Sarah Baldwin (Daniela Giordano) returns home from a riding excursion with friends to find her mother and brother dead and her home ransacked.

But the valuable papers her father sent the family are safe and sound in their hiding place. So Sarah snatches those and rides off for El Dorado to meet her dad, with four bad men on her trail.

She’s rescued by a marshal named Thomas (Philippe Hersent) and a journalist named George Shelley (Peter Lee Lawrence), who totes around a sawed-off rifle. Together, the trio head off to Martinez’s way station.

It’s anything but a tranquil sanctuary. Scoundrels named Thompson and Jefferson are already there, plotting some sort of mischief. And a warning is out that the Indians are on the warpath.

The arrival of a stage only brings more complications in the form of Quinn Paradine (Umberto Raho) and his lady love (Ida Galli / Evelyn Stewart as Julia).

Paradine’s working on two schemes. One involves $200,000 in weapons he’s dealing to the Indians. The other involves a gold mine and Sarah Baldwin.

And he’s holding another set of secret papers over Julia’s head. And she just happens to be the long-lost love of George Shelley.

Does she need rescuing too? Or is she just another part of Palladine’s scheming?

Review:

An intriguing film that’s certainly flawed, but still stacks up well compared with the other Spaghetti Westerns being released by 1971.

One question: Who are the four gunmen in the title? The initial four chasing Sarah perhaps? Because there are only two good guys at the inn, the marshal and Shelly. There are three bad men, though the number of henchmen Paradine has on scene changes from time to time.

Perhaps a better title for this film would have been Four Lovely Ladies for Trinity. I mean, how many Spaghetti Westerns feature four fetching females in fairly prominent roles?

And while the marshal and George try to deal with the bad buys, those “ladies” bring a bevy of personal drama to the inn, where most of the film takes place.

Adeline Martinez (Valeria Fabrizi) is thinking about leaving her husband and running off for a more exciting life with Thompson. Pretty Ana has eyes for Jefferson, a bad boy dressed all in black.

Sarah has fallen for George, but he’s fixated with Julia. He just doesn’t know if he can trust her interest in rekindling their love. After all, she already broke his heart once.

And I’ve yet to mention the midget or the piano-playing doctor. Yep, this is one Spaghetti where I’d love to see the full 107-minute uncut version.

Peter Lee Lawrence as George Shelley in Four Gunmen for the Holy Trinity (1971)

Ida Galli (Evelyn Stewart) as Julia in Four Gunmen of the Holy Trinity (1971)

Directed by:
Giorgio Cristallini

Cast:
Peter Lee Lawrence … George Shelley
Ida Galli … Julia
as Evelyn Stewart
Phillipe Hersent … Marshal Thomas
Umberto Raho … Quinn Paradine
Daniela Giordano … Sarah Bowman
Valerie Fabrizi … Adeline Martinez
Daniele Vargas … Thompson
Paul Oxon … Jefferson
Tonino Pierfederici … Papa Jimmy Martinez
Salvatore Fuman … Ned the midget
Antonella Murgia … Ana
Raymond Bussieres … Doc Gordon
Raf Baldassarre … Paradine henchman
as Ralph Baldwin
Mimmo Maggine … Paradine henchman
Giglio Gigli … Bob

Runtime: 107 min.

aka:
I quattro pistoleri di Santa Trinitá
Four Pistols for Trinity

Music: Roberto Pregadio

Songs: “Julie” by Peter Boom
“It Was a Joke” by Valeria Fabrizi

Phillipe Hersent as Marshal Thomas in Four Gunmen of the Holy Trinity (1971)

Daniela Giordano as Sarah Bowman in Four Gunmen of the Holy Trinity (1971)

Memorable lines:

Jimmy Martinez: “At my age, there’s no use looking for the happy ending anymore, young fella. You just try to get along with everyone and everything.”

Martinez’s son: “Mom, I don’t like that guy dressed all in black like a crow.”

George Shelley, about Julia: We’re from the same town. We grew up side by side. It was all very normal. Then we fell in love. I had the marriage license in my pocket. Then she ran away. And I’ll tell you this much, it’s not true about time healing all wounds.”

Daniele Vargas as Thompson in Four Gunmen of the Holy Trinity (1971)

Valerie Fabrizi as Adeline Martinez in Four Gunmen of the Holy Trinity (1971)

Doc Gordon: “You, young man, pick up any bullets on your way home?”
George Shelley: “Not yet, doc. Sorry to disappoint you.”

Julia, as the sheriff prepares to give George a six-shooter for their ride together: “He won’t need that. Honestly, I’m unarmed. And harmless as well.”
Sheriff: “That a fact. I’m not so certain.”

Quinn Paradine, stalking the wounded George: “It’s all over my boy. I’m going to carry your stupid head up to Julia on a platter. She deserves such a trophy.”

Paul Oxon as Jefferson in Four Gunmen of the Holy Trinity (1971)

Antonella Murgia as Ana in Four Gunmen of the Holy Trinity (1971)

Trivia:

One of nine Spaghetti Westerns featuring former Miss Italy Daniela Giordano. In a fascinating 2013 interview with the Spaghetti Western Database, she says she had a chance to become Miss Europe, but she and her mother declined. She wanted to get on with her film career.

Spaghetti fans are most likely to remember Valerie Fabrizi for her role as the pretty saloon girl Margie in Ringo and His Golden Pistol (1966), starring Mark Damon. But a decade before this film, she was the top-bill gal in an Italian film called “Le magnifche 7.” It’s about seven undercover agents, all women, trying to bring the men involved in a white slave ring to justice.