I've never understood the cloud of negativity surrounding Paint Your Wagon, a terminally eccentric, raucously bawdy musical western epic in which old school tough guys Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood get to sing, or at least do their best. Sure it's a giant unwieldy spectacle, not all of the songs make a three point landing and it runs on far too long, but it's such an interesting piece from many perspectives, it doesn't deserve even half the shade thrown on it by critics over the years. I like it specifically because of how odd and random it is at times, how it meanders and lingers across the gold rush frontier town it takes place in, following the paths of it's strange characters diligently. Marvin is the life of the party as Ben Rumson, a booze soaked, misanthropic prospector idling his way through the west in a haze of hangovers and hijinks. Eastwood is Pardner, a soft spoken stoic type whose life is saved by Ben, and the two strike a bond that's eventually tested by Elizabeth (Jean Seberg),the beauty who loves them both. The trio makes the best of life in a rough n' tumble settlement called No Name City, a feverish shantytown on the precipice of nowhere, populated by scoundrels, miscreants and hooligans. And that's pretty much it, the story punctuated by a whole gallery of songs, some brilliant and others excruciating. The best is a haunting, melancholy melody by Marvin called 'Wandering Star', which is so good it could be listened to on repeat. 'They Call The Wind Mariah' is a gorgeous tune belted out by a young looking Harve Presnell as Rotten Luck Willie, a slick kingpin who basically runs the township. 'There's a Coach Comin In' rouses spirits, and the titular theme is well staged too. Unfortunately all of the songs sung solely by Eastwood are a slog through the mud, as he bleats like a goat and gets saddled with the most boring tracks like 'I Talk To The Trees', the sappy 'Elisa' and 'Gold Fever', a musical sleeping pill. Whenever Marvin is around it's a banger of a party, he goes the extra mile to keep the energy levels unbridled, while Eastwood is a little sleepier. There's no way the film deserves the dodgy reputation it's been slapped with though, a lot of it is fun as all hell, the big budget is spent well on fantastic production design, epic sets and big names who earn their keep, Marvin in particular.

This movie is certainly a lot of fun to watch and is a lot of entertainment packed into just one film. I really like to watch PAINT YOUR WAGON and have seen it several times. However, there is absolutely no way I could with a clear conscience give it a higher score because the notion of having Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood star in a musical is completely nuts!!! While Eastwood's singing is quite poor, Lee Marvin sings worse than a cat in heat. But, it is because of this that I like the movie so much! In other words, the awfulness of their singing is amazing and captivating!! Now, the rest of the singing actually is good--particularly the songs sung by the townspeople. Plus, the script is witty and memorable. So, it's worth seeing but terribly bad in some ways that makes me assume the producers were either insane, abusing drugs, tried to make a flop (like in the film THE PRODUCERS) or did this all as a big joke (and considering how much the film cost to make, this is the least likely possibility).

I love musicals, but I honestly didn't know what to make of this film. Out of the Joshua Logan-directed musical movies, this film is my least favourite. It does have some nice photography, costumes and sets, and the score and songs are very pleasant and hummable. Out of the cast, Ray Walston and Harve Presnell(who actually has the best songs) come off best, and the chorale work directed by Roger Wagner is some of the finest ever heard in a musical. However, Joshua Logan's direction didn't work, I personally found it too stage-bound and smug. Also the dialogue doesn't convince, the film is too long and the story is forgettable and has one too many silly moments. The acting is nothing special, and while the singing isn't amazing it was passable. Lee Marvin's rendition of Wandrin' Star is listenable, and some of his comedy is a nice touch. Wasn't sure about Clint Eastwood though, I was perplexed at his casting initially and after hearing his singing my opinion hasn't changed. In conclusion, if I had to make an honest summary of this film, I would say worth watching for the music, chorale work and production values if little else. 5/10 Bethany Cox