L'Or de Mackenna

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.

This movie is one of the greatest films ever made. Don't look on it as a typical western. It just happens to be set in a western setting. This movie is centered around GREED. The character interaction between MacKenn a(Peck) and Colorado (Sharif) is classic.

If you want a very enjoyable evening this is definitely a winner.

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 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.

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