Mountain of Apache Gold !!
This movie is a classic not because it is a western (Cowboy) movie but it was a path breaker in
its special effects when released in 1969.
We humans have a longing to create beautiful things out of our imaginations, we strive always to
beautify our surroundings, some people say what our father Adam saw in heavens our senses still
retain it and long to recreate it.
We have created magic on canvas, we created magic in our buildings (Taj Mahal) We created
magic in our gardens, we have created magic on our computer screens, once upon a time
Hollywood think tank wanted to pay tribute to the settlers of Western America.
As we all know Eastern America was settled earlier by newspaper advertisements inserted by
Commercial companies and lords and ladies (Pennsylvania) (Pittsburg) York people named their
new city New York, Maryland was named New England. Western America being wild everyone was
reluctant to leave the comforts of their homes. Then there evolved a legend there are mountains of
Gold in Western America. This lie survived even today it is quoted as the catalyst in history books
for colonization of the west.
Now this legend must have a tribute to its name Director J.Lee Thompson made a movie
MacKenna’s Gold he put his best efforts to make it a chronicle to the bravery of western settlers, he took care to present
all sections of settlers (Mexican, Dutch, American, British, French, Indian etc. )The legendary perils
in the travels to the west.
The movie starts with the narration of Burgess Meredith I cannot forget his voice and the
narration, everything was done in good taste in this movie, now imagine the paucity of resources
and the backwardness of technology in 1969 and still this movie is a bumper hit in the minds of
all its viewers, even today it looks a document of history.
A Red Indian Chief (Prairie Dog) is in search of a man with good heart to pass the map before he
departs from the world, he tests McKenna and finds him a fit person and gives him the map and
dies, Colorado is fresh out of prison and knows McKenna from old days when McKenna was a
gambler and prospector for gold. McKenna burns the map as he does not believe the story and
Colorado who is tracking the Red Indian Chief finds McKenna and captures him and makes him
agree to show him the land marks of the map he saw. Colorado believes McKenna has good
memory.For the records Mckenna is Gregory Peck and Colorado is Omer Sherif.
The base of the story is laid out, we have some superb presentation of Omar Sharif by the
director, this imported Egyptian actor to Hollywood needed to be established in main stream
American Industry, so they cast him in a Western and from there onwards, Omer Sherif was the
hero of many American films for a quarter century he lived there.
Gregory Peck the ever kind man portrayal did well, in history U.S.Marshalls were elected by town
council, town council made sure these people were upright and held the rule of law boldly,
Marshall McKenna did well. The other prominent feature of this film is the good manners displayed
by Omar Sherif towards ladies and the kindness shown by Gregory peck to others. He keeps
calling the heroine Miss Bergman.
I remember the scene, where Omar Sharif says to Peck if you say you will not laugh, I will show
you a newspaper where I will go after taking my share of gold. Apache was the term used for Red
Indian by French people and Red Indian was the term used by British. Omar Sherif looked like a
well dressed Egyptian ready to migrate to America in the flash scene imagined by Mckenna.
Overall this movie accomplished what it was ment to do in the minds of the masses, it established
Omar Sherif as a main stream American Actor and it authenticated the legend of Gold, some big
actors of those times all played short roles in this movie. Camilla Sparv looked like a Judges
daughter and incidentally it is the same judge who sent Colorado to prison unjustly.
Telly Savalas who was to become a legend called "KOJAK"owe his roots to this movie, Eli Wallach
is the face of dacoit in this movie. Keenan Wynn the Mexican (Amigo) Julie Newmar the Red Indian
Girl with a crush on McKenna looked outstanding, no one will forget her, see she looked brown
like my country men (India). A little bit of brown sand in her makeup made her look the most
beautiful women in Hollywood in those days. BROWN IS BEAUTIFUL.
The high, majestic cliffs, gloomy, forbidding canyons of Utah and Arizona are well pictured in
this movie, over all this movie is a novel, a documentary to be preserved for the history of
Hollywood, Omar Sherif, Gregory Peck, Telly Savalas, the Earth Quake, the horse riders jumping
over the chasm, the falling boulders were a better pleasure to watch than the regular movies
being made like the mission impossibles.
Yo country music has it own regular charm "ole turkey buzzard".