La Bataille de San Sebastian

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La Bataille de San Sebastian
Directed by Henri Verneuil
Produced by Jacques Bar
Ernesto Enríquez
Written by William Barby Faherty (novel)
Serge Gance
Miguel Morayta
Ennio De Concini
James R. Webb (English screenplay)
Starring Anthony Quinn
Anjanette Comer
Charles Bronson
Sam Jaffe
Silvia Pinal
Music by Ennio Morricone
Cinematography Armand Thirard
Editing by Françoise Bonnot
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s) 1968
Running time 111 min (USA)
Country France Italy Mexico
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

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.

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