Main Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Clint Eastwood, Manolo Fábregas, Alberto Morin, Armando Silvestre
Release Year: 1970
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Director Budd Boetticher wrote the story upon which this comic Western was based. Clint Eastwood stars as Hogan, a tough cowboy who rescues a woman, Sara (Shirley Maclaine) as she's about to be attacked by a trio of rapists. Surprised to learn that his new traveling companion is a nun, Hogan agrees to escort her to a camp occupied by anti-French revolutionaries. It turns out that neither of this pair is what they claim to be: Hogan is to scout out a French military garrison for a future attack, while Sara is actually a prostitute masquerading as a nun. After Hogan spies Sara smoking cigars and drinking whiskey, he begins to figure out she's not a bride of Christ, and the two team up with the Juaristas to destroy the French fortifications. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
John Kelly - Second American; David Estuardo - Juan; Ada Carrasco - Juan's Mother; Pancho Cordoba - Juan's father; Pedro Armendariz, Jr. - Young French Officer; José Chavez - Horacio; Rosa Furman; Pedro Galvan; Enrique Lucero - 3rd American; Margarito Luna; José Torvay; Hortensia Santovena; Jose Angel "Ferrusquilla" Espinosa
Credit
Jose Rodriguez Granada - Art Director, Helen Colvig - Costume Designer, Carlos Chavez - Costume Designer, Joe Cavalier - First Assistant Director, Don Siegel - Director, Robert F. Shugrue - Editor, Juan Jose Marino - Editor, Ennio Morricone - Composer (Music Score), Frank Westmore - Makeup, Gabriel Figueroa - Cinematographer, Carroll Case - Producer, Martin Rackin - Producer, Pablo Galvan - Set Designer, Leon Ortega - Special Effects, Frank Brendel - Special Effects, Buddy Van Horn - Stunts, Budd Boetticher - Screenwriter, Albert Maltz - Screenwriter
Budd Boetticher, a long term resident of Mexico renowned for his series of Randolph Scott westerns, wrote the original 1967 screenplay that was bought with the provision that Boetticher would direct. Boetticher had planned the film for Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr who had played a man of action and a nun in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison. Kerr's character was a member of the Mexican aristocracy escaping the vengeance of the Mexican Revolution with Mitchum's cowboy protecting her as he led her to safety to the United States. Carrol Case sold the screenplay to Martin Rackin who had Albert Maltz, also living in Mexico, rewrite the story. Maltz's version had Clint Eastwood playing a soldier of fortune for the Juaristas and Shirley MacLaine playing a revolutionary prostitute.[1] Boetticher expressed disgust with MacLaine's bawdy character obviously not looking like a nun as opposed to his idea of a genteel lady whose final revelation would have been more of a surprise to the audience.[2]
Though Boetticher was friends with both Eastwood and director Don Siegel, Siegel understood Boetticher's dislike of the final film. Boetticher asked Siegel how he could make an awful film like that with Siegel replying that it was a great feeling to wake up in the morning and know there was a cheque in the mail whilst Boettcher replied it was a better feeling to wake up in the morning and be able to look at yourself in the mirror.[3]
Eastwood had been shown the script by Elizabeth Taylor during the filming of Where Eagles Dare with the view of Taylor playing the female role. The role eventually went to MacLaine after Taylor did not wish to do the film, with Eastwood believing that the studio was keen on MacLaine as they had high hopes for her film Sweet Charity where she played a taxi dancer.[4]
Shock rocker Alice Cooper released a song on his 2001 album Dragontown entitled "Sister Sara", which is about a woman posing as a nun while living a life of sin.
