Guns for San Sebastian

"The epic of a town that became an army"

1967 1h 51m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 109

Western

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Leon Alastray is an outlaw who has been given sanctuary by Father John, whom he then escorts to the village of San Sebastian. The village is deserted, with its cowardly residents hiding in the hills from Indians, who regularly attack the village and steal all their supplies. When Father John is murdered, the villagers mistakenly think the outlaw is the priest. Alastray at first tells them he is not a priest, but they don't believe it, and an apparent miracle seems to prove they are correct. Eventually, he assists them in regaining their confidence and defending themselves.

“The epic of a town that became an army”

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Cast

Anthony Quinn
Leon Alastray
Charles Bronson
Teclo
Jaime Fernández
Golden Lance
Leon Askin
Vicar General
Anjanette Comer
Kinita
Sam Jaffe
Père Joseph
Silvia Pinal
Félicia
Jorge Martínez de Hoyos
Felipe Cayetano

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Henri Verneuil
Writers: Serge Gance, Miguel Morayta, Ennio De Concini
Languages: English
Countries: France, Italy, Mexico

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

59 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: France, Italy, Mexico.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Henri Verneuil, shot by Armand Thirard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Françoise Bonnot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Anthony Quinn and Charles Bronson and Jaime Fernández carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The epic of a town that became an army".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0062713 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Henri Verneuil directs. Armand Thirard behind the camera. Ennio Morricone scores. Françoise Bonnot cuts. Produced in France, Italy, Mexico. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

159 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 3 countries: France, Italy, Mexico.
3Directed by Henri Verneuil, shot by Armand Thirard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Françoise Bonnot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Anthony Quinn and Charles Bronson and Jaime Fernández carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The epic of a town that became an army".
8IMDB entry: tt0062713 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Armand Thirard
Original score: Ennio Morricone
Editing: Françoise Bonnot
Costume design: Yvonne Wood
Makeup / hair: Alex Archambault
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Guns for San Sebastian (1967)

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Henri Verneuil

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2016-01-14
★ 7/10
The Dam Busters. Guns for San Sebastian is directed by Henri Verneuil and adapted to screenplay by James R. Webb from the novel "A Wall for San Sebastian" written by William Barby Faherty. It stars Anthony Quinn, Charles Bronson, Anjanette Comer, Sam Jaffe and Silvia Pinal. Music is by Ennio Morricone and cinematography by Armand Thirard. An outlaw on the run is mistaken for a priest by peasant villagers who are at the mercy of bandits and Yaqui Indians. Something of a multi euro Western, Guns for San Sebastian latches onto the Spaghetti Western coat tails whilst attempting to put something new in the wardrobe. Undeniably the critics who said it's pedestrian in pace are absolutely right, the first two thirds of the piece asks for a great deal of your patience, whilst simultaneously demanding you buy into the various themes trundling away. With a surreal sub-plot at play, a jokey romance and some atrocious dubbing, it's not hard to dismiss it as purely fun cannon fodder. Yet there's some strengths in the piece, literary wise and from a thrilling stand point as the last third brings the thunderous siege - cum battle stations. Quinn throws in a good turn, the Durango locale is superbly photographed, and Morricone offers up one of his tonally astute scores. It's all very Magnificent 7 et al, but nothing wrong with that, that is on proviso you can get through the labours of the first hour or so. 7/10

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