Zachariah

Aside from a Beatle-haired teenage Johnson making a fool of himself by overly emoting to contrast with Rubinstein's nonperformance, the film offers a lot of beautiful "acid Western" scenery and excellent prog rock and bluegrass music from the James Gang, White Lightnin', and the New York Rock Ensemble. Comedy troupe the Firesign Theatre (huge on album in 1970) provided the script, which explains satirical touches like the horse-and-buggy salesman (Dick Van Patten) spieling like a used car dealer and the madam's claim to have had affairs with gunslingers from Billy the Kid to Marshall McLuhan. --Kim Newman

Product Description
Firepower meets flower power in this outrageous western (Motion Picture Herald) about two thrill-seeking cowboys who rock the range! Starring John Rubinstein Don Johnson and Dick Van Patten and featuring legendary musicians Country Joe and the Fish and White Lightnin this psychedelic trip through the Wild West is an utterly unique film experience (Variety)! Two cowboys (Rubinstein and Johnson) set out for adventure and join up with a band of rock n roll outlaws. But as the two friends are seduced by their own quick-draw ambitions a deadly rivalry grows between them and they must struggle to find a path to peace before they lose more than their reputations and kill more than their friendship!System Requirements: Running Time 92 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. Rating: PG UPC: 027616909060 Manufacturer No: 1006757

You might enjoy it as a piece of nostalgia, or you might enjoy it as an entertaining so bad it's kinda' good movie. But for a real trippy 'head' movie track down a copy of 'El Topo' instead. Don Johnson who looks like he's 15 (He was 21 or 22) has a major but not starring role in the film. Johnson was in a lot of quirky films from The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart (1970) to Zachariah (1971) to the Harrad Experiment (1973) to the notable A Boy and His Dog (1975) before hitting the big time with Miami Vice in the early 1980's.

Zachariah is a farmer (John Rubinstein) who dreams of being a wild-west gunfighter. After getting his gun via mail-order, he teams up with his old friend the blacksmith, Mathew (Don Johnson) to seek their fortunes.

Psychologicaly the film is a hoot. The gun of course being symbolic of one's manhood and the friendship between Mathew and Zachariah being thinly disguised homo-eroticism at it's clumsiest. There's a montage where they share the joys of gun slinging that is high camp classic (as is the films finale'). They team up and pursue The Crackers, a well known gang of outlaws who also happen to be a rock and roll band. The Crackers are played by the once well known Country Joe and the Fish (the band's claim to fame was the "F" cheer at Woodstock and the I'm Fixin' to Die Rag anti Vietnam anthem).

The Crackers play at a local bar and one of the patrons hates their music and picks a fight with Zachariah. It's the squares versus the hippies set in the old West. This leads to a gunfight. Zachariah wins and decides he's a tough gunfighter. They join the Crackers. The Crackers however aren't very good outlaws. In a forced montage set to a rocked up William Tell Overture, The Crackers are seen being incompetent outlaws, failing to rob a stage coach, and then ambushing a Pony Express rider stripping him of his mail and his clothes.

Zachariah and Mathew come up with a plan and they pull off a bank robbery. Zachariah needs more out of life though. He's sure he has a destiny, though he doesn't know what it is. Shades of Herman Hesse's Sidhartha. The search for one's true self is on. In this case Zachariah wants to learn how to be a great gunfighter from one of the most notorious gunfighters in the West... a man named Job Cain. We know Cain is good because there's a $50,000 bounty on his head.

The names are downright biblical aren't they?

Job Cain turns out to be Elvin Jones who hangs out with the James Gang. He does an impressive and long drum solo after winning a gunfight.... The James Gang dress in cooler leather outfits and have lots of good looking woman groupies hanging around. However, even after Zachariah proves himself worthy to Job Cain's challenge he's not fulfilled. He and his friend Mathew go their separate ways. Mathew stays to become part of the gang.

Zachariah spends some time with an old man in the middle of nowhere, and then goes to a strange border town to meet some ladies. The town is interesting, but the film gets really silly during this sequence and Pat Quinn does a very bad imitation of Mae West as Belle Star, Queen of the Whores. Zacharia is coiffed and decked out like a countrified Siegried and Roy with a big white cowboy hat complete with a large feather. If you ever wondered what Liberace as a cowboy would look like the answer can be found right here. He then woos Belle Star and decides of course that she is not what he is looking for in life either.

This all leads to... well I don't to spoil the film. . . let's just say if you like high camp you'll have a great time at the end of this film.

If you can laugh AT the film, you'll have a pretty good time with it. If you can't, the film's charms (assuming you found a few in the film) evaporate completely after the first 45 minutes.

It's an odd hybrid of a film which boils down to a story of two friends searching for themselves and discovering friendships are perhaps most important of all. It's cornball stuff. The film has more unintentional laughs than earned ones. It never quite clicks as an exploitation type film ala' Roger Corman's Psyche Out or The Trip, nor is it a Cheech and Chong Out West type of thing. It's also not as fun, manic or funny as Blazing Saddles is either. They almost do a funny campfire scene though.

The DVD is a bare-bones no extra affair. The film looks and sounds okay, but there are enough instances of grain, edge enhancement, etc to warn the pickier among you of the problems.(. . .)


You missed the point   February 7, 2003
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

The plot is a parody of Hermann Hesse' Siddartha. It is the life story of Gautama Buddah. This novel was very popular in colleges in the late 60's and early 70's


Early 70's Rock & Roll Western Cult Film   January 22, 1999
8 out of 10 found this review helpful

I remember seeing this one at the midnight movie show numerous times during the early 70's. If you like somewhat absurd, campy humor & early 70's electric rock & roll, it is a must for a collector. Country Joe & the Fish are great! The James Gang & NY Rock Ensemble are electrified! Doug Kershaw's fiddle playin is very hot! Super sound track! Not politically correct!


A movie that was perfect for its time   January 7, 2004
Daniel J. Lape (Brisbane, Queensland Australia)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

"Zachariah" has remained one of the most vivid memories of my teenage cinematic years. And I only saw it once. As a 14-year-old in 1970, it was perfectly timed to take advantage of the growing fusion of rock, drugs, rebellion, free love and good times that were evolving through the culture. And it packaged them up in a funny, satirical fashion that was uniquely themed as a Western. I still remember one of the gunfight songs "Zachariah, Zachariah don't go to Apache Wells; 19's tried and 19's died, and you'll make only one."

If you're a hippie product of the 70s era, "Zachariah" is a must see, as much for the fun, gags and drug references, as for the actors who went on to further stardom whether in movies or television.


"For Novelty Use Only"   January 10, 2004
Ghenghis (Monvolia)
8 out of 15 found this review helpful

Still dont remember why I bought this DVD, or why it sat for 4 years before watching it. Anyway, this movie is a real hoot. From Don Johnson's premiere as an 18 yr old Prom Queen lookalike with a sidearm to Country Joe's surreal insertion into an old west shoot-em-up saloon. The whole thing is just twisted as hell, and semi-fun.

A recommended rental with a 6 pack. 3 tokes.