the ratings this movie received; the fact that Lee Marvin considered it 'crap' and only did it for the money; and, that 'tough-guy' Clint Eastwood sings in it, which most considered silly...I believe this to be a very good and entertaining movie.Sure, it's likely all of this - it received low ratings and it's crap to those who dislike musicals; and, seeing 'Clint' sing and be all lovey-dovey was probably too much for most viewers and only appealed to children in a "Doctor Dolittle" sort of way.However, it is also a 'fun' movie in the way that the characters interact; especially how these two men (the two main stars) "ALLOW" and "ACCEPT" to be the husband(s) of the same beautiful woman, Elizabeth (Jean Seberg).In a time when musicals were on their way out, this movie actually makes me wish they came back.This is a very enjoyable movie! :)

This movie is plain and simple fun. Sure, you have to suspend your disbelief, but so what. I like to escape with movies, and this is 2+ hours of escape. Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood are not gifted singers. But they are gifted actors and they do a great job in this movie. I love the male chorus songs, as well as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. "They Call the Wind Maria" is perfectly placed and perfectly sung. Staging this in the Sierra's was genius. It adds a touch of realism when it comes to the gold rush story. Wet, nasty, sometimes foreboding weather is very realistic. If you have the DVD and the making of the movie is available, it's very interesting.

I recently viewed this movie for the second time and found it just as funny and entertaining as I did when it first hit the theaters all those years ago.Having just read through some of the reviews here I am startled that some people who are fans of the Western genre were disappointed because it was a musical and a comedy; others who love musicals were disappointed because it had a Western theme.I didn't mind that some of the singing wasn't of a high standard - most of the songs were of a humorous bent anyway, and didn't purport to be anything but an accompaniment to the visual romp on screen.Interestingly though, the couple of serious songs are actually quite beautiful, hauntingly wistful, lyrics lamenting the characters' forlorn lonesomeness. ("They Call the Wind Maria", and "A Million Miles Away Behind the Door.")Anyway I say to all that didn't like this movie, where is your sense of humor? It is light entertainment - a comedy first and foremost, and employs a good amount of slapstick and satire. And with just a truthful drop of the real history of that era with its sadness and desolation.An enjoyable fun movie.

Paint Your Wagon has often been sited as an example of a big-budget film that lost its way. The problem for the film was that it was released at a time that the traditional Hollywood musical was dying. Motion pictures such as Bonnie and Clyde and Midnight Cowboy were ushering in the age of dramatic realism. However, with the film's release now more than forty years in the past, it holds up amazingly well and is thoroughly entertaining.The film follows the life of two gold mining partners (Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood) who find themselves in love with the same woman (Jean Seberg). The twist is that she is in love with both men. The solution is that Seberg's character marries and lives with both of them. This unusual family is made possible by the fact that they find themselves in a rough gold mining camp in the California wilderness. Eventually, the tri-marriage breaks down due to a variety of circumstances and one of the husband leaves and one stays.The often-dismissed production values of the film now look amazing. Alan Jay Lerner shot much of the film outside of Baker City, Oregon in the wilderness. The town, No Name City, was recreated to scale. Indeed, no studio would green-light this kind of big-budget musical film today. One of the things that make it so special is that a modern audience is seeing something that could not be produced in the present.Along with the production values, the music is exceptional. There are no throw-away songs, and against the backdrop of the Oregon wilderness they come alive. When it was released Marvin's and Eastwood's voices were ridiculed. Once again, the passing of time has led to audiences that don't expect the perfect pitch-and-tone musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Their voices sound like that of a couple of gold miner's.No matter the age group, this is a film that is worth seeing. Undoubtedly it will be a pleasant surprise for young and old.