heavier emotions, casting everything at a fever pitch that's wildly enjoyable without betraying his "serious" intentions. A stable of Hollywood veterans (Eli Wallach, Raymond Massey, Edward G. Robinson, and others) appear in lively supporting roles--they're all dispatched in a garish Apache ambush--and Camilla Sparv is an ingénue with plenty of fighting attitude. Gold fever reaches its peak, along with some awesome special effects, and divine intervention reaches new heights of intensity. Top it off with José Feliciano's theme song, and you'll be in zany Western heaven. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

A tribute to my childhood.
I am not going to categorize and compare this western in the more
appropriate context because it's very special for any Russian male in
my generation (I am 33).

The only Westerns we were allowed to see
were produced by East German studio DEFA with only one star - the
Yugoslav hunk Goiko Mititch. And mostly only one plot - the greedy
prospectors come to take the Indian land and the feathered patriots
put on the warpaint, flex their muscles - they all were very athletic,
unlike the whites who were depicted as the degenerates in every sense
- and gallop to sweep the terrain clean of that capitalist scum.

But
we were grateful even for that substitute, tired of seeing the other
Red Against White flicks - the films about the Russian Civil War
heroes killing the White Guards by hundreds for the sake of Mother
Russia's communist future.

And then "Zoloto Makkeni" was
imported. Why? The message was clear - "Look at these gold-crazed
American bastards! Preachers, journalists, merchants,
bandidos,soldiers, adventurers - all of them are ready to sell their
Momma's for a speck of golden dust! And this time they testify
themselves, not our East German friends." -

But who cared about
all that? The authentic American Western! With the real Indians
instead of East German Olympic Team painted in gouache! The film's
mildly idiotic background commentaries did not make us flinch - they
fit into the didactic tradition we were used to.

And the opening
song! It was translated in Russian and sung in the film by the
Russia's much-adored sweet-voiced drunk Valeri Obodzinskij. In the
restaurants, at a campfires, in a streets the young males were singing
- Vnov, vnov zoloto manit nas! - The gold lures us again and again! -

I was 8-9 year old at that time. Seen the film weekly. The boys in
the playground asked in a whisper: - Do they show something there?
You know...- And I told them: - Oh yeah! The Indian girl...--
They really do! Wow!- Well, speaking about childhood traumas...Once I
took my mother along and seeing the bathing scene she suspected what
was coming and obscured my view with her hand....But seriously, the
remastering crew did a superb job. The sights, the sounds - perfect!
These were the times they were still happy to shoot in mostly natural-
maybe slightly enhanced - colors, without these annoying tints and
shades of today, when they seem to dip the freshly shot rolls of films
in a can of blue paint.

I do not know how I would see the film today
without that cinematic abstinence/communist background. Who can tell?

But I am so fond of it that even being between the jobs - a period
where every dollar counts - I HAD to buy the disc. And I do not
regret..

No Widescreen?
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?

A GOLDEN DVD FOR A NOT SO BAD FLICK
Much more exciting than what the bad reviews predicted. The plot is far from being confusing although some of the main stars (Eli Wallach, Edward G.Robinson...) perish too hastily but there is action, beautiful landscapes and an enjoyable performance by Omar Sharif as the bad guy. Filmed in SuperPanavision, the widescreen transfer is simply stunning. Sharp and colourful with a new and effective 5.1 dolby digital remix. Good score by Quincy Jones although Jose Feliciano's theme song is tiresome. As a bonus, you will find a trailor of Lawrence of Arabia which promises to be another great DVD from Columbia.