Make that 50 years later. The full movie is on youtube now, which is great, it used to be just scenes. There was so much comedy in the music of all places, and it holds up even more from my review ten years ago. Still unique among movies. A recent BBC review attempted to paint this movie with a gay brush; sorry, it's just not there. It's a film about friendship and the challenges when ego gets in the way.
If you have a chance, watch this movie on DVD with an open mind. Know that it is unique in all filmdom, a musical, and every music scene is memorable, especially if you like drums. I saw it in 1972 in a double feature midnight show when everyone else was there for Billy Jack. There's so many ways to praise this movie, especially the cinematography, clever set-design. I always thought Rubenstein was going to be a big star, who knew it would be Sonny Crocket.
Here is something a friend recently emailed, for the true connoisseur.
"I engineered the sound track for the James Gang and some others. Went down to effin calinete, south of El Centro.... for the shoot. People were fainting from the heat and we lived on a very watered diet... soups, salads, soups, fruits, and water. Wow... very hot and liquid. If you watch the film, notice the refractions off the acrylic guitars and the liquid backdrop landscape of the heat, coming up from the ground.
We had problems with way off background... a truck in the distance that they did not want in the frames... The mountains seemed to be within walking distance but they were miles away. Many people got very sick from the heat.
Good film... I was only there for a small portion of the shoot... George Englund (married at that time to Cloris Leachman) having an affair with a woman named Sydney. Marlon Brando was living at George's house because he was involved with someone (?)...
Sad to see the poverty there and within the hotel compound, $$$$...."
If you have a chance, watch this movie on DVD with an open mind. Know that it is unique in all filmdom, a musical, and every music scene is memorable, especially if you like drums. I saw it in 1972 in a double feature midnight show when everyone else was there for Billy Jack. There's so many ways to praise this movie, especially the cinematography, clever set-design. I always thought Rubenstein was going to be a big star, who knew it would be Sonny Crocket.
Here is something a friend recently emailed, for the true connoisseur.
"I engineered the sound track for the James Gang and some others. Went down to effin calinete, south of El Centro.... for the shoot. People were fainting from the heat and we lived on a very watered diet... soups, salads, soups, fruits, and water. Wow... very hot and liquid. If you watch the film, notice the refractions off the acrylic guitars and the liquid backdrop landscape of the heat, coming up from the ground.
We had problems with way off background... a truck in the distance that they did not want in the frames... The mountains seemed to be within walking distance but they were miles away. Many people got very sick from the heat.
Good film... I was only there for a small portion of the shoot... George Englund (married at that time to Cloris Leachman) having an affair with a woman named Sydney. Marlon Brando was living at George's house because he was involved with someone (?)...
Sad to see the poverty there and within the hotel compound, $$$$...."