Tierra Brutal (Savage Guns) is directed by Michael Carreras and adapted to screenplay by Edmund Morris from the story The San Siado Killings written by Peter R. Newman. It stars Richard Basehart, Don Taylor, Alex Nicol, Fernando Rey, José Nieto, José Manuel Martín, Paquita Rico and Manolita Barroso. Music is by Anton Garcia Abril and cinematography by Alfredo Fraile.
It's 1870 in Sonora, Mexico, and wounded gunman drifter Steve Fallon (Basehart) is taken in by rancher Mike Summers (Taylor) and his wife, Franchea (Rico). While recuperating Steve learns that Mike is an ex- Confederate officer who has turned pacifist and refused to ever fire a gun again. That is something which is proving to be a problem as the Summers ranch is being threatened by land baron Ortega (Nieto) and his hired thugs. Steve sees a way he can thank the Summers family...
Hammer Studios regulars Carreras and Sangster formed the short lived Capricorn Productions to release this Paella Western filmed out of Almeria in Spain. It's influence on the trajectory of Euro Westerns is telling, even if as filmic entertainment it's pretty average fare.
Good guys wear black.
Film follows along the lines of Shane, with Basehart a weary old gunman finally finding what he says is the first home he has had since he was 15. Helps that he has a considerable love interest here as well in the shapely and beautiful form of Franchea's sister, Juana (Barroso). He can't believe his luck as much as we can't believe she would fall for a bloke old enough to be her dad!
It's a slow build of a film, sometimes too laborious for its own good, but the action when it comes is well staged (except for one fist-fight that is wholly unbelievable) and the characters are a roll call of types that would form the basis for many a Spaghetti Western that surfaced in the following years.
Interestingly the poster for it has the production as being in Totalscope and Eastmancolor, yet I didn't see this on the credits, in fact it said Metrocolor. Either way it's a nice colour production in the traditional Euro Western sense, with sun baked vistas framing the grizzled characters and the architecture, both natural and man built, gives off the requisite period vibe.
Abril's musical score is excellent, though it's not what we would come to know as a Spaghetti/Paella composition. But it really lifts certain sequences to better heights with stabs of brass mixing with military styled percussion. Cast are fine, with Basehart, enjoying playing a bad ass, and Nicol on over drive loose cannon head henchman duty, particularly enjoyable. 6/10
It's 1870 in Sonora, Mexico, and wounded gunman drifter Steve Fallon (Basehart) is taken in by rancher Mike Summers (Taylor) and his wife, Franchea (Rico). While recuperating Steve learns that Mike is an ex- Confederate officer who has turned pacifist and refused to ever fire a gun again. That is something which is proving to be a problem as the Summers ranch is being threatened by land baron Ortega (Nieto) and his hired thugs. Steve sees a way he can thank the Summers family...
Hammer Studios regulars Carreras and Sangster formed the short lived Capricorn Productions to release this Paella Western filmed out of Almeria in Spain. It's influence on the trajectory of Euro Westerns is telling, even if as filmic entertainment it's pretty average fare.
Good guys wear black.
Film follows along the lines of Shane, with Basehart a weary old gunman finally finding what he says is the first home he has had since he was 15. Helps that he has a considerable love interest here as well in the shapely and beautiful form of Franchea's sister, Juana (Barroso). He can't believe his luck as much as we can't believe she would fall for a bloke old enough to be her dad!
It's a slow build of a film, sometimes too laborious for its own good, but the action when it comes is well staged (except for one fist-fight that is wholly unbelievable) and the characters are a roll call of types that would form the basis for many a Spaghetti Western that surfaced in the following years.
Interestingly the poster for it has the production as being in Totalscope and Eastmancolor, yet I didn't see this on the credits, in fact it said Metrocolor. Either way it's a nice colour production in the traditional Euro Western sense, with sun baked vistas framing the grizzled characters and the architecture, both natural and man built, gives off the requisite period vibe.
Abril's musical score is excellent, though it's not what we would come to know as a Spaghetti/Paella composition. But it really lifts certain sequences to better heights with stabs of brass mixing with military styled percussion. Cast are fine, with Basehart, enjoying playing a bad ass, and Nicol on over drive loose cannon head henchman duty, particularly enjoyable. 6/10