Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Movie review - "Waterhole #3" (1967) **

 Blake Edwards produced this but did not direct - that job went to William Graham who had a solid TV career. It's a lighthearted Western about the search for gold. There's a balladeer Cat Ballou style and a plot where James Coburn comically rapes Margaret Blye.

I was in the mood of a comic Western and Coburn is really well cast and it's gorgeously shot. But the film started slowly, grew more annoying and I ended up hating it.

Three main issues with this film. First the comic depiction of rape - the film really commits to this plot, Blye complains and keeps complaining and everyone laughs and dismisses it and then she falls for Coburn with no motivating scene. Why not just make her horny and try to seduce him? Was rape really funny in 1967? Was it hilariously trangressive or something? They don't even establish Cobun's a good lover.

Second the storyline is unconvincing. It's about the search for gold but there's no really memorable scenes.

Third Carol O'Connor is undercast. This part needed to have more star charisma to match Coburn - like a genuine star, someone old enough to have a daughter, such as, I don't know, Edward G Robinson or someone.

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