Guns for San Sebastian (1967)

Anthony Quinn plays Leon Alastray, an outlaw on the run given sanctuary by an old priest.

As punishment, the priest is banished to the remote village of San Sebastian. Alastray, feeling at least a little guilty, accompanies him on the journey.

Well, the priest is soon killed by a bandit. And when Alastray dons his robe, the villagers mistake him for their new priest — one capable of performing miracles since there’s no wound behind the bullet hole in that robe.

Perhaps he can show them a way to co-exist with the warring Yaquis and chief Golden Lance.

Perhaps he can get them out from under the thumb of Teclo (Charles Bronson), their self-appointed protector.

It’s not a role Alastray relishes, but with a little urging from the pretty Kinita (Anjanette Comer), he’s convinced to become a leader in a village of doubters, even if he’s a leader with more of a military than religious bent.

Review:

Far from flawless, but the combination of a wonderful performance by Quinn, a splendid score from Morricone, a unique plot and an unusual attack on the Mexican village make this a far better than average film.

The film is set in Mexico in the late 1700s, when the Spanish government expected priests to focus on building magnificent churches.

Instead, Quinn helps his followers build a dam so their crops grow, then a fort so that they can protect their village. He even turns to one of his lovers to secure guns and a cannon from the governor’s own arsenal.

The marked the only Western directed by Henri Verneuil and the only Spaghetti of sorts to feature Quinn.

Anjanette Comer, the young woman who falls for the much older Quinn, had one of the lead roles in Marlon Brando’s “The Appaloosa” a year earlier.

Directed by:
Henri Verneuil

Cast:
Anthony Quinn … Leon Alastray
Anjanette Comer … Kinita
Charles Bronson … Teclo
Sam Jaffe … Father Joseph
Silvia Pinal … Felicia
Jorge Martinez de Hoyos … Felipe Cayetano
Jaime Fernandez … Golden Lance
Rosa Furman … Agueda
Leon Askin … Vicar General
Jose Chaze … Antonito
Ivan Desny … Col. Calleja
Fernand Gravey … Governor
Pedro Armendariz Jr. … Father Lucas

Also with: Jorge Russek, Aurora Clavel, Enrique Lucero, Jorge Russek, Julio Aldama, Jose Espinosa, Pancho Cordova, Enrique Lucero, Chano Urueta, Noe Murayama, Guillermo Hernandez, Francisco Reiguera, Carlos Berriochea, Armando Acosta, Guy Fox, Rico Lopez, Emilio Fernández

Score: Ennio Morricone

aka:
I cannoni di San Sebastian
La bataille de San Sebastia

Memorable lines:

Priest to Alastry: “God must see some good in you. Though I grant, he must have very sharp eyes.”
Alastray, prostitute bound: “Tell him to keep his eyes shut tonight.”

Alastray: “Hey, priest, you want to hear my confession?”
Priest: “No thank you.”
Alastray: “It will make you feel 10 years younger.”
Priest: “Or perhaps older.”

Teclo to Alastray: “You take a long time to die. What’s the matter? Wouldn’t your father open the gate? Well, don’t worry, we’ll let you knock again, priest.”

Alastray to Teclo: “I have a terrible fault. I don’t like to take orders.”

Kinita: “So you’re leaving. Where are you going?”
Alastray: “What difference does it make? A man goes from the place he is born to the place he dies.”

Felicia to Alastray: “I will tell the governor you have a price on your head.”
Alastray: “And I will tell the governor you have a beauty spot on your …”

Government representative, after chastising the people of San Sebastian for building a fortress while their church is in ruins: “Where is your priest?”
Alastray: “There is no priest here. The last one is buried down below. He was an old man, and a little crazy. He saw God in people. And not in the stones of a church.”