Kein Requiem für San Bastardo (1971)

Kein Requiem für San Bastardo: Directed by Robert Parrish, Irving Lerner. With Telly Savalas, Robert Shaw, Stella Stevens, Fernando Rey. A group of Mexican revolutionaries murders a town priest and a number of his christian followers. Ten years later, a widow arrives in town intent to take revenge from her husband’s killers.

“There really is no substitute for a Sergio Leone to make this style of film work properly, and even u0026quot;The Good, the Bad, and the Uglyu0026quot; could have bombed out badly if there had been any uncertainty about the direction and editing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThat seems to be the problem with u0026quot;A town called Bastardu0026quot;. The theme has great potential, and the cast are just the ticket for the job. The locations and sets are pretty good and much of the camera work is impressive. However, it somehow just doesnu0026#39;t seem to integrate as it should. Too many loose ends maybe.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLeone would have been more diligent about making sure the audience knew in what direction the film was heading, even if the destination was not revealed until the very last scene.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eParts of the film are quite memorable and it does help to watch it at least three times; but the point is that you shouldnu0026#39;t have to if the director is doing his job properly. Robert Shaw and Martin Landau play their parts faultlessly and at least the director gives these masters of their craft a free hand to develop their characters; but good acting alone doesnu0026#39;t make a successful film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverall a disappointment but still good to view again from time to time. Could be well worth a remake to get it right. Maybe Tarantino could do something with it ? u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eR. B.”