Spaghetti westerns were so popular at a time that producers were churning them out like butter. These film would even make some of the actors into stars. The most notable one would have to be the legendary Clint Eastwood. Maybe not every spaghetti western actor was as lucky as Eastwood. But they all gave movie fans something to enjoy for generations.
One of those spaghetti westerns was 1968s Guns For San Sebastian starring two legends Charles Bronson and Anthony Quinn. The interesting thing is that this is the only spaghetti western to not be filmed in Spain. Now thanks to the good folks at Warner Archive this classic is making it's Blu-ray debut.
The film follows fugitive Leon Alastray (Anthony Quinn) who meets Father Joseph, a Franciscan priest, while on the run. Joseph helps Alastray avoid the law, as they travel together. When they reach a ghost town, Joseph is killed and Alastray then meets half-Indian Telco (Charles Bronson). When Alastray find out that the townspeople being harassed by a band of violent Yaqui Indians he helps the villagers fight back.
This is a dramatic and entertaining western. Quinn and Bronson are a bang bang duo. Director Henri Verneuil really kept the story moving, so there is no time to get bored. The film runs just under 2 hours, but you would never know it! It feels much shorter.
Guns For San Sebastian makes its Blu-Ray debut in 1080p master in a 2:35.1 aspect ratio. The audio is a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track. There are also optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.
This transfer is something special. Film fans are used to spaghetti westerns looking rough and gritty and let's face it bad. Warner Archive's release of Guns of San Sebastian is remarkable. The colors are vibrant and the picture is crisp, but still retains the grittiness of the westerns fans know and love. Than the audio is clear with no hiss or pops. It is a great sounding audio track.
Now a beautiful copy of this western on Blu-ray is not where this release ends. Oh no... not by a long shot. Warner Archive added a couple of really cool bonus features to this release take a look at what is included.
* San Sebastian 1746 in 1968: This is a near 10 minute making of featurette. Showing behind the scenes work, narrated and featuring on-set footage and interviews. This is presented in standard definition.
* Theatrical Trailer: An over 3 Minute trailer now presented in High Definition.
While Guns of San Sebastian may not be on the same level as the Man with no name trilogy. I found this western a fun action film. Warner Archive really put a lot of love in this release and I am proud to have it in the Classic Cinema Plus Archive.
If you are a fan of spaghetti western, Anthony Quinn or Charles Bronson, this is a must add to your Blu-ray collection. You can order your copy of Guns of San Sebastian by heading over to Amazon.com and order your copy today.
Out of 4 Film reels (4 being the best) Warner Archive's Blu-Ray of 'Guns of San Sebastian' receives...
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