Sunscorched (1965)

Mark Stevens is Sheriff Jess Kinley, the law in a small Western town where he lives with his wife Lillian and their young child.

One day, four ruffians show up. Jess immediately recognizes gang leader Abel Dragna (Mario Adolf).

That’s because years earlier, Jess rode with Dragna’s gang. And that’s a secret Jess has closely guarded ever since.

Dragna decides he’s found the perfect place for his gang to rest up from all their thievery.

They can throw their weight around, demand services they can’t pay for and harass a townswoman now and then. The sheriff is powerless to stop them.

And he delights in watching Jess Kinley squirm. Turns out Dragna blames Jess for a five-year stint he spent in prison.

He was caught just after Jess left the gang. Ever since, he’s suspects Jess of tipping off the law to the gang’s whereabouts.

Before long, town leaders begin to lose confidence in their sheriff.

Then things turn violent. But will event that prod Jess into action?

Mark Stevens as Sheriff Jess Kinley, recognizing Abel Dragna as he arrives in Fraserville in Sunscorched (1965)

Mario Adorf as Abel Dragna, accusing Jess Kinley of turning on him five years earlier in Sunscorched (1965)

Review:

If you hit play and expect Spaghetti influences — snarling close-ups and flamboyant dances of death — look elsewhere.

But this is a well-filmed, well-acted early Euro Western with a script fresh enough to keep your attention.

Marianne Koch, second-billed in the version I watched, has an interesting role as Anna-Lisa Schmidt, daughter of an ailing stable owner.

So she runs the stable. She also pines over the married sheriff to the point where she won’t consider a future with another man.

And if Stevens shows his age in a rather laid back performance, Adolf makes up for it as a snarling villain of the piece.

He even has his own warped code of conduct, something his gang members learn if they step out of line. Especially if they threaten his plans by doing so.

Marianne Koch as Anna-Lisa, addressing a young admirer who reminds her he won’t wait forever in Sunscorched (1965)

Vivien Dodds as Lillian Kinley, trying to understand why her husband is distubed by the four newcomers to town in Sunscorched (1965)

Directed by:
Jaime Jesus Balcazar
Mark Stevens

Cast:
Mark Stevens … Sheriff Jess Kinley
Marianna Koch … Anna Lisa Schmidt
Mario Adorf … Abel Dragna
Oscar Pellicer … Twitch
Frank Oliveras … Luke Short
Antonio Iranzo … Charlie Rivers
Vivien Dods … Lillian ‘Lily’ Kinley
Jesus Pusche … Papa Schmidt, stable owner
Mario Via … Sepp Dietrich
Julio Pena … The Rev. Dietrich
Luis Rivera … Kurt
Gustavo Re …. Meninlea, saloon owner

Runtime: 84 / 98 min.

Music: Michele Auzepy

aka:
Tierra de fuego
Jessy non perdona… uccide
Jessy Does Not Forgive
Blazing Sun
Land of Fire

Oscar Pellicer as Twitch, an outlaw lusting after Anna-Lisa in Sunscorched (1965)

Gang members Charlie (Antonio Iranzo) and Luke (Frank Oliveras) meeting Anna-Lisa as her father (Jesus Puche) looks on in Sunscorched (1965)

Memorable lines:

Sorry, I watched a non-English version of this film.

Julio Pena as the Rev. Dietrich, berating Abel Dragna and his fellow outlaws in Sunscorched (1965)

Mario Via as Sepp Dietrich, the reverend’s son, who looks up to Sheriff Jess Kinley in Sunscorched (1965)

Trivia:

Marianne Koch is best remembered for her role as Marisol in “Fistful of Dollars,” though her character doesn’t speak a single word. She appeared in dozens of films between 1950 and 1969, including six Euro Westerns. She then returned to Germany to continue her studies to become a doctor, studies that were initially interrupted when she began acting. She earned her degree in 1974 and worked as a specialist in internal medicine in Munich until 1997.

Marianna Koch as Anna-Lisa Schmidt, making a confession to Sheriff Jess Kinley (Mark Stevens) in Sunscorched (1965)

Mark Stevens was 48 and living in semi-retirement in Spain when this film was released. He began a long and prolific acting career in 1943, but didn’t appear in his first Western until 1953 (“Jack Slade”). This marked his only appearance in a Euro Western and his last directing credit. He also directed and starred in the 1958 Western “Gun Fever.” He died of cancer in 1994 at age 77.

Mark Stevens as Jess Kinley, coming face to face with an old friend turned enemy (Mario Adorf as Abel Dragna) in Sunscorched (1965)

In 2016, Mario Adorf received a Bambi award for his life’s work as a German actor. The same year, at age 86, he appeared in a three-part German TV adaption of the Winnetou story, playing the father of a character he had portrayed in 1963’s “Apache Gold.” He appeared in several Hollywood films too, including “Major Dundee” (1965), as one of the men under Charlton Heston’s command. He reportedly turned down the role of Gen. Mapache in “The Wild Bunch” because he believed the character was too violent.

Oscar Pellicar as Twitch and Mario Adorf as Abel Dragna interrupting a town dance in Sunscorched (1965)

Mark Stevens as Sheriff Jess Kinley, hearing a surprising bit of news in Sunscorched (1965)

Gustavo Re as Meninlea, a saloon owner forced to serve four ruffians with no hope of being paid in Sunscorched (1965)

Luis Rivera as Kurt, lashing out at Sheriff Jess Kinley after being rejected by Anna-Lisa in Sunscorched (1965)

Felipe Pena as the judge in Fraserville, informing Jess the town has lost faith in him in Sunscorched (1965)

Vivien Dodds as Lillian Kinley, blaming husband Jess Kinley (Mark Stevens) for a young man’s death in Sunscorched (1965)