A Duquesa e o Vilão

This movie is a treat from start to finish. Fantastic writing is the main reason why, and terrific character actors at every turn. Not quite as bawdy, but reminiscent of Blazing Saddles in its depiction of the Wild West - I mean, one of the funniest characters is BlackJack, George Segal's loyal steed.

Highly recommended for laughing out loud - a real gem - can't wait for the DVD.

Don't be afraid to show it to the kid's either, just a bit of language to manage, but otherwise, funny for almost all ages. Wish Segal and Hawn had done more work together - a great team!

Enjoy!!

I first saw this film when I was about 10 & thought it was a great film. Saw that it had been recently released on DVD & decided to take a trip down memory lane to see if Goldie was as hot in the movie as I remembered......she was. The film starts off pretty funny & moves along at a good pace. Some good gags, some good dialogue & a bit of slapstick. But what I think lets the film down is the finale. It just peters out & is a bit of a damp squib.

George Segal & Goldie Hawn work well together & I'm surprised they didn't do anything else together. All in all an enjoyable little film...if only for Goldie Hawns dance routines.

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 western comedy gets off to a smashing start: Goldie Hawn, dressed like a lascivious German barmaid, singing in a San Francisco saloon full of rowdies. It's a Marlene Dietrich bit that out-Dietrich's Madeline Kahn from "Blazing Saddles". Thin plot has a card-sharp in the Old West trying to keep vicious sidewinders from stealing his stolen loot; a dancehall girl gets there first. This is one of those comedies from the 1970s best described as 'bawdy', with some memorable moments: Hawn, pretending to be the Duchess of Swansbury, singing for a drooling Mormon; she and George Segal talking gibberish-French in a stagecoach; the couple floating down a river to the vocals of Bobby Vinton, and later getting tied to stakes in the sweltering desert. Sloppy, yet ingratiating film gets by solely on charisma and energy. It didn't find a sizable audience in theaters, though I would suspect Hawn-buffs will enjoy it on DVD. Raffish Segal also charming, and working effortlessly with his co-star. ***1/2 from ****

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.