La duchesse et le truand

Supposedly a Western, romantic-comedy, this film fails on most levels. Oh, it's not that it's that bad. It's not terrible. It's even mildly amusing in spots. But it had a great deal of promise, and didn't fulfill any of it. George Segal was trying to come off as the lovable rogue, but succeeded only in the rogue part. His character was crooked and churlish. Goldie Hawn did what she did (and still does) best: peg the needle on the cute-o-meter. Her character was pretty non-admirable as well, a prostitute and a con artist. At least the photography of the Colorado countryside was nice, and the direction was unobtrusive. I remember liking this film in the distant past, but a recent viewing made me wonder why. Check it out to see Goldie look cute, but don't expect anything more.

This is an amusing and funny western comedy romp with two great comedian actors : George Segal and Goldie Hawn. Once upon a time, if the rustlers didn't get you , the hustlers did , dealing with a frontier hooker : Goldie Hawn and a saddle tramp : George Segal attempting to make a buck in the Old West, as they form a charming couple of experts . Both of whom join forces to deceive , rob and swindle to unfortunate people . The Wild Wild West has never been funnier ! The most likeable pair of rogues I have met since Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid ! Together , they'll show you how the West was Fun ! A card up his sleeve . A noose around his neck . It's George Segal as the Dirtwater Fox . A wiggle in her lips. Larceny in heart of gold . It's Goldie Hawn as the Duchess . He starts out as a simple card-sharp and ends up with 40.000 dollars , three bullet holes , and the only saloon-dancing Duchess in the West !

This Western-comedy romp clicks here and there , getting entertaining moments and to have fun enough . Period Western strung together with several attempts at humor , all about a musical-hall dancer who meets a bumbling shark on the make . Well played by a very sympathetic duo , George Segal and Goldie Hawn , both of them are frankly good . Being assisted by an acceptable but little known support cast , such as : Conrad Janis , Thayer David, Jennifer Pryor and brief appearance by Richard Farnsworth as a stage coach driver , among others .

It contains an evocative and colorful cinematograhy by Joseph F. Biroc who photographed various Robert Aldrich films . As well as lively and jolly score by Charles Fox with plenty of musical background from dance hall numbers performed by Goldie Hawn who sings a number of attractive songs . The motion picture was professionally directed by Melvin Frank, though it has some failures , gaps and flaws . Frank was a fine writer/producer/director who made various films of all kinds of genres with penchant for comedy . As Melvin directed the following ones : "Lost and found" , "Court jester" , "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" , "Touch of Class" , "Walk like a man" , and his most successful movie was : "The Front" starred by Woody Allen . Rating : 6/10 . Passable and acceptable Western comedy , though neither extraordinary , nor notable , but decent . The flick will appeal to Goldie Hawn and George Segal fans .

Although the music may be a little dated now, I believe any fun-minded viewer will find this offering to be a thoroughly enjoyable romp.

George Segal and Goldie Hawn are at their best and deliver one delightful comic situation after another, much like, and in my opinion, better than, Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster in the also enjoyable but more recent "Maverick." I wouldn't be surprised if Mel and Jodie, not to mention the "Maverick" producers, wisely drew on this film for inspiration as the chemistry is interchangeable between the two movies.

One of many moments not to be forgotten is in the excellent turn of Conrad Janis as the blissfully unaware mark or the sidesplitting pig-Latin (pig-German?) argument Hawn and Segal develop in his presence.

I would very much like to see this film again and so will you.

1976 was probably a crucial year in gauging the status of the Western as a feasible Hollywood film genre: apart from well-regarded titles like THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES and THE RETURN OF A MAN CALLED HORSE, you had to contend with some notorious flops, of both the art-house – Robert Altman's BUFFALO BILL AND THE INDIANS OR, SITTING BULL'S HISTORY LESSON and Arthur Penn's THE MISSOURII BREAKS – and the spoof – THE DUCHESS AND THE DIRTWATER FOX and THE GREAT SCOUT AND CATHOUSE THURSDAY (which I've yet to catch up with) – variety. The star rating I gave to the film in question is an indication that it wasn't, in fact, as disastrous as contemporary (and even more recent, in view of its release on DVD) reviews would have you believe and I'd say it's even worthy of earning a place in my collection…which should, of course, imply that it has rewatchability value.

Goldie Hawn, George Segal and his amiably clumsy horse Blackjack are practically the whole show here and this is clearly one of those movies which rely heavily on the charisma (or lack thereof) of its leads for its success or otherwise. The screenplay does have some good lines – including an amusingly protracted stagecoach conversation (supposedly in French) between the two stars which actually incorporates slangy English, French, Italian, Spanish and some Latin, too – but the plot is rather too thin to sustain the film's length. Hawn is a saloon entertainer/hooker with ideas above her station: she gets to wear tarty outfits, sing a bawdy song in an English accent and board the aforementioned stagecoach to become "The Duchess" of the title, an English governess to a host of kids borne by a wealthy Mormon; on the other hand, Segal is a luckless womanizing cardsharp who keeps getting caught cheating and finding himself at the wrong end of the noose; he eventually manages to abscond with $40,000 in stolen loot to the eternal chagrin of a ramshackle band of outlaws. The bag containing the money changes owners more often than these characters take a bath and, along the way, Hawn and Segal finally make love aboard a canoe approaching some deadly rapids, take refuge in a Jewish wedding ceremony and are bound together and left to roast under the baking desert sun. The change in mood towards the end – where Segal is repeatedly shot in the final confrontation with the gang – is far from smoothly handled but the open-ended conclusion nevertheless manages to end the film on a lighter note.

"The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox" is a fairly good film. It's a cross between classic Hollywood and the then more contemporary comedy stylings that were coming into vogue in the late 60s and 70s. That is to say the humor is blue, and less suggestive than it is explicit, yet at the same time very smart. And perhaps because of this the film's tone is probably a little misunderstood.

Even though the film was shot widescreen there's a definite TV budget feel about it. There's more coverage than can be expected from a made for TV film, but the shots themselves are typically those used in non-theatrical productions, giving the film a kind of uneven feel.

For what the film is the humor is pretty sophisticated, which I think has some of the other commentators (specifically those who gave negative reviews) a bit confused. For a comedy that opens with a dance hall scene laden with sexual innuendo one might not expect the gags to be as sophisticated as they are. A viewer might get the impression that the humor will be blue, but not just blue, but explicitly blue. But that's not the case here. The humor, though suggestive and occasionally profane, is actually pretty smart, and on that score is actually quite funny. Now, if you can accept all that, and like your humor with lots of wit, then this film should entertain. In short the humor is smarter than one would expect. You have to approach watching this film with kind of mindset to really enjoy it :-)

If I had one gripe with the film it'd be the ending. As climatic as it was it felt a little flat and open ended. It's also a bit implausible, even for a comedy, but a film like this really needs a happy ending... of sorts. On that score the ending should've been a little more plausible, but it is what it is.

If you like your films smart, then try not to be too swayed by the negative comments, and give the film a chance by renting it once. It's not a film that has a lot of big sight-gags, but there's enough here that should entertain.

Enjoy :-)