La Bataille de San Sebastian

Infobox Film
name = La Bataille de San Sebastian


image_size =
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director = Henri Verneuil
producer = Jacques Bar Ernesto Enríquez
writer = William Barby Faherty (novel) Serge Gance Miguel Morayta Ennio De Concini James R. Webb (English screenplay)
narrator =
starring = Anthony Quinn Anjanette Comer Charles Bronson Sam Jaffe Silvia Pinal
music = Ennio Morricone
cinematography = Armand Thirard
editing = Françoise Bonnot
distributor = Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
released = 1968
runtime = 111 min (USA)
country = France Italy Mexico
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gross =
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amg_id = 1:94081
imdb_id = 0062713

"La Bataille de San Sebastian" (English title: "Guns for San Sebastian") is a 1968 spaghetti western directed by Frenchman Henri Verneuil. In a rare instance this film was actually shot in Mexico instead of substituting Spain or some similar location.

The Music score is by Ennio Morricone.

An outlaw (Anthony Quinn) is saved by a priest (Sam Jaffe) and taken to a village terrorized by marauding Indians. When the priest dies, the outlaw is mistaken for a priest himself and eventually finds love and redemption by helping the villagers defeat their attackers. Charles Bronson co-stars as Teclo, the half breed leader of the marauders.

The story is somewhat reminiscent of the 1955 Humphrey Bogart film The Left Hand of God.

Though panned as somewhat pedestrian by most film critics, there are several attributes which separate this film from most spaghetti westerns of the time. First, it is an excellent showcase of the talents of Anthony Quinn and Charles Bronson in their prime. While the cinematography is not on par with other contemporary members of the genre (like the Magnificent Seven), the authentic Mexican set (with refreshingly good Mexican accents) and above average performances by the supporting cast (especially Sam Jaffe as the priest) contribute to a realism most westerns fall short of reaching.

External links

*imdb title|id=0062713