Cómo casi se perdió el oeste

John Sturges created this film with tongue planted firmly in cheek. It's best enjoyed in its "letterbox' format, as it was shot in Ultra-Panavision, which at the time was being touted as the "new, improved" CINERAMA. Robert Surtees' photography is wide and wonderful and Elmer Bernstein's jaunty score highlights the film perfectly. Also, it's an opportunity to see four greats who have now passed on, Lancaster, Hutton, Remick, and Pleasance at the top of their craft.

This has always been one of my favourite films. But it really is such a mess.

The acting is so wonderfully over the top. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves sending up every possible western myth!

The stunning look of the film, which must have been breathtaking in UltraPanavision 70mm, the beautiful rousing score a cast of thousands and a script that is truly awful!

All these elements just don't come together but the individual scenes often do.

I am lucky enough to own the original 1960s sountrack album and theater progam. The theater program is in the Cinerama aspect ratio!

It is one of those big,long, brassy 60s comedies that are very hit and miss. But somehow despite the concoction not quite coming off I just find myself giggling all the way through.

Whether it is Burt Lancaster being gruff, or the achingly beautiful Lee Reemick being difficult or Martin Landau being not quite as silly as he looks this film remains one in my guilty pleasure collection!

The Hallelujah Trail is a spoof of the type of epic Western epitomized by such movies as Cimarron (1960) and How the West Was Won (1962).

The miners, headquartered in Denver, are threatened by thirst. The town's whiskey stocks, for what is expected to be a long, cold winter, are dangerously low. A wagon train of teamsters, led by Brian Keith, is hired to deliver more whiskey. The temperance ladies, led by Lee Remick, are trying to stop the whiskey. The Native Americans, a key figure among whom we will get to shortly, are trying to steal the whiskey. The cavalry, led by Burt Lancaster as assisted by Jim Hutton, is trying to maintain order. This leads to what is recorded, in the annals of the comedy West, as the Battle of...well, that would be giving too much plot away.

There are three memorable performances, all in supporting roles. One comes from the unseen narrator, who helps to chronicle events with his resonant voice and his, uh, uh, special...insight. Another comes from Martin Landau (Crimes and Misdemeanors, the TV series Mission Impossible). Landau plays Walks Stooped Over, a Native American who, from his role in peace negotiations, also goes by the name Symbol of Good Faith. Then we get to the sterling performance, which should have drawn an Oscar nomination. It comes from Donald Pleasance (James Garner's nearly blind POW buddy in The Great Escape). Pleasance plays Oracle, a visionary Denverite who is able to foresee the future, except that he first requires, uh, uh, lubrication.

I can think of only two other movies of approximately the same genre. At the head of the class, of course, is It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). The other is the Japanese movie, Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997). Okay, maybe three other movies. The extra one being Airplane! (1980). That should give you an idea.

It's sheer entertainment. I think (as an adult) judicious trimming would have made this film a real classic, but the performances and the very pointed outrageous humor are just really fun. I love the narration and the "maps" which don't really show anything, making fun of that old technique. I'm sure many audiences of today might not even get how this is kind of the Airplane of the sixties. My family actually went to see another movie with top billing at the drive in and we all loved this one much more. It's just plain fun. A bit too long, I agree, but well worth it for the giggles. It's quite star packed for the time as well, once again, reminding me of Airplane in later years. I'm not a western fan, but this is more than a western, it's really a spoof or satire, with no one taking themselves seriously and that gives it a great deal of fun quotient.

I saw the movie when I was a very young man (20's) and absolutely loved its spirit. It was great to see seasoned actors playing their roles broadly and for laughs. It is very unusual to see Burt Lancaster blustering this much and Lee Remick is a perfect foil for him. A young Martin Landau has obvious fun in the role of the Indian guide. The gem of casting was Donald Pleasence as the hilarious visionary who "sees" the alcoholic wagon train as it crosses the plains, giving the movie its name.