You won't be disappointed!

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

The film has its detractors because of its running time and the quality of the singing from non-singing actors such as Eastwood and Marvin. Nevertheless, I always find a lot to enjoy when I watch the film. Strangely, when I saw the stage version of PYW, I was quite bored by the story and the songs which were sung by "better" voices but with a lot less character. I am sure Josh Logan knew that Lee Marvin's voice was not the note perfect baritone expected in a stage performance but it was the voice of a dishevelled and disillusioned yet crustily resilient gold prospector of the Californian gold rush.I love Marvin's work in virtually every film he did - although I think at times he hammed it up just a little too much in this film. For most of PYW though, his comic timing is perfect and his wryly philosophical "arias" are funny with the ring of a human truth.Perhaps my enjoyment of PYW is increased by my interest in gold rushes. Many of the key elements of gold fields life and gold diggers although perhaps not faithfully reproduced are nevertheless explored. Solid citizens like Eastwood's Pardner are transformed against their better judgement by gold fever into opportunistic and greedy scramblers for gold. Egalitarianism of the gold fields. People from all backgrounds and nations lived together as equals - except for the Chinese who were always the outsiders on the field. Women were scarce and men did come from miles away just to see a woman. Men often fainted at the sight of a woman on the fields. Who wouldn't have walked a mile or two to see Jean Seberg? And, of course, prostitution flourished.I am still thrilled at the moment that Harve Presnell steps up into frame and hits the line "Way out west.." Logan was right to get a real singer to do the one song that truly needed a powerful voice. The drama and pathos of the song is helped by the chorus of miners dolefully singing as the rain and wind exacerbates their alienation from the comforts of home and of female companionship. "They Call the Wind Mariah" in this film is a gem of sound and vision.I also love the scene in which Ben attempts to corrupt Horton, the young newcomer from a pious apple farming family, who unexpectedly and hilariously takes to drinking, cigar smoking and finally sex like a duck to water.Paint Your Wagon is not a classic but it is fun and has some excellent moments. Enjoy the good parts and try to forgive some of its excesses.

It only took seven years for Lerner and Lowe's "Brigadoon" to be made as a movie, eight for "My Fair Lady" and seven for "Camelot". But for the team's second big Broadway musical, "Paint Your Wagon", it took almost 20, and when the movie did finally get a release, it was at a time when movie musicals were beginning to tank at the box office. Unlike the first three movie musicals, "Paint Your Wagon" had not been a huge hit, running a season (which at the time was respectable and considered a semi-hit, if not a huge smash) and introducing several songs which have become standards in the world of showtune music. The movie altered the story a bit, taking on traditional themes of more recent westerns, and had some casting choices that while perfect for a western seemed questionable for a musical.Certainly Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood were known for westerns, and here, they share both co-starring billing and the same woman (Jean Seberg). What they also share is a lack of musical experience, and if you are going to put them together in a musical, it should be a genre in which they have experience. Their voices are perfect for the characters they play, with grizzled Marvin singing several songs in a very raspy manner and a very low-key Eastwood almost whispering his. Their voices pale in comparison however to Harve Presnell who gets the show's most famous song, "They Call the Wind Maria", as well as several others, so there have been many a jokester who ridiculed this film by saying either, "I never miss a Lee Marvin musical!" or "I never miss a Clint Eastwood musical!".All that glitters is not gold, and in the case of the photography in this movie, it's filmed in a sort of faded color that almost seems like sepia tone. Somewhat overly long, it gets boring and tedious at times, but there are some wonderful musical moments that make up for the lack of singing talent. Clint's "I Talk to the Trees" is performed heartfelt and moving, while Lee's "Wandrin' Star" is also sweetly done. But you'll never hear "Hand Me Down That Can O' Beans" at a piano bar or "The First Thing You Know" where Lee's singing voice really gets grating, making Elaine Stritch's raspy voice seem soprano in comparison. Jean Seberg fails to impress as the heroine torn between the two men. This is one of those movie musicals which probably seemed like a good idea at the time but even with a powerhouse stage and musical director (Joshua Logan) behind the camera, it comes out as a missed opportunity and basically, "Too little, too late."

I don't know what to say about this movie. It was funny and entertaining and pointless. I also rolled my eyes quite often. I also did double takes because I couldn't believe certain things were said or done. There were quite a number of shocking moments and shocking language throughout. Who wouldn't want to hear women referred to as "tarts" several times as they're talking about hijacking their wagon and forcing them into prostitution? The songs were...songs. It will entertain you. Whether it entertains in a good or bad way will depend on the viewer's sense of humor. My final thought is that I can't believe such a movie was made. Furthermore, I can't believe that Clint Eastwood was in it.

While "Hello, Dolly!" is a movie that some viewers feel compelled to admire, "Paint Your Wagon" is a movie some viewers feel compelled to criticize. I don't feel compelled to do either. What counts is whether you enjoy a movie, not whether you are "supposed to" admire a movie. I did not enjoy "Hello, Dolly!" despite giving it my best try several times. But I have enjoyed watching "Paint Your Wagon," even with several viewings over the years. I enjoy musicals. As a kid in the Sixties I would borrow the LPs of the Broadway cast or movie soundtrack from the library, before there were VHS or DVDs. I enjoyed listening to the great songs. But now we don't have to limit ourselves to just the music excerpts. This provides a clue to the difference between these two musicals. "Hello, Dolly!" had some very good music, of a Broadway sort, so we assumed it was an equally good musical. "Paint Your Wagon" had musical roots going back to the Fifties, and was a musical non-entity."Hello, Dolly!" the movie has lots of good Broadway songs and incredibly lavish sets and dance numbers, which are its raison d'etre. But the movie has a plot that is astonishingly weak, in light of its Broadway success. Watching a fleet of dancing waiters performing absurd acrobatics is not my idea of fun."Paint Your Wagon" has some decent musical numbers, and some almost feeble attempts at dancing, but no one in their right mind would see it just for its music and dancing. So judged on that score, alone, it would rate a flop. But it's got a reasonably interesting story and very good acting, including a fine comic performance by Lee Marvin (!), not to mention some memorable croaking that passes for singing. If you snipped out all the singing and dancing, "Paint Your Wagon" would still be a film worth watching."Hello, Dolly!" on the other hand, has acting that varies from mediocre to miserably atrocious, and a story line you wouldn't pay more than $100 for someone to write. If you cut out the music and dancing, the audience would walk out. The sore point with "Paint Your Wagon" is its budget. Reviewers relish reminding people of its $18 million budget. But "Hello, Dolly!" cost $25 million, and they both came out in the same year (although Dolly was filmed earlier and shelved). Because so much money was wasted on Wagon, we are not supposed to enjoy it. While it is easy to put down the musical side of Wagon, it should be pointed out that Lerner and Lowe, Nelson Riddle and Andre Previn are hardly slouches. And Clint Eastwood acquits himself remarkably well. With Wagon, the producers wisely picked actors who were right for the part, and dealt with the singing later. What I find most curious in comparing the two, is that Dolly seems two or three times as long as Wagon, even though it has faster pacing and is 146 minutes long, to Wagon's 158 minutes. Dolly is rushed, and painful to watch, while Wagon has a relaxed pace and is fun to watch. It is nice to see a movie that is not in a hurry, though Wagon could fit its story line into a shorter movie.Part of the problem with Dolly is that it is a comedy that just is not funny. With Wagon, the humor is built into the awkward situations and odd characters, so it works with repeated viewings. But it is those situations that may provide the real clue to Wagon's hostile reception: it's menage a trois. It was rated "M," or "R" today, just because of its implied three-way sex. It is something viewers hardly notice today, but in 1969, Wagon must have been viewed as sneering at religion and all morality (which is about right). This may be why I like it so much, but it is also undoubtedly why some people despise this movie, even today. Wagon is the original louche musical.For some people, musicals are supposed to embody family values. Wagon ridicules them. It makes a mockery of marriage, while glorifying prostitution, drinking, cigar smoking, violence and thievery. Dolly, on the other hand, couldn't be more old- fashioned and square. You cannot imagine, in your wildest dreams, Matthau and Streisand having sex, and yet Matthau, out of the blue, proposes to her, without even a kiss. Now that's family values. Wagon certainly is not one of the great musicals, but it is still a fun movie worth watching when you have a long evening and a lot of popcorn handy. The bottom line: I find "Paint Your Wagon" entertaining, but "Hello, Dolly!" pretentious. Watching Wagon, or even just recollecting it, brings a smile to my face.