Thursday 17 May 2007

Two Mules for Sister Sara 1970

Two Mules for Sister Sara is an American western movie starring Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLaine. It was filmed in 1970 and directed by Don Siegel. The film opens with its star saving a naked woman from being gang-raped. He's more than a little surprised when the attractive woman, Sister Sara (Shirley MacLaine), dons a habit. It seems she's deeply committed to a group of Mexican revolutionaries fighting against the French. Hogan (played by Eastwood), agrees to escort her to the camp, since he's already arranged to help them attack the French garrison, in exchange for a portion of the garrison's strongbox if they are successful.

Below: How Two Mules for Sister Sara may have opened in UK cinemas with its original A certificate
Below: Original Trailer for Two Mules for Sister Sara
             
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Very Rare British UK QUAD poster 30 x 40
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 2 x 3 colour Transparency Clint in deep thought
Below: Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 4 "x 5 " colour Transparency Clint eating watermelon
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 7" Vinyl very RARE 33rpm Promo Interview disc
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 7" Vinyl very RARE 45rpm with 4 original radio spots 60, 30, 10, 10 seconds
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Clint Eastwood Don Siegel Original rolled Belgium poster
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Clint Eastwood Orig Yugoslavian poster
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 DVD Widescreen Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLaine
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Blu-ray release of film
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Original full US Press sheet announcing important change of credits
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Ennio Morricone score CD
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 European illustrated booklet, with nice ads etc
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 FOH set x 8 UK colour stills
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Original German film program
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Japan Original Rare fully illustrated colour Brochure
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Lobby set x 22 colour German cards
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Mini colour Lobby stills x 7 USA
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Original German film poster
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Original rolled US 60 x 40 poster, stunning artwork
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Original rolled US Half sheet poster stunning artwork
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Original trailer 8mm
(To view Trailer, go to top)
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Original US TV Spot 16MM
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Original USA Press book
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 10 x 8 Press Stills b/w x 30 + 5 Colour
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 Rare U.S. LP soundtrack with full artwork Sleeve
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 UK large fold out type promotional booklet advertising range etc mint
Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 UK original illustrated booking form 70mm

Two Mules For Sister Sara 1970 UK Original Press sheet

Two Mules For Sister Sara Commercial Artwork concept EASTWOOD
Two Mules For Sister Sara Commercial Poster Head and Shoulder pose
Two Mules For Sister Sara Commercial Poster release BW head & shoulder shot
Two Mules For Sister Sara Commercial release Head & shoulder shot
Two Mules For Sister Sara (One of many quality cuttings from around the world)
Here's some recently discovered very rare shots taken during production
Below: Clint Eastwood, Don Siegel and actress Shirley MacLaine on the set
Below: Actress Shirley MacLaine applying make up on the movie set of Two Mules for Sister Sara
Below: Actress Shirley MacLaine wearing a nun's costume on the movie set
Below: Clint Eastwood on the set
Below: Film director Don Siegel and actor Clint Eastwood on the movie set
Below: Shirley MacLaine and Actor Clint Eastwood on the movie set
Universal Pictures released 2 versions of the Lobby set, commonly known among Eastwood collectors as the 'Yellow' and 'Blue' set, below is the yellow version.
Below: An example of the 'Blue' set, note the different artwork used..
Below: A great example of the very nice Italian photobustas that were released for the film.
Below: One of the LP versions that has still escaped my own collection, MKPS2013 has a great photo sleeve of both Eastwood and MacLaine.. I live in hope!
Above: A couple of nice publicity shots for Two Mules for Sister Sara
Below: A couple of very nice location shots taken during filming
Below: Two Mules for Sister Sara original Universal Banner
Below: Two Mules for Sister Sara U.S. 30 x 40 poster
Below: Three nice examples of Italian Poster art for the film
Below: Another 2 examples of great German artwork
Above: A French version of the film poster
Below: A very nice and what is thought to be an early a pre-production shot, as Clint's costume is not the same as that featured in the film. A big thank you to my friend Kevin Wilkinson for providing this great shot.
Below: 3 more very nice shots provided by Kevin Wilkinson
Below: A couple of wonderful behind the scenes shots
Here's a rather nice and very rare 7" 45rpm Single release from Japan MCS371
Below: Preparing to film the knock out scene
Below: The very rare Japanese B2 poster
Below: Some nice examples of 10 x 8 bw stills
Below: Two Mules for Sister Sara Swedish 1 sheet poster
Below: I can't say that I've seen this picture before, a nice profile shot of Clint from Two Mules for Sister Sara
Below: with new found friend on location
Original Reviews
Two Mules For Sister Sara (1970)
June 25, 1970
'Two Mules for Sister Sara'
By ROGER GREENSPUN, New York Times
Published: June 25, 1970

Directed by Don Siegel after a story by Budd Boetticher, "Two Mules for Sister Sara," which opened yesterday at the Cinerama Theater, ought to be the realization of a movie lover's dream. And, by the happiest juxtapositions of imagination and talent, it is. I'm not sure that it is a great movie, but it is very good, and it stays and grows in the mind the way only movies of exceptional narrative intelligence do.
Intelligence is the operative word; for although the film is also charming, funny, cruel, sad and occasionally quite terrifying, it is by the richness and complex vigor with which it combines events, ideas, images and people that it chiefly lives.

Essentially, just two people: Hogan (Clint Eastwood), an American mercenary working for followers of the 19th-century Mexican patriot Juárez, and Sara (Shirley MacLaine), a nun whom Hogan rescues from rape by desperadoes but who, as an avid Juarista, is in greater danger from the governing French. On horseback and mule (hence the title, which I don't like) the pair set off on an odyssey that is partly flight from pursuing troops and other dangers, and partly an expedition to plunder and destroy a French garrison at Chihuahua.





Between Hogan and Sara (two good performances from Eastwood and Miss MacLaine) a basic tension exists as between one who practices a profession and one who follows the call to a vocation. But within Sara, a most suspicious sister, the tension also exists—and within Hogan as well, for he carries a stick of dynamite near his heart, as a nun might wear her cross, and with his black gunpowder he effects miraculous cures.
Furthermore, Sara is most mysteriously spiritual when most openly physical (a paradox enforced by Ennio Morricone's gracefully functional musical score), and everywhere this Western adventure film proceeds through a course of intricate, flexible and deeply satisfying dialectics.

In its development of major themes and minor preoccupations "Two Mules for Sister Sara" sounds mostly like the work of Don Siegel ("Coogan's Bluff," "Madigan," Hell Is for Heroes," etc.), and in its narrative shapeliness it feels very much like Budd Boetticher ("The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond." "Comanche Station," etc.—a fine and somewhat neglected filmmaker). I have no idea that the two men collaborated, but I am very glad that both names are involved.
One collaboration should be mentioned—that of the director, and the film editors (Robert Shugrue and Juan José Marino) and the great Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa. Figueroa photographed "Los Olvidados," "Nazarin", "Exterminating Angel" and Simon of the Desert," but nothing in his work with Buñuel exceeds such passages as the exposition of desert predators in the opening title sequence of "Two Mules for Sister Sara" or, as a prelude to the film's climax, the solemn lucidity of the ascent to the Juarista mountain stronghold.
TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA directed by Don Slegel, screenplay by Albert Maltz, based on a story by Budd Boetticher; photography by Gabriel Figueroa; music by Ennio Morricone; produced by Martin Rackin and Carroll Case; released by Universal-Malpaso, in association with Sanen Productions.
At the Cinerama Theater, Broadway at 47th Street.
Running time: 114 minutes.
(The Motion Picture Association of America's Production Code and Rating Administration classifies this film: "GP—all ages admitted, parental guidane suggested.")
Sara . . . . . Shirley MacLaine
Hogan . . . . . Clint Eastwood
Colonel Beltran . . . . . Manolo Fabregas
General LeClaire . . . . . Alberto Morin
Below: Clint's reunion with Sister Sara
11th Oct 1986 Clint Eastwood walks up behind actress Shirley MacLaine and gives her a hug as she is interviewed shortly before The Thalians named MacLaine as their 1986 winner.
Below: Clint with Shirley MacLaine in a scene from Two Mules for Sister Sara
Below: Things get a little heated on location
Below: Clint and Don discuss a scene
Below: Clint takes in some refreshment during a break in filming
Below: Clint, Don and Shirley prepare the following scene
Below: Another example of the Italian fotobusta
Below: Original Japanese soundtrack LP with its Obi-band
Below: Rare full set of Mexican Lobby Cards for Two Mules for Sister Sara and original envelope 
Below: Some more great images from Two Mules for Sister Sara
Below: Two stunning, recently discovered shots of Clint in Two Mules for Sister Sara
A nice signed photo from Two Mules for Sister Sara
Below: An Australian press sheet for Two Mules for Sister Sara
Below: A couple of recently discovered and rarely seen photos from Two Mules for Sister Sara
Below: A selection of great shots from Two Mules for Sister Sara. Including the rattle snake dinner, a couple of shots of Shirley hanging out with Clint between shooting and Shirley spending some time with the locals in Mexico.
Below: Filming Two Mules for Sister Sara
Below: The German home video poster for Two Mules for Sister Sara