In the gold-mining town of "No Name City"(Clint gets a name in this one but the town doesn't),Ben Rumson(Lee Marvin) and "Pardner"(Clint Eastwood)have a 50/50 relationship all the way. They split the gold they find, they pay each other's debt's off, and pick each other up from druken stupors. Pardner seems to be doing most of the work on that end of things though!

The town is filled with burly men, who haven't seen a woman in quite a while...That is until some Morman's come to town. The husband has one more wife than he needs and auctions Elizabeth(Jean Seberg) off to the men. The winner? Ben Rumson of course. But partners share everything you know...so Ben, Pardner, and Elizabeth become a trio.They just seem to fit right into this town without scruples.

The raucous action, the laughs and the wonderful music by Lerner and Lowe,Andre Previn, and even the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, are non-stop.There's the kidnapping of prostitutes to "improve" the town,a scheme hatched to collect lost gold,and a religious family comes to town that leads to some hilarious situations, and may change the whole atmosphere of the bawdy town.Some of the marvelous songs you'll be treated to(and may be humming for a couple of days after) are "Paint Your Wagon","No Name City", "I Talk to The Trees"(sung by none other then Eastwood himself), and "Born Under a Wandrin Star"(sung by Marvin)...Okay so Clint and Lee's vocal stylings are not my reason for giving 5 stars to this film!But you will be mesmerized by Harve Presnell's beautiful rendition of "They Call the Wind Mariah"!

The cast is as marvelous as the music and the story.In addition to the actors mentioned above you'll also find Ray Walston and Paula Trueman(Outlaw Josey Wales). It was expertly directed by Joshua Logan(Camelot/South Pacific). The cinematography is gorgeous and is also a big part of the story.Although the film runs 2:40, I barely knew the time had past. It was just too much fun!

It's a great DVD. This film was released in 1969 and looks fabulous. Beautiful colors and a sharp, clear picture in widescreen are a joy to watch. There are no "special features" as far as interviews or documentaries but you have the choice of 5.1 Surround or stereo surround. The music and dialouge are perfect.There's even the original intermission with a medley of the songs. There are also Subtitles in English for hearing impaired viewers. These are great, they are in the black bar area and do not interfere with the picture, They denote when a song is playing, and even tell you the language that the song is being sung in.(The opening song is sung in many different languages, as many of the miners are immigrants)It may also be viewed in French(mono), and there is a Theatrical Trailer.

Want to know what Clint's name really is in this one? You have to stay to the end to find out(sorry, they said "No Spoilers!)

Have fun with this one.....Laurie

Unfortunately, Paramount has released a bare-bones DVD. The picture and sound are much better than the VHS version, of course, but there's little else. The chapters are NOT coded to the songs. The DVD contains the trailer, but no other background information. While, of course, some of the principals have passed away, it would have been nice to have a comment or two from Clint Eastwood. I would also like to hear some of the singing auditions--in a film where almost everyone sings, Jean Seberg's voice must have been interesting for the director to decide to overdub her. I realize this movie does not have the cultural resonance of SOUND OF MUSIC, but it would be terrific to learn more about PAINT YOUR WAGON.

If you're looking for a movie with a couple of memorable songs ("I Was Born under a Wandering Star" and "They Call the Wind Mariah"), and the type of cantankerous social satire you find in NETWORK (Paddy Chayefsky adapted the stageplay), you'll enjoy PAINT YOUR WAGON. If you already own this movie, you buy this disc to have a crisper, cleaner version once you've worn out your VHS copy and/or have gotten tired of switching tapes midway.