Guilty Pleasure: Shalako

1968 Western
From Cinerama Releasing Corp
Directed by Edward Dmytryk

Starring
Sean Connery
Brigitte Bardot
Stephen Boyd
Jack Hawkins
Peter van Eyck
Honor Blackman
Woody Strode
Alexander Knox
Valerie French
Eric Sykes
Don Barry


This is Sean Connery's only western.  Oh, he's made other films where he appeared on horseback, but this is his only venture into the American western.  He was apparently ecstatic to be offered to make it because he'd always loved westerns, gobbling them up especially, of course, as a child.  He had another motive as well.  He was trying to distance himself from James Bond as much as he could.

It was said that Connery's enthusiasm was dashed when he learned that Brigitte Bardot would be his leading lady.  Her reputation as a difficult coworker who brought to a film set a large entourage and lots of problems preceded her. It was said her ego was far, far greater than her talent.

Prolific western writer Louis L'Amour penned the early 60s novel of an ex-Army scout and now frontier overseer named Shalako. It's been said the character might have been patterned after Shane, novelist Jack Schaefer's character that Alan Ladd portrayed in the classic 1953 film.  If true, I see little more than a faint resemblance.

There have been the occasional westerns that concerned European hunting parties, this being one of them.  Throughout the settling of the American west, European royalty and other aristocrats visited this exciting new land that apparently held so much promise.  Some of them remained behind.

Writers Rudyard Kipling, Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde famously made journeys.  They were also elaborate affairs.  It's said that one Sir Richard Gore had a caravan of six wagons, 26 carts,12 yoke of cattle, 112 horses, 14 dogs and 40 servants.  

Imagine that look camped out in the desert... linen-draped tables, the finest china and cutlery, numerous candelabras, a phonograph, butlers serving champagne on silver trays and everyone dressed up in their finery... along with the sand and dust, rattlesnakes and scorpions.  It must have been quite the sight and experience.  At this level, the film wanted to offer something more compelling than what the genre usually offered.

This party (far smaller than Sir Robert's, mind you) has encamped in the New Mexico desert and has been arranged by a wealthy German (van Eyck) for his lady friend, a French countess (Bardot) and a stuffy knight and his wife (Hawkins and Blackman) and a servant (Sykes).  Also along are a retired senator and his wife (Knox and French).  Their scout and protector (Boyd), a local man, and his men are along as well.  They look unsavory and we are concerned.

The countess wants to do things her own way and takes her beautiful white Arabian stallion and a guide out with her into the desert.  A small band of Apaches, led by the fearsome Chato (Strode) kills the guide and the countess is holding them off, crack shot that she is.

In rides Shalako to save the day.  He and Chato are longtime frenemies and both agree that the hunting party has mistakenly or otherwise come onto an Apache reservation and they are to leave by sunrise.

There were great expectations for this pairing

The party is holed up in an abandoned mission and when told by Shalako, whom they're meeting for the first time, that they have to leave, van Eyck refuses to do so, even knowing his countess gave her word that they would go.

This sets in motion one skirmish after another.  The Apaches come and a fierce fight ensues but Shalako tricks them into leaving.  The entire party beds down with the intention of pulling out in the morning.  But in the dead of night, Boyd and his lackeys pull out, robbing the party of jewels, guns and their horses.

So now we have our attention divided among three groups, the good, the bad and the Apaches.  And damn, it's fun.  I imagine most old cowboys would agree.

I don't deny the movie is a curiosity.  Now sit up straight for this one.  It's a German-British co-production about the American west, New Mexico specifically, but was filmed in Almeria in the south of Spain.  Its director (Dmytryk) is Canadian, there's a Scot, an Irishman, a Frenchwoman, a host of Brits and two lonely Americans.  One of them, the African-American Strode, is playing an Apache.  All of his tribe are played by gypsies.  Two of the hunting party, Knox and French, are Brits who are playing Americans!  

All joking aside, its international cast not only makes for an unusual western but it's what I like best about the film.  It's the chief thing that struck me about it the first time I saw it and it still fascinates me.  

Apparently it is regarded as somewhat of a classic European western, not to be confused with spaghetti westerns, which it somewhat resembles.  To me they both have a couple of things in common.  There is that a touch of cheesiness in dialogue and production values and an overly dramatic score.  Here, too, as in many of the spaghetti westerns, is a wretched, loud, overly-dramatic title song.

Once the story settles in at the mission and the pursuits after leaving, it becomes one that has been seen in many a western.  Truth be told, I still enjoyed it but I suspect many did not, especially the critics.  There was little originality and a serious lack of character development.

Bardot and Boyd having a rare happy moment

The internet is full of laughing pictures of the cast with lots of picture-taking but Honor Blackman, for one, said it was not a very happy set.  Besides the numerous weather delays, there was Bardot who was ill-tempered, threatening to quit many times, and in the throes of breaking up with husband number three.  She also got into ferocious arguments with Boyd, a former costar (The Night Heaven Fell) and lover. Connery, though skeptical at first, got along with her well... some say very well.

Many expected sparks to fly on screen between the two stars but it didn't happen.  No sparks flew in the acting department for anyone, not atypical for a western.  For me the worst thing about the film is Bardot. I could barely understand her, especially in the beginning, and she looked out-of-place in a western.

In addition this being a second pairing for Boyd and Bardot, it was the same from Connery and Blackman.  You may recall her as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger.

Connery looked better on a horse than many western stars I could name.  And of course it was always good to see hunky Strode again.  

Despite its flaws, it is a western that kept me entertained from start to finish.

Here's a clip:

Next posting:
From the 50s