Sadly Over-hyped

People are voting emotionally.

As Good As It Gets

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

As with many movies making their way to disc I recalled seeing this film when I was younger. I'd always thought of it as a spectacle of a film and funny at the time. Going back and revisiting it today it remains a spectacle but not near as hilarious as it was to me when I was a child. But it is still entertaining and a great movie for fans of the stars to add to their collections.The movie takes place out west in 1867. The war is over, peace has been settled with the natives and cities are growing out west. In Denver the miners are aware that a long winter is on the way but concerned over one major issue. Someone forgot to place the order and they may run out of whiskey before winter even arrives! Consulting an old Indian guide named Oracle (Donald Pleasance) they place an order immediately.That order is being shipped to them by one Frank Wallingham (Brian Keith) who reminds all he comes in contact with that he is a "taxpayer and a good Republican" (which while perhaps funny is repeated far too often). Wallingham has sunk his last dollar into the shipment of 40 wagons of whiskey for Denver and demands protection in delivering the goods.That would fall upon the soldiers at Fort Russell. Commanded by Col. Thaddeus Gearhart (Burt Lancaster), who is just returning from patrol, the fort is in a bit of turmoil when he returns. Temperance leader Cora Templeton Massingale (Lee Remick) has roused the women in the area into her movement to ban alcohol and to call out for the suffrage movement. Torches ablaze, soldiers marching, the band playing when Gearhart returns to the commotion he's not pleased to say the least. The fact that his second in command Capt. Paul Slater (Jim Hutton) allowed to happen at the coercion of his daughter Louise (Pamela Tiffin) he's in love with doesn't help matters.Word then reaches the fort that they are to escort the whiskey wagon train and insure that it arrives in Denver unharmed. But it seems there were leaks then much as there are now. Massingale and the women hear of the wagon train and are determined to see that it is all disposed of, requiring the soldiers to protect them as well. At the same time the various Indian tribes get word of this as well and want a share of the whiskey for themselves. There is little doubt that all concerned parties will cross paths in the dust filled desert while the wagon train makes its way to Denver.Made in 1965 the film was released in a large screen Cinerama version that toured the country as well as an Ultra 70 Panavision version that played wide. Epic comedies like this were rampant in theaters at the time but ended up with mixed results. While offered as a comedy the laughs are sparse and the running time padded with far too much extra. At 175 minutes the movie would have played much better with at least 30 of those minutes excised. But hey, this was a spectacle and scenes of the mountain ranges and deserts of the west looked good up on that wide screen. While they still look impressive on the smaller screen they just take up time.A number of the jokes found in the film would seem normal for 1965 but trigger items for audiences of 2018. Audiences have become too troubled by these items and should take the time to realize the world as it was when viewing movies from the past rather than the world as it is today. At the same time the jokes on view here would be more inclined to entertain younger viewers old enough to understand the whiskey aspects but for whom humor can be found in people falling on their faces on treadmills. In other words this is not highbrow humor. It is still enjoyable for fans of the film and its stars but not perhaps for a widespread audience.Many who have already written about this release have been more concerned with the quality of the reproduction than the movie itself. When I read reviews like this I am reminded of the recent attempt to save the classic THE ALAMO from self-destruction. Made just 5 years prior to this film the John Wayne directed and starring film has languished on the shelves at the MGM studios for years and is slowly deteriorating. Calls for its restoration have fallen on deaf ears and in the meantime the film has lost a vast amount of footage that could have been used to create a pristine version of the film for decades to come. When watching this film my thoughts were that perhaps it's not a question of the film not being up to the standards of those viewers but of Olive Films having the availability to offer anything better than what we see here.As I said if you're a fan or Lancaster, Remick, Hutton or director John Sturges (who directed such classics as BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK, GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN and THE GREAT ESCAPE) then you'll want this film in your collection. For all others it might provide a nice evening's entertainment but with this running time start it early.

The plot premise is quite simple and a good western big picture style comedy for something from Hollywood in tail end of the innocent mid- 60's. It has a solid cast but the direction has them playing stereotype roles (stern commander, intolerant temperance leader, greedy business man, etc so nothing really great -- just good.The movie does runs too long in the second half during the encampment phase (all participants in the same area) after the sandstorm and would have benefited for a shorter run time. I consider this its primary negative.It carries on a theme that seems to have started in the 60's with comedies (TV) in having catch phrases such "good tax payer and good Republican" used repeatedly although not that memorable.

Schlock and drek amid some regional (but OK) locations. Reminds one of "Paint Your Wagon": What is the point of sitting thru this ham-handed baloney? It must be obvious that Burt and Ms. Remick have done much, much better elsewhere. The plot is ludicrous. A slice of the Old West that never happened, at least as told here. Yes, everyone involved put in a valiant effort but, again, what's the point? True, this is supposed to be a comedic take on the Western as morality play, but even a comedy Western requires a credible plot grounded with a dash of reality, which just doesn't exist here. Another '60s example of, What were they thinking? but for the dollar signs in their eyeballs. UA distributed many fine films from the Mirsh Corp.; sadly, this was not one of them.

When considering how to rate and reflect on some movies, one needs to consider the time at which they were made, styles and mores of that time, and decide if your mental state is ready for a movie of that type.One example would be "Pillow Talk" ... a very funny movie from the early 60s, but one which is extremely tame by the standards of the last 30 years or so.Among westerns, "The Hallelujah Trail" is another such example. The romance is tame, the violence fails to actually ever hurt anyone (a good thing), and the comedy is full of misdirection and bluster. The story and its elements are very tame by recent standards, but I never fail to be entertained when I watch this movie. I've always enjoyed one line in particular from the film, a take-off on a famous Churchhill quote (and I'm sure I paraphrase); "Never have so many bullets been fired at so many targets in such a small area with so few casualties". This after an epic battle scene involving cavalry, miners, a booze "wagon train", an Indian tribe, and a group of lady prohibition crusaders.The narration of the film adds a special touch. Its unusual but also quite funny.There is also a very talented cast in this movie, led by Burt Lancaster, and so for that reason alone it's not surprise that the film is solid and entertaining.Is it a blockbuster caliber film? No. But if you're caught in on a rainy Saturday afternoon and catch it on cable, you won't be disappointed, either.