Paint Your Wagon [DVD]

Added to my Westerns collection.

My dad said that this is the greatest movie of all time... So he got it for Christmas. He was very happy.I mean there must be something to it because once upon a time I had a friend who was older and he said the same thing.

I didn't realize this was a "musical," but I have no complaints about the quality of the video and audio. It was in widescreen format, as promised. I'm happy with it.

This was a great motion picture when it was filmed, and it remains a great motion picture. Lee Marvin plays the prospector Ben Rumson, a somewhat crude individual, who strikes gold while digging a grave for a man killed in an accident. A mining camp springs up, and Ben acquires a pardner (played by a younger Clint Eastwood, who sings quite well in this role), the brother of the man who was killed. The pardner is known as "Pardner" until a closing scene when Ben says, "By the way, what is your name?" You have to be on your toes to get the significance of that.Action moves along in an all male town until a Mormon shows up with two wives. Under some pressure, and motivated by avarice, the man agrees to sell his younger wife, Elizabeth (played by Jean Seberg) at auction. Ben, while drunk and not quite himself, puts in the high bid of $800, and the story progresses from there. The $800 bid, even by standards of that day, seems a cheap price for Jean Seberg, but it is a very good film with many original songs including the theme song, "Paint Your Wagon." The motion picture has the spirit of adventure of men (and sometimes women) striking out for the frontier to seek their fortunes. That was, after all, the way the United States was settled.The story is a love triangle of sorts, and a comedy of sorts. There is some crude language; the corruption/initiation of a minor youth (the son of some pious farmers rescued from the snow) who discovers he likes whiskey, cigars and women; and numerous references to the ladies of a local bordello. It is what one might expect in a frontier mining camp before civilization moves in. The film would probably offend religious fundamentalists.I would note that this is probably the only motion picture where Clint Eastwood sings. Hollywood could have used him for a romantic lead, but his career went in a different direction.The original DVD copy I received had a flaw, but Amazon replaced it at no cost. Amazon does guarantee all products purchased from its Web page, including purchases from secondary distributors listed on the page.

enjoyed watching it

I love old movies. The older the better. I also prefer to own, rather than to stream. Yes, the sound quality, and the picture quality, can be poor as compared to current standards, but if you know about the history of the equipment used to create the film; the fragile type of the film itself; the condition in which they were likely stored; and the quality of speakers and recording equipment which were used at the time; then you will not be bothered by the poor sound/picture quality at all. You will simply feel that the poor sound quality is a normal part of the viewing experience.It is completely unfair to judge an antique by modern standards. Instead, focus on the story, the filming techniques, the costumes, the furnishings, the architecture, the dialog, and the historical social significance of the film.It is also completely unfair to judge the past by present values. Are there offensive bits in old films which would never be tolerated today? Most probably, but why be offended when you can just as easily choose to understand how far we have come? In some respects we have come far, socially. In other respects, we have seriously digressed. I also like to see the contrast in the ways society has devolved as compared to the time in which they made these old films. Why bother watching historical films, if you don’t learn from them?PROS:Condition as expected. I enjoyed it.CONS:As in most antique media: Contents are sometimes in random order. Often menus don’t work. Usually you have to resize the aspect at which they are played. I consider these all to be a “normal” part of the experience.COMPS:As compared to modern films, adjust your level of expectation. When you approach them in this way, you will not be disappointed.VERDICT:Met or exceeded my expectations. Good/great value for money.I hope you found this information helpful. Have a great day! ~Savvy Shopper

A gold rush Era time of life event changes. Twisted moral understanding with a greed for gold and two of the most historical occupations . With hilarious incerts. Fantastic characters.

Enjoyed

This somewhat rare film is a kind of quirky gemstone. Often ridiculed when it first came out -- the macho Clint Eastwood singing about talking to trees, and the like -- it now seems (to me at least) like an innovative gamble and well worth the viewing. Lee Marvin's guttural version of "Wanderin' Star" seems edgy, evocative and powerfully existential as is "They Call the Wind Maria." The core idea of a woman co-habiting with two men is still relatively risqué even by today's standards. While by no means is this a great musical of the calibre of Cabaret or The Sound of Music, it is not the worst song and dance flick ever made either.

this film would not work. It said it wasn't available for this area.

Buen producto

j'avais vu ce film il y a fort longtemps,je l'avais trouvé génial;il n'a pas vieilli;de plus la musique de ce film est absolument super;si je n'ai mis que 4 étoiles,c'est à cause de la zone 1;je suis équipé,mais tout le monde ne l'est pas.

ce DVD ne voulait pas s'ouvrir