The Hallelujah Trail

John Sturges created this film with tongue planted firmly in cheek. It's best enjoyed in its "letterbox' format, as it was shot in Ultra-Panavision, which at the time was being touted as the "new, improved" CINERAMA. Robert Surtees' photography is wide and wonderful and Elmer Bernstein's jaunty score highlights the film perfectly. Also, it's an opportunity to see four greats who have now passed on, Lancaster, Hutton, Remick, and Pleasance at the top of their craft.

The women took a stand in the film, so I'm making my little mark by writing a brief review.

First, if you like gritty westerns with drama and hangings, then don't bother. Next, if you're in a hurry or tired, wait until you're not. I almost deleted it because the marching band at the fort caught me on a migraine day. Instead, I kept it and waited till a rainy evening with no other plans. Perfect! I rarely laugh out loud when watching a film alone, but I laughed, hit rewind, and laughed again!!

Lancaster and Remick, with palpable chemistry, head a terrific cast that all looked liked they were having a blast! Yes, it was 30 minutes too long. During the sandstorm, go make popcorn. During the champagne bottles exploding everywhere scenes, go clean up the snacks. Other than that, don't watch this if you don't like satire, romance, and screwball westerns meant to bring women as well as men into the theater or, in modern times, to the TV screen.

I hope this review reaches at least one viewer who will then stand with me:)

DISCLOSURE: Lee Remick was one of handful of beautiful and talented actresses I was - safely and at a distance - in love with decades ago. Her early death from cancer was a tragedy-she was a wonderful actress.

*****

Director John Sturges isn't too well known today although many of his action movies are readily available on VHS and DVD and often screen on TV. A retrospective of his films ought to be a priority for every film society.

"The Hallelujah Trail" is a tongue-in-cheek cinemascope comedy about a threatened mega-disaster in the fall of 1867 in Colorado. A mining town is almost out of liquor and beer and approaching winter threatens to leave the thirsty community high and definitely dry. Fortunately entrepreneur Frank Wallingham (Brian Keith) is willing to risk life and limb to bring forty wagons of hooch through Indian country to succor the miners.

Meanwhile, back at your local, friendly cavalry garrison, Cora Templeton Massingale (Lee Remick), twice widowed from husbands whose livers gave out along with, presumably, their libido is holding a rousing temperance rally with the permission of CPT Paul Slater, a young officer besotted with the C.O.'s daughter, Louise (Pamela Tiffin). The commanding officer rides into this fire-and-brimstone event and turns it off. That's COL Thaddeus Gearhart (Burt Lancaster), nineteen years serving the colors and now faced with a sweet but rebellious daughter allied with a sweet but crafty and dedicated temperance campaigner, Colorado's version of Carrie Nation (and far more likable than that harridan).

What follows is the cavalry riding to escort the wagons with the booze, Indians of a decidedly non-homicidal nature attempting to get their share of firewater (all of it, actually), miners formed into a militia to insure the safe delivery of the spirits and - last but not least - a stereotypical Irish teamster arguing for the rights of labor. Collision and clash follow and - for once - nobody, absolutely nobody, dies. Bummer.

With Martin Landau as Chief Walks-Stooped-Over you can't expect any realistic depiction of Native Americans, can you? And you don't get it. What is on the screen is magnificent scenery and a fine score by Elmer Bernstein with the title tune guaranteed to bury itself in your brain for frequent and uncalled for replays.

Burt Lancaster is very funny as a colonel trying to deal with his command, whose enlisted personnel seem to be temperance-prone (talk about distortion of the reality of frontier Army service!), his daughter, Indians, miners and the alluring, funny Lee Remick.

About 15-20 minutes could have been shaved from the movie but, overall, it's a politically very incorrect funny story about a West that never existed.

The DVD transfer is excellent but the magnificent scenery reflects how great it would be to see "The Hallelujah Trail" again on a big, big screen.

7/10

This movie has always been a mystery to me. I loved it and chuckled to myself all the way through it, however, for some reason I have never been able to explain,it just does not work like it should.

Great cast from top to bottom, good charaterization and many good scenes and some others that just don't quite work. I love it anyway and watch my copy at least twice a year.

A Western comedy about a shipment of alcohol and the various groups that want to, drink it, steal it, destroy it, guard it, and sell it. The ensemble cast is phenomenal and the comic timing is great. Burt Lancaster and Timothy Hutton are the Soldiers assigned to escort the alcohol to its final destination. Martin Landau is one of the indians trying to intercept and steal the firewater. Lee Remick and her band of women want the alcohol destroyed. Brian Keith is in charge of getting the shipment to Denver. Donald Pleasence the guide that leads a group of Denver Miners out to help get the precious cargo to town before the harsh winter storms set in. All parties meet in the middle of a dust-storm and craziness ensues. I've seen this movie more times than I can count. It ran on TV for numerous years but I haven't seen mention of it in some time. A classic Comedy if ever there was one. For a good clean barrel of laughs this film has it all.