Mackenna's Gold
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mackenna's Gold | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | J. Lee Thompson |
| Produced by | Carl Foreman Dimitri Tiomkin |
| Written by | Heck Allen (novel) Carl Foreman |
| Starring | Gregory Peck Omar Sharif Camilla Sparv Julie Newmar Lee J. Cobb |
| Music by | Quincey Jones |
| Running time | 128 min. |
| Country | US |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Mackenna's Gold is a 1969 western film directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif and Camilla Sparv. It tells the story of how the lure of gold corrupts a diverse group of people.
The film was photographed in Super Panavision 70 by Joseph MacDonald, with original music by Quincy Jones. The story is very loosely based around the legend of the Lost adams diggings.
[edit] Plot
An old legend talks about a fortune in gold hidden in the 'Canyon del Oro', guarded by the Apache gods. A man named Adams found it, only to have the Indians capture and blind him and kill all his companions. Years later, Marshal Mackenna (Gregory Peck) kills an Indian chief who tried to bushwack him and comes into possession of a map that supposedly shows the way to the treasure. Though sceptical, he memorizes the directions before burning the map.
Meanwhile, notorious Mexican outlaw Colorado (Omar Sharif) and his gang had been tracking the old man for two weeks to get the map, all while being chased by the U.S. army. He takes shelter in the house of the old judge of the town of Blaskburg, stealing horses, mules and food for his journey. He kills the judge and kidnaps his daughter, Inga Bergmann (Camilla Sparv), as a hostage in case the cavalry catches up with him.
When he finds that MacKenna has destroyed the map, he threatens Inga in order to force the lawman into leading them to the canyon. Colorado and one of his companions have a past history with Mackenna. Colorado was driven out of the state by Mackenna, while a fiery Indian woman, Hesh-ke (Julie Newmar, better known for her role as Catwoman on the TV show Batman), had been his girl. Colorado's main henchman is a hulking Indian warrior, Hachita (Ted Cassidy, Lurch on The Addams Family).
On their trek, they are joined by a posse of townsmen who become infected by gold fever, among them a newspaper editor, a storekeeper, a priest and old Adams himself. They are trailed by the cavalry, under the leadership of Sergeant Tibbs (Telly Savalas). Tibbs periodically sends messengers back to his commanding officer, supposedly to keep him informed. Eventually, the patrol is whittled down to just a couple of men. At that point, Tibbs kills them and joins the outlaws.
Finally they reach the place specified in the map, where a tall rock tower, 'The Shaking Rock', stands. As the sun rises on the specified day, the shadow of the pinnacle points to the hidden entrance to the canyon. Seeing this, MacKenna, who had been skeptical until then, begins to believe in the legend.
When they enter the canyon, they find that the sides are interlaced with rich veins of pure gold. The jealous Hesh-ke tries to kill Inga and falls to her death. Then, while the rest are celebrating their great fortune, MacKenna escapes with Inga to an Indian dwelling high up the canyon wall. Meanwhile, Colorado and Hachita kill all the others. Then the Indian turns on Colorado; he is one of the treasure's guardians and has summoned a band of Apaches. However, Colorado manages to kill him and pursues Mackenna. The Apaches attack, and because of their incessant firing, the rocks start to shake. Soon, the whole canyon begins crashing down around their ears. The Indians flee, allowing Colorado, MacKenna and Inga to escape as well. Colorado leaves in disgust, believing the gold has been buried beyond reach. In the final scene, a saddlebag on the horse Mackenna took in the mad scramble is shown to be full of gold.
