MovieChat Forums > Paint Your Wagon (1969) Discussion > OK: who remembers that 'La Marseillaise'...

OK: who remembers that 'La Marseillaise' was edited out?

posted 17 years ago by dgross-3
4 replies | jump to latest

The first time I saw this on TV - which would be in the 1970s - in the scene where the coach arrives with the French entertainment specialists, the Chinese members of the town (the proprietors of the laundry, "of course") greeted the coach with a charming, absurd, marvelous Chinese-stereotypically orchestrated (tweetling flutes, etc.) rendition of "La Marseillaise".

I recognized it perfectly well - as we all would - from a number of directions, not least that I had been taking French since junior high school, where they had taught us the verses (and when they did, my recollection is that every student already knew the tune as well as if it were "I Been Workin' On The Railroad" ....)

Decades later, I looked forward to this part as I viewed PYW once again on TV.

To my disappointment, it was no longer "La Marseillaise", but some other tune dubbed in and with no interesting character. No doubt because some protest or other was made, since "La Marseillaise" is the French national anthem.

Does _anyone else_ remember the sound of this "Chinese" performance of "La Marseillaise"?

:)

[–] grambax 17 years ago

You're quite right that it was originally "La Marseillaise". In fact it still is, on the DVD - at least it is in the UK.

I suppose your reason must be correct, I can hardly see it being a copywrite issue, but La Marseillaise has been used so often in films, in so many ways, that this hardly seems a problem here. I just don't know why it might have happened.

[–] dgross-3 17 years ago

>>
You're quite right that it was originally "La Marseillaise". In fact it still is, on the DVD - at least it is in the UK.
<<

Oh! Well, that's good to hear - I'll have to see about that, on DVDs in the US ...

And, yes indeed, it is hardly likely to have been a copyright problem (I mean, heck, under international law, anything written before 1923 (or is it 1905?) seems to be fair game now.) Most likely it was a bit of political correctness somewhere ...

Thank you for the reply!

[–] cagordon22 16 years ago

I've had the original soundtrack album since when the movie came out. Though La Marsellaise is not played on it, I do remember it being played in the movie - every time I saw it on tv. Don't know why it was changed the second time you saw it, but it's back in now, as normal.

[–] peerlessinid 15 years ago

I've never seen it without "La Marseillaise". Anywhere. I own it on VHS and DVD and the tune is "La Marseillaise" on both. I'm also watching it on cable TV as I write this and the Chinese band just played "La Marseillaise". I can't imagine it with a different song. The men WERE waiting for "six French bawds", so the song seems appropriate. It's been a while since I listened to the soundtrack, but I don't believe it's on there. Not all the instrumentals are. I live in the US.