TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA: Blu-ray re-issue (Universal, 1970) Kino Lorber

 In 1973, Clint Eastwood cheerily stepped up to the podium at the annual Oscar telecast as a very last-minute replacement for Charlton Heston, delayed by a flat tire on the Santa Monica freeway. Attempting to recite a monologue obviously scripted for Heston, with its references to Moses and Cecil B. DeMille, Eastwood paused after stumbling over the script, adding, “Who do they pick to replace Chuck Heston with, but a guy who’s said ten lines in eight movies!”; a self-deprecating quip that brought down the house. The point, however, was well taken. For Eastwood’s screen presence until then had little to do with his oratorical skills. Yet, here was an actor who could fill a room or command a scene with a mere flick of a match or the ever so slightly lowered brow; for whom, one steely-eyed glance registered an avalanche of contempt and a prelude to disaster for the arch nemesis playing the scene. Time and again, Clint Eastwood has proven (as though proof were required) he can hold court, seemingly without even trying. Had he been born a century earlier he likely could have become the greatest silent actor of his generation. As it stands, Eastwood has made (and continues to make) indelible impressions in the world of sound and fury, either as the essence or antithesis of overt masculinity, and, calling the shots from behind the camera. The transition of Eastwood – from star to ‘star director’ has ostensibly been as unrehearsed. Of course, it is all just an act. For no artist who has remained so relevant for so long has done so without first carefully honing his craft through meticulous research and planning; even more cleverly, to maintain that untouchable star power without an awful lot of talent, charisma and business savvy. No, Clint Eastwood undeniably has professionalism plus, the advantage now, more so than ever, of being a beloved as a figurehead, to have successfully straddled the chasm between old and new Hollywood.

Don Siegel’s Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970) is a run-of-the-mill western actioner, made better than its script by Siegel’s gritty resolve and, of course, Eastwood’s presence as the stoic mercenary - Hogan, herein, pitted against a no-nonsense nun, Sara (Shirley MacLaine) - shades of the ole Heaven Knows Mr. Allison (1957) high concept cropping up now and then.  For those unfamiliar, both pictures feature the unlikely friendship to blossom between a devout nun and, seemingly, irredeemable sinner who, in fact, turns out to be the grand lady’s protector and champion in the end. Alas, Two Mules for Sister Sara is also something of a Sergio Leone knockoff, right down to Ennio Morricone’s score and earthy Mexican locales. Herein, it’s the characterizations that count. The on-screen chemistry between MacLaine and Eastwood is unique and compelling. He saves her from being raped by banditos while on a mission during the French intervention and she repays him with…well…spunk – plenty of it. Here is a gal who is not about to let either her vows or her her habit get in the way of telling her laic deliverer what’s what. As a pair of mismatched drifters, Eastwood and MacLaine have great fun getting to their common ground from decidedly different perspectives, flirtations and short fuses aside.

Besides, Sara is not exactly Hogan idea of a nun. Her external religiosity is punctuated by some strange behaviors and occasionally saucy wit. As with practically every western ever made, it is the journey here, rather than the destination, that counts - her ‘Mutt’ to his ‘Jeff’ crossing some of the most unforgiving scorched earth on the planet, intermittently plagued by enemies aplenty, both human and animal, forcing the unlikely compatriots much closer together. Albert Maltz’s screenplay is dependent on a revelation undisclosed until the movie’s last act that will forever alter the tenor of this otherwise straightforward and fairly predictable yarn. Maltz has cleverly spaced out his suggestive glimmers Sister Sara is not all that she first appears, and MacLaine is, of course, her usual naughty self, allowing Hogan to experience full-on awkwardness out of necessity as he forces Sara up a tree by grabbing onto her buttocks. She enjoys it too, along with wielding her silver crucifix like a pick axe to ward off unwanted advances, while taking liberal swigs of hooch and using a few choice words that would likely set the Papacy back and bring out the Holy waters for an exorcism in support of her meandering soul.

It sounds hokey, but it works – at least, partly, the weary travelers ‘getting to know you’ infrequently interrupted by their misadventures in ole Mexico. The most suspenseful vignette, their precision-planned destruction of a train trestle, gets interrupted when Hogan takes a Yaqui arrow in his backside, forcing the squeamish Sara to cauterize his gaping wound under his expert tutelage.  Because Two Mules for Sister Sara is not heavily plotted, it excels as the unlikeliest of buddy/buddy flicks; a joyously obtuse trifle that never strains the brain, even as it generally warms the heart. We quietly observe as Eastwood’s stoic loner, hardened by years of solitary travel, is forced to rediscover the pleasures – and pitfalls – of having a companion along for the ride – especially, a woman. He is not up to being sociable and that is part, if not all, of the fun to be had here, watching Hogan stumble through a burgeoning friendship with this occasionally bawdy, yet businesslike nun. And MacLaine’s Sara is no Deborah Kerr. She may have put her faith in the Almighty, but she sure as hell will not be taking orders from any man, including Hogan. Clearly, ‘turn the other cheek’ is not part of her religious upbringing. 

Described by the critics as a sort of “African Queen gone west” and performing only modestly at the box office, Two Mules for Sister Sara was the brain child of screenwriter, Budd Boetticher and, in fact, originally planned for the aforementioned Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr. Then, Kerr’s character was to have been a Mexican aristocrat fleeing the revolution, and Mitchum, a rough n’ ready cowboy, leading her to safety in the United States. The original understanding was Boetticher would direct the movie. Alas, almost immediately upon acquiring the property, it was sold outright to Martin Rackin, who handed it over to Maltz for a complete rewrite. Always with Eastwood in mind, Maltz now reworked the character as an enterprising soldier of fortune for the Juaristas and MacLaine as a revolutionary prostitute. Disgusted, Boetticher, who was friends with both Siegel and Eastwood, later asked how the former could wake up in the morning, knowing he had mangled his movie. When Siegel glibly explained it was gratifying to stir with a cashed check for his services, Boetticher coolly insisted it would have been far more rewarding to wake and be able to take stock of one’s virtues, rather than one's shortcomings, in the mirror.

Somewhere at the start of casting the picture, Elizabeth Taylor endeavored to play the part of Sister Sara. For one reason or another, Taylor bowed out, and Universal pressed Siegel to consider Shirley MacLaine in her stead; presumably, on the high hopes MacLaine’s latest picture, the as-yet-to-be-released Sweet Charity (1969) would be a smash hit to catapult her into super stardom. Alas, no – and, in hindsight, no again, as MacLaine, performed a belly flop in both pictures, in this case, never to assimilate into the western mélange. Indeed, neither Eastwood, nor Siegel were particularly keen on her participation. Said Siegel at the time, “It's hard to feel any great warmth toward her. She's too unfeminine and has too much balls. She's very, very hard.” In hindsight, Two Mules for Sister Sara was the last time Eastwood took second billing to his co-star, until 1995’s The Bridges of Madison County. Rather arduously, this was a preamble to the Mexican shoot, that took its toll on cast and crew, virtually all coming down with some form of dysentery from the food and water.

When it finally hit theaters, Two Mules for Sister Sara was met with indifference from the critics. Even so, the picture retains curious air of tradition for the time-honored Hollywood western milieu, something of a distinct, if unprepossessing throwback to an era when nuns, cowboys, desperados and saloon whores could intermingle in these wide-open spaces. Perhaps, it was merely the wrong movie for the wrong time. Nevertheless, Two Mules for Sister Sara has its virtues; not the least, an extraordinary narrative acumen, built around two of the most dependable talents toiling in Hollywood then. And, if Eastwood and MacLaine were not the best of friends after camera stopped rolling, they nevertheless afforded each other every professional courtesy for the work being done in a collaborative environment. In hindsight, the movie’s best moments are owed the loaded exchanges between Eastwood’s caustic loner and MacLaine’s stout-hearted and entrenched gal who brooks no nonsense.  When the movie simply allows this fated pair to relate to each other, guard up/horns out, there is a palpably amusing chemistry that stirs the story enough to carry us over the largely plotless humps in the story. Alas, too often, we are aware of this absence - two stragglers on the road to nowhere – the story, more episodic and not terribly interested in making any point other than its enfeebled stance against male macho sexism under the sagebrush and tumbleweeds.  

Kino’s re-issued Blu-ray is being touted as a ‘brand new’ 4K restoration. But seriously, this disc looks identical to Universal’s own Blu from 2012, sold as part of their Clint Eastwood 7-movie Collection. We get two cuts of the movie here - domestic and international – on individual Blu’s. Image quality is suspiciously similar, with the ‘international’ cut possibly registering a shade darker. Colors are, for the most part, accurate, although the first third of the movie – in either cut – leans heavily on the green palette. Never having seen Two Mules for Sister Sara theatrically, I cannot say whether or not this is accurate.  Contrast is excellent and film grain appears indigenous to its source. But again, I detected very little difference between this reissue and the original 2012 Blu. So, if you already own the aforementioned disc, or only consider the movie as a middling Eastwood effort, you may want to stick with it and save your coin for movies yet to get even one release in hi-def. The audio here is 2.0 DTS but sounds uncharacteristically better than anticipated. Dialogue is crisp and Morricone’s cues come across with memorable verve. Kino sweetens the deal here with a new audio commentary on the international cut by filmmaker/writer, Alex Cox. Also, on the docket, an 8-minute At Home with Clint: Vintage Candid Interview with Clint Eastwood, plus a fairly comprehensive image gallery, theatrical trailer, TV and radio spots. Bottom line: Two Mules for Sister Sara is a passable western, noteworthy for Eastwood and MacLaine’s participation, and Siegel’s skillful direction. The script is a bit of a mess, eventually to undue all the good into a sort of western gumbo from whence not even star power and charisma can be salvaged altogether.  Regrets.

FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)

2.5

VIDEO/AUDIO

4 – both cuts

EXTRAS

3