It was only recently that I finally got to see one of the stalwarts of Spaghetti Western cinema, Django, which would go on to inspire countless films during this boon for the genre. One such narrative is the 1968 action-adventure Guns For San Sebastian from French director Henri Verneuil based on the 1962 novel A Wall for San Sebastian by William Faherty. While not an exceptionally known title outside of the most ardent fans of these films, this feature has the benefit of pitting Anthony Quinn (The Greek Tycoon) and Charles Bronson (Death Wish) against one another in the ultimate showdown. Unlike the majority of Spaghetti Westerns that substituted Spain or some other convenient European location for Mexico, Guns For San Sebastian presented with a bit more authenticity by actually making the trek to Mexico for production. The resulting film is a fun little under-the-radar action flick that deserves a new spotlight.
In many ways, Guns For San Sebastian oddly reminds me of the fantastic Academy Award-nominated film Corpus Christi which I watched for the first time last year. As with that film, our protagonist begins his journey on the wrong side of the law. Anthony Quinn plays Leon Alastray, an army deserter turned outlaw with a weakness for women who is being pursued by the Spanish military until he is backed into a corner in a small-town church. Fortune favors this criminal as he is granted sanctuary by a sympathetic priest (Sam Jaffe), even when the church authorities want to give him up. When the priest is sent away to minister in the remote village of San Sebastian, he bravely smuggles the atheistic Alastray out of town. The kindly priest is sadly murdered by bandits upon arriving in the town, and the townspeople mistakenly believe that Alastray is the priest. While he is reticent to keep up this deception, he is convinced by an attractive village woman, Kinita (Anjanette Comer), to take on the role and give the people some much-needed guidance.
Alastray soon comes to know the town as one living in fear of being besieged by the Yaqui Indians, who constantly drive the villagers to hide out in the surrounding hills. The last wrinkle comes in the form of Charles Bronson as Teclo, the half-breed leader of the bandits who killed the priest. Teclo claims to be on the side of the villagers, but may or may not have his own ulterior motives concerning their fate. The interesting thing about Alastray’s new position as this imposter priest is the way in which it begins to change this outlaw for the better. He was a man who never thought about doing good for others, but he has a natural way of being a good person. His actions may not always result in the best outcome, but for the first time in his life he is thinking about more than himself. The animosity between Alastray and Teclo is a lot of fun to watch unfold, as Quinn and Bronson are two of the strongest personalities working at this time. The narrative is pretty straightforward, but the performances help keep things quite entertaining.
From a filmmaking perspective, Guns For San Sebastian is a solid technical achievement from Verneuil. Even running a bit shy of two hours, this story flows really well and rarely leaves time for interest to wane. As previously mentioned, the production of the film took place in Mexico, and the cinematography of the film does a lovely job of capturing these locations in their natural glory. There is something a bit special about knowing that these locations are being representative of what they truly are. This may not be the most well known Spaghetti Western in the world, but those who choose to check it out should find this to be quite special and a very entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.
Video Quality
Guns For San Sebastian makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Warner Archive with a brand new 1080p master from what I suspect is a 2K or 4K scan of the original camera negative, but the press release is lacking these details. This presentation is really quite beautiful from beginning to end, which is to be expected from the good folks at Warner Archive. Black levels are very deep with no trace of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is well defined, and there is no sign of print damage to be found. There is a stunning amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing and within the production design. The new transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail. The lovely photography shot by Armand Thirard sparkles in high definition with natural grain intact. Warner Archive has given this one an outstanding presentation.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a standout DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that delivers a great audio experience. This track shows no discernible age related wear and tear such as popping or hissing. Dialogue and background noises are represented in perfect harmony with all competing elements so that nothing gets lost in the mix. The music complements the competing various sounds quite well, and the score from Ennio Morricone is pretty lively. There are several conflicts throughout the film that provide quite a bit of activity in the soundtrack with everything presenting quite well. There are also optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. This audio presentation should please all fans of the film.
Special Features
- San Sebastian 1746 in 1968: A ten-minute vintage featurette in which a narrator guides you through behind-the-scenes material including shooting locations, rehearsals, background information on the performers and more. This is a fun addition to the package.
- Theatrical Trailer: A three-and-a-half minute trailer which shows a bit too much of the film but does a good job of selling the story.
Final Thoughts
Guns For San Sebastian is a pretty entertaining action-adventure film with solid performances from Anthony Quinn and Charles Bronson, along with the rest of the talented ensemble. The use of real Mexican locations does add a bit of authenticity to the production to help set it apart. Warner Archive has delivered a Blu-Ray with a top notch A/V presentation and an interesting supplemental feature. Those with an affinity for the Spaghetti Western genre should find this one a fun addition to your collection. Recommended
Guns For San Sebastian can be purchased directly through the Warner Archive Amazon Store or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
