Zachariah (1971)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1970
Running Times: 93m
Length:
Format: 35mm
Colour Format: Metrocolor
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: mono

DIRECTION

Directed by: George Englund

CREW

PRODUCTION
Copyright: MCMLXX [1970] by ABC Pictures Corp
Production Company: ABC Pictures Corp. a subsidiary of The American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. presents a George Englund production
Produced by: George Englund
Co-produced by: Lawrence Kubik
Production Manager: William C. Davidson

SCRIPT
Written by: Joe Massot and Philip Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman, Phil Proctor known as The Firesign Theatre
Novel: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse [uncredited]

DIRECTION
Assistant Directors: Terry Morse Jr, Jaime Contreras
Script Supervisor: Joseph Gannon

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Jorge Stahl

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Film Editor: Gary Griffen
Assistant Film Editor: Gary Bell
Metrocolor

MUSIC
Music Scored and Conducted by: Jimmie Haskell
Music Editor: Joseph Tulley
Musical Coordinator: Bill Szymczyk

SONGS AND ADDITIONAL MUSIC
"We're the Crackers"
By Joe McDonald
Performed by Country Joe and the Fish [uncredited]

"All I Need" and "Poor But Honest Crackers"
By Barry Melton
Performed by Country Joe and the Fish [uncredited]

"Country Fever" and "Laguna Salada"
By Joe Walsh, Jim Fox and Dale Peters
Performed by James Gang [uncredited]

"Drum Solo"
By Elvin Jones

"The Ballad of Job Cain"
By Doug Kershaw
Performed by Doug Kershaw [uncredited]

"Grave Digger"
By Michael Kamen and Martin Fulterman
Performed by The New York Rock and Roll Ensemble [uncredited]

"Shy Ann"
By Byard Ray
Performed by White Lightnin' [uncredited]

"Down in the Willow Garden"
By Byard Ray, Obray Ramsey and Arthur Gorson
Performed by White Lightnin' [uncredited]

"Camino Waltz"
By John Rubinstein
Performed by [uncredited]

SOUND
Sound: Manuel Topete, Brad Trask
Re-Recording Mixers: Harry W. Tetrick, William L. McCaughey, Lyle J. Burbridge
Sound Effects: Sonic Editorial, Inc.

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Costume Designer: Nino Novarese
Wardrobe Supervisor: James Kessler

TITLES AND OPTICALS
Titles: Cinefx/Phill Norman

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Assheton Gorton
Associate Designer: Jorge Fernandez
Property Master: Sam Gordon

OTHER CREW
Production Assistants: Raymond Green, Kenneth O'Brien
Head Wrangler: Jose Cueto
Gun Coach: Arvo Ojala

LOCATIONS
Locations: Mexico

CAST

starring
John Rubinstein (Zachariah)
Pat Quinn (Belle Starr)
Don Johnson (Matthew)

co-starring
Country Joe and the Fish (The Crackers)
The James Gang (Job Cain's band)
Elvin Jones as Job Cain
Doug Kershaw as the fiddler
William Challee as the old man
White Lightnin' (old man's band)
New York Rock Ensemble (Belle Starr's band)

and
Dick Van Patten (The Dude)
Robert Ball (stage manager)

PLOT SUMMARY

Zachariah gets a gun via the mail and he and his friend Matthew set out to become gunfighters. They team up with The Crackers, a gang of outlaws who are better at performing rock songs than they are at robbing stages. After tasting success elsewhere as gun fighters, the pair part company and become rivals.

CAPSULE REVIEW

If you're not into the whole late 60s/early 70s thing, Zachariah will do absolutely nothing for you at all. If you are, it's an evocative snapshot of a time when long-haired men playing acid guitar riffs and getting stoned were seen as the greatest menace to society and when films like Zachariah could not only get made, but get a theatrical release where it played for many years at midnight screenings so thick with dope smoke you could get out of your box just walking past the cinema. It's alternately fascinating and laughable, pretentious and clever, witty and asinine. Fans of John Ford will be utterly mystified - fans of Country Joe will love every drug addled, psychedelic minute of it. (Full Review)

AVAILABILITY

UK
Video Distributors: VCC

USA
Theatrical Distributors: Cinerama Releasing Corporation
Video Distributors: CBS/Fox
DVD Distributors: Anchor Bay Entertainment (DV 10945); MGM Home Entertainment (1006757)

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Finland
Rating: K-12

Sweden
Rating: 11

USA
Rating: GP; PG

TIMELINE

1971
January
24: USA - theatrical release

August
23: Sweden - theatrical release

1972
January
21: Finland - theatrical release

1973
February
5: Denmark - theatrical release

2000
January
11: USA - DVD release (Anchor Bay Entertainment (DV 10945))

2004
August
24: USA - DVD release (MGM Home Entertainment (1006757))

POSTER TAGS

A Head of His Time

The First Electric Rock Western

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Rautainen länsi - Finnish title

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Monthly Film Bulletin no.448 (May 1971) (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

BOOKS

Creature Features Strikes Again by John Stanley p.451 (Creature Press (1994))
credits, review

Cult Flicks and Trash Pics p.303 (Detroit, MI: Visible Ink Press (1996)  ISBN: 0787606162)
credits, review

Elliot's Guide to Films on Video (4th Edition) by John Elliot p.911
credits, review

Psychotronic Video Guide by Michael J. Weldon (New York: St Martin's Griffin (1996)  ISBN: 0312131496) p.634
credits, review

Rock on Film by Bill Reed p.275 (New York: Delilah Books (1982)  ISBN: 0933328125)
article

Video Source Book (13th edition) Volume 2 (Gale Research Company (1991)) p.2941
credits

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

anachronisms, cowboys, films based on books, gunfighters, psychedelia, rock music, spoofs, westerns

Last Updated: 14 March, 2010