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See it – This is "Indiana Jones" disguised as a western. It is overflowing with action and adventure as a group of outlaws, Indians, soldiers, townspeople, and a sheriff played by Gregory Peck search for fabled treasure in the old west. The impressive cast also includes Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Eli Wallach, Edward G. Robinson, and Lee Cobb. Although most movies during this time period were very family friendly, be aware that in addition to some violence, this movie has one of the first female nude scenes in a western. So keep it in mind before watching it with the kiddos. But if you are looking for a movie with non-stop action, this is one of the most action-packed, epic westerns you'll ever see. You've got Indian fights, cavalry fights, gunfights, knife fights, tomahawk fights, and…belt fights? No joke.

And I can find GOLD. I just recently viewed the DVD release of this little western nugget. I was taken aback by the wide screen splendor of the film, the grand location shots in Monument Valley and Canyon De Chellye, not to mention some tricky switcheroo in Zion and Bryce National Parks as well. The movie is campy yet serious, a shoot-em-up one minute and relaxing in a cool secret waterfall filled pond in the next. And the film has its' moments, like Julie Newmar (who can think of her and not say statuesque?), the vicious-obsessive-compulsive-Apache-squaw camp-follower, or Hatchita, played by Ted "You Rang?" Cassidy or the grande dames of acting all seated around the fire.. Keenan Wynn, Edward G. Robinson, Eli Wallach, Burgess Meredith, Anthony Quayle, Omar Sharif, Raymond Massey and Lee J. Cobb like the Fellowship of the Ring gone a hunting gold in the old west. And near the end, Telly (Who Loves Ya Baby?) Savalas joins up as a sadistically cruel Army seargent. I highly recommend this blast from the past, and Jose Feliciano singing "Ol Turkey Buzzard", sends chills down my spine. I saw this movie in the theatre when it premiered. This is already approaching cult status folks.. a real keeper.

The main reason I wrote this review is to pay tribute to Gregory Peck, who was MacKenna, Josef Mengele, Dwight Towers, Charles Keith, Robert Thorn, Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, Atticus Finch, Keith Mallory, David,Ahab, Harry Street and many many more. He will always live in my heart and mind as a great actor, the like of which may never again be seen. Nobody held a candle to him, or ever will. JUne 12, 2003

This is one of the major movies of 1969 . It is a marvelously rambling frontier fable packed with extraordinary incidents, amazing encounters , nasty characters and virtuous rewards . It follows a sheriff (Gregory Peck) and a group of ambitious men (formed by all star cast : Omar Shariff , Elli Wallach, Lee J. Cobb, Edward G. Robinson, Raymond Massey, Keenan Wynn and many others) in search for gold in a big lost canyon and being pursued by soldiers(Telly Savalas) and Indians.

This is an overwhelming Matinée Western plenty of intrigue, double-crosses, gold-lust clichés, adventures and action-packed especially in its final part ; ending in an abrupt, ironic denouement. The film is an exciting story though disjointed and with numerous loose ends ; it is originally written by Carl Foreman and based on the novel by Will Henry. Some ridiculous especial effects such as the bridge scenes at the beginning and abundant matte paintings. Furthermore, contains excessive use of absurd transparency. Packs a colorful and glimmer cinematography in Panavision , shot at Monument Valley from Arizona and Utah. Moving and stirring musical score by Quincy Jones with today classic songs by Jose Feliciano. The film is lavishly produced by Carl Foreman who formerly produced some excellent movies . The motion picture is regularly directed by J.L. Thompson (1914-2002) during his splendorous and successful time in the 60s, when he directed ¨Cape fear¨, ¨Taras Bulba¨ and ¨Guns of Navarone¨; though in his last period he only directed Charles Bronson vehicles, such as ¨Death wish 4¨, ¨Kinjite¨, ¨St. Ives¨,¨Messenger of Death¨, among others. This delicious embarrassing movie will appeal to Gregory Peck devotees. Rating : 6'5 , acceptable and passable.

Human nature's bad side is amply on display in this greed motivated Western. Gregory Peck is the only non believer in a lost canyon of gold, with everyone else in the fantastic cast blinded by gold fever. Rarely do you get such an ensemble of wonderful actors in the same film, but MacKenna's Gold certainly does. The film is magnificently photographed, taking full advantage of the wide Southwest vistas. One intriguing photographic technique is the horses eye view as they gallop down the canyon. There are some excellent miniatures used to good advantage, without any cartoon like C.G.I. to get in the way. The story is a straight forward search for treasure with everyone's share getting bigger as competitors are killed off. Special mention must be made of Julie Newmar as the sexiest Indian ever on film. Her nude scene is surprising and a definite highlight. - MERK

This grand, sprawling western is an entertaining picture with mega cast names that results in an enjoyable adventure. Gregory Peck and Omar Sharif are the main adversaries here as a diverse group of ranchers, soldiers and assorted types search for a hidden canyon of gold in Indian country. The expensive production has several cameo appearances of stars well past their prime and a message about greed and the corrupting influence of gold fever and the risks people take to acquire untold wealth. There are two women in the story, one to meet the romance requirement while the other represents pure menace. The great beauty of the American west is the highlight of the picture as the plot plays out against the deserts, mountains and canyons of the great southwest. Indians are the main danger but the party of whites have their share of infighting with gun fights, chases and double crosses. The film was one of Hollywood's last great screen westerns.

This movie has just about as much wrong with it as right. While the plot involving greed and a search for gold is excellent and there was a good movie underneath it all, several things help to derail the production and keep this from being a better film--despite its wonderful cast. First, the beginning and ending song by Jose Feliciano is very dated and very annoying. I hated it thoroughly. Second, a lot of really fine character actors enter the film and unfortunately, in most cases, they die so quickly and without making much of an impact on the film, it's a real waste. Third, the ending is great if you have a strong ability to suspend disbelief AND you believe in a lot of spiritual mumbo jumbo. I didn't and so I thought the ending was pretty dopey. Gregory Peck is fine in the film, as always, but I thought it very odd that they cast Omar Sharif as a Mexican and Ted Cassidy and Julie Newmar as American Indians but this is only a minor quibble.

This movie will always remain a favorite on my list. I am surprised that it received such a low rating on this board. It deserves its rightful place as one of the best western movies ever made.

The cast is good with some powerful performances including Gregory Pack as the small town sheriff who accidentally stumbles onto a treasure map leading to a gold mine protected by the Apache Indians. The outdoor locations in this movie (with The Grand Canyon as the back drop) are simply breath-taking.

The story is fast paced with lot of action scenes including some thrilling footage of high speed horse chases. If you like western genre, don't miss this one. You will not be disappointed. It has everything - story, cast, locations, horses, shooting and a very happy ending.

Have to say this movie must have been a nightmare to make and work on..it's got a massive all top notch cast..and I'm sure top crew and technical ..for1969... it's entertaining but..it switches all the way through from actual location footage..in the desert etc..to studio matched and what I assume is/ was back projection stuff..! Sets to location..back to location and sets..in the edit I suppose.. so editors must have had a hard job.. plus the actors.. all the close ups are back projection..mainly..and long shots in the real location..I wouldn't be surprised if they used standings..as long shots are hard to tell who's who...and obviously stunts are all stunt people.. maybe it's just1969 or the director who cut it like this..but by modern standards it's a bit ropey".. but..it still stands up as a good action movie..seeking the gold etc.. I was surprised all the big stars got shot in the cavalry ambush..but.I suppose it saved the massive budget a bit... bits of saucy nudity in bits in the watering hole.. but the way it's shot ..results in a slightly surreal" experience! It also cuts between lots of not too bad model shots.. the horse on the rope bridge..and the watering hole mountains..obviously we are used to cgi these days.. this is reminiscent of thunderbirds".. luckily they edited it so quick you hardly notice..ha.. watering hole was definitely a studio tank..undercut maybe with a real waterhole... I wrote this because it struck me as so disjointed and rather strange I figured others must have picked up on it.. it's not bad for a 60s biggish budget movie.. Saturday afternoon tv movie.. anyone like to comment??. I think I'll leave it there!.. good old Gregory peck..he holds it all together with his charisma. Aplomb..grit and understated acting.. a true star... sadly no more.....

I first saw this film a few months ago on TV and i thought it was so good i bought it on DVD.Now I'm not really a fan of westerns but this film really got me interested in them.The Film is set in the Arizona territory of the 1870's. Gregory Peck is brilliant as Sam Mackenna who is the only living person who knows the torturous route to the fabulous "canon del oro." During his journey Mackenna is captured by Colorado played by the great Omar Shariff, a brutal Mexican bandit who has long sought his death. But, if Mackenna is to lead the cut-throat gang to the lost treasure, Colorado must keep him alive. En route, Mackenna and the outlaw band are joined by renegade soldiers, vengeful Indians, cold-blooded killers and "gentlemen from town" As they near golden canyon, all but Mackenna are swept by a sudden fever - the naked greed for Gold. Mackenna's Gold is one of the most exciting Westerns ever made.

Rating: 7

A beautiful movie which was marked as a box office flop but gained popularity overseas. It remained a top Hollywood grosser in India beating even Jaws. The movie brings forth a stellar cast of Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Julie Newmar, Eli Wallach and so many others. It is a fairly simple driven story which is about a search for the valley of gold or as they say "Canon Del Oro".

The Good - The power packed performances and cameos in the movie make it a must watch. The cinematography seems to be ahead of it's time considering the year to be 1969. I like how the film touches upon the themes of greed and betrayal and the vices of the human nature. The song "Old Turkey Buzzard" composed by Quincy Jones is heard throughout the movie and way too catchy.

The Bad - Some bits of the movie seem stretchy, it could have been shortened. Other than that I didn't find anything wrong with the movie.

Mackenna's Gold is a classic film packed with notable actors which makes it a must watch. The runtime is around 2 hours which I believe could have been shortened but do watch this movie for it's cinematography and effects.

Its got everything! Two fisted action! Gorgeous females! Catfights! Gregory Peck! Camilla Sparve! a Whos Who of yesterdays character actors! Hokey dialog! Excellent Special Effects! Great scenery! Ultra-Panavision™! Directed by the guy who did Bridge Over River Kwai! ah well, according to several sources this movie was supposed to be over 3 hours long, and was going to come out as a Cinerama-type Road Show...but the days of that were dying and Columbia got cold feet, so it was cut to a little over 2 hours; There are some minor differences between 35 and 70mm prints; This movie is a hoot-see it!

Looking through the cast list, you might be forgiven for thinking that this film will be a rare treat. Well, it is, but not for the reasons you might imagine.

Most of the big name stars don't appear until about 3/4 of the way through the movie, and then only last for a few scenes (literally) before they are removed permanently from the film. Perhaps the intent was to have all these people show up and then savagely remove them to shake the viewer's complacency. Who knows? Anyway, my partner went to make a cup of tea and when she came back the likes of Edward G Robinson, Anthony Quayle, Lee J Cobb, Burgess Meredith and Co had all vanished. It was such a surprise that she looked at me accusingly, like I'd had something to do with it! So be warned, blink and you might miss them.

Regardless, it was nice to see so many famous faces in one film. I'd find it difficult to name a modern film where such an array of talent was assembled for a film, much less one where half of that talent is removed almost indifferently after a few scenes.

Anyway, I said this film was a treat, and it is. Seeing all those old faces from the good old days of cinema is pleasure enough. But combine it with a hokey story and hilarious effects and it's just a treasure.

My favourite of the lame effects has to be the back-projection horse riding sequences. These are just so funny to watch. Odd to think that at one point we wouldn't have batted an eyelid at them. How time, and technology, have moved on since those simpler days. Also watch out for the canyon collapse scene and the stop-motion mule on the bridge.

It's also great to see Lurch (Ted Cassidy) in quite a prominent role here as Hachita, the Indian guide (you could still call them Indians in those days). He doesn't really look much like an Apache, but who cares!

Apart from the hokum and silly effects the movie only made me scowl at one point. You see, there's this big rock spire and when the sun rises, see, the shadow points to where the hidden canyon is. Or that's the line you're fed. However, nobody apparently seemed to care that, as the sun gets higher, shadows get shorter in real life. So here we're treated to the rising sun casting longer and longer shadows. Or rather, just the rock spire's shadow. All the other shadows didn't change at all that I could see. A pointless oversight that could have been remedied by changing the line "rising sun" to "setting sun". Ah well.

Overall it's a standard treasure hunt story with a few big names doing it. Others have already mentioned the similarities to the Indiana Jones stories, so I won't go into them. The only real sub-plot concerns the identity of the female hostage of Omar Sharif and how to keep it a secret from him.

The movie is worth a watch as it'll have you smiling most of the way through.

MACKENNA`S GOLD has got to be one of the craziest movies I`ve ever seen . Watching this I was very worried that someone had spiked my local water supply with LSD

The opening title sequence alone sets off warning bells with the music being very similar to a sixties spy shows like THE MAN FROM UNCLE . After the bizarre title sequence comes an even more bizarre opening scene featuring an expositional voice over complete with a corny song called " Turkey Buzzard ". Structure wise this is somewhat similar to the opening of NO BLADE OF GRASS released a year later but in terms of execution it resembles THE DUKES OF HAZZARD . " Well lookee here if it ain`t Boss Hogg come to get his hands on Apache gold " . This voice over keeps appearing when you least expect it to .

As the film moves on to the story proper more and more ridiculous things take centre stage . People have already mentioned the choppy editing like the bridge sequence and the river scene , but throughout the movie we see characters in one scene only for them to appear in a following scene which does seem to interfere with the time frame , and there`s some very jarring cuts from studio exteriors to location filming which is laughable , not to mention the long shots of characters riding on horses which cut to actors bouncing up and down on an imaginary horse against back projection

There`s also a subplot about half way through where a load of characters are introduced who want to find a legendary valley of lost gold . Many of these characters are played by big name actors ( They don`t come much bigger than Edward G Robinson ) which led me to shriek " Hey I know where this is heading . They`re all going to slit each others throats to get the gold " . Logically a film should play out like this but you`ll never see a film less logical than MACKENNA`S GOLD because most of these characters are written out in the next scene . I`ve no idea why the producers did this or why they decided to cast so many big names for something that accounts for one cameo sequence . The fact this movie cost seven million dollars ( A big budget for a movie in those days ) and has very poor production values makes me believe most of the money was spent on the cameo performances . Talking of production values why has no one mentioned the outrageous and sidesplitting revealing mistake of the stuffed dummy falling off the cliff ?

The climax takes place in a valley of gold and again there`s very little logic involved . The hero Mackenna doesn`t want any part in it so decides to escape after he arrives there . If that`s the case then why has he spent the whole movie telling everyone he doesn`t know where the valley is ? Did he know where it was or doesn`t he ? And if he knows where it is but didn`t want to show the bad guys the location what was stopping him from waiting till everyone was asleep and running off ? As everyone else seems to have noticed the last twenty minutes of the movie seem to have been inspired by if not mystical mumbo jumbo then at least by illegal substances

Production wise MACKENNA`S GOLD is an awful film , but I couldn`t help but enjoy it . it`s a turkey for sure but it`s a turkey buzzard that earns seven out of ten for entertainment value

I remember this movie when I saw this in my college days, in 1970. Logic or no logic this was very entertaining with superb sound effects, 70 mm, good background score and a kind of variety. No wonder this was a MEGA HIT, for movie buffs of Indians, running for 25 to 50 weeks in all cities. Went for several repeat runs. The dialogues were easy to understand for non English people like us. Certainly better than the graphics oriented current age films. The shadow problem is not something illogical but deliberately shown like any other action movies. The red indians horse chase near the river was awesome. Also a bit of comedy dialogues at several places by Omar Sheriff and a few others.

The summary: Ambushed in the desert, Sheriff Mackenna shoots an old Apache chief- but before he dies the Indian entrusts Mackenna with a map to the legendary Valley of Gold. After burning the map, Mackenna alone carries the secret. Under pressure from Colorado, a ruthless bandit, played charismatically by Omar Sharif, Mackenna joins a gang on a hazardous journey to the lost valley.

Some people criticise this star-studded western, claiming it doesn't live up to the heights of classic westerns such as High Noon, Shane and the Searchers, and in a way they are right because Mackenna's Gold has nothing in common with those aforementioned classics - it's an adventure western, an unusual one at that; matter of fact, the beauty of the film that it isn't a western in a strictest sense, but an exhilarating, briskly-paced fantasy about a bunch of characters on a quest for gold - it has more in common with Indiana Jones films than High Noon. If you enjoy oft-kilter westerns like the Valley of the Gwangi, then this is up your street.

Gregory Peck, who stars as Sheriff McKenna, heads a star-studded cast ranging from Edward G. Robinson, and Raymond Massey - but most of them don't last when it roughly passes an hour mark - and the number is soon whittled down to three - Peck, Sharif and Sparv- in the terrifying climax where they find the cañón de oro - the canyon of gold. The special effects is really good for 1969- there's plenty of the usual tropes of gunfights and marauding Apaches. The highlight is the crossing of a rickety-bridge and the raft river sequence. The desert locations, the scenic view of the canyon are breathtaking. The opening is quite unusual with a lively tune penned by Quincy Jones and memorable song about a turkey buzzard.

You would think that this film is aimed for the juvenile crowd- it isn't really. It can be violent, edgy, the fight between Sharif and Peck is quite tough, and characters like Julie Newmar playing Hesh-Ke and the imposing, granite-faced Hachita - played by Ted Cassidy - are quite menacing. Telly 'Mr Cool' Savalas eats up the scene as an army deserter. Camila Sparv is a hottie, so is Newmar.

Unfortunately, Mackenna's Gold wasn't a massive hit in USA, possibly because it didn't reek of revisionism like the one Clint Eastwood or other filmmakers were making, but it was a big hit in the Soviet Union -as it was known - and in India ( it ran in the cinema halls well into the 80's, was remade into a Hindi film called Zalzala). A really exciting film that had stoked my imagination as a child and still does!

It must be pointed out that "Mackenna's Gold" is a heavily flawed movie. From a technical viewpoint, it constantly borders on the inept. The rear projections stick out quite embarrassingly (especially when the actors are pretending to be riding) and the bits of sped-up film look pretty laughable. Others have also mentioned the sloppy editing and the poorly executed earthquake in the film's finale, clearly done with models.

Despite the numerous shortcomings, I have to admit I found myself enjoying the film to some extent. The story keeps moving along at a good enough pace and several veteran actors (Edward G. Robinson, Burgess Meredith, and others) pop up to keep the viewer interested. However, it's quite astonishing to learn that this was made by mostly the same people who were involved in the masterful "Guns of Navarone"... I wonder what happened?

And what a coincidence that the director is the same who gave us GUNS OF NAVARRONE, which was the gigantism in the war movie. Excellent time waster, if not necessarily awesome, but tense, jawdropping, with many characters, as in a disaster movie from the next decade, the seventies. Terrific settings, special effects - very rare for a western - and we can say that this western is the equivalent of GUNS OF NAVARONNE, not concerning the story of course, but in the story telling, film making, budget. The climax is obviously the highlight of this unforgettable western, though not the best ever. From the same ambition DNA as John Sturges' HALLELUJAH TRAIL, made in the same period. But the question that I ask each time I watch this unusual disaster western, is : why Omar Shariff climbed after Gregory peck and the girl instead of running away with his share of gold? And the final fate of bad guy Shariff is also the biggest surprise of the whole.

In 1874 Arizona, a marshal is bushwhacked by an elderly Apache Indian chief carrying a treasure map detailing the whereabouts of a hidden valley of gold; upon the chief's demise, the marshal (who has memorized the map and destroyed it) becomes the prisoner/reluctant ally of a bloodthirsty outlaw and his men who want the gold all for themselves. Trimmed by Columbia Pictures before its release from a three-hour length down to just over two hours, "Mackenna's Gold" features a simple-minded narration by Victor Jory--ostensibly to fill us in on the bothersome story details--but the filmmakers needn't have gone to so much trouble, because their picture is a catastrophe anyway. The Super Panavision 70 vistas are breathtaking to behold (as are the roller-coaster point-of-view shots from the galloping horses), but the intermingled studio footage is an eyesore by comparison, and the film has some of the choppiest editing I've ever seen in a major motion picture. Worse, the strong cast of supporting players are mostly used for target practice, allowing maniacal killer Omar Sharif to practically own the film's entire second-half. Sharif is game but he isn't convincing, and his character Colorado falls prey to some glaring gaps of logic in Carl Foreman's messy screenplay. As the stalwart marshal, Gregory Peck looks understandably sheepish--not even two attractive females in the group rouse his excitement. The finale is a jaw-dropping display of effects, noise, and brutality, and it makes no more sense than the rest of the picture, yet interest is sustained (incredibly) and one is apt to feel they have witnessed something here. Something most definitely wrong-headed, but peculiarly intriguing nonetheless. ** from ****