The unlikely pairing of Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLaine are on a desperate mission in 19th-century Mexico in Two Mules for Sister Sara. The only Western Eastwood made with director Don Siegel is coming to 4K Blu-ray this fall. Kino Lorber will release the film in ultra high-definition on November 4.
The set will be built around an all-new restoration of the film’s International Cut from a 4K scan of its original 35mm negative; it is nine minutes longer than the version of the film that played in American theaters. Special features include two audio commentaries; one by film historian Justin Humphreys, and another by filmmaker Alex Cox (Walker). It also features a vintage interview with Clint Eastwood; the theatrical trailer, TV ads, and radio spots for the film; an image and poster gallery; and trailers for ten additional Eastwood films. The set will retail for $26.57 USD, and can be preordered now on KinoLorber.com.
What Is ‘Two Mules for Sister Sara’ About?
In the film, Eastwood plays an American Civil War veteran turned mercenary, Taylor, who journeys to Mexico to find his fortune. There, he saves a young nun, Sara (MacLaine) from a group of bandits. The two of them subsequently get wrapped up in a plot by Mexican revolutionaries to drive out the occupying French forces. Along the way, Taylor finds himself falling for Sara, who isn’t like any nun he’s ever met – but there’s more to her than meets the eye. The film was made to deliberately emulate the successful Spaghetti Westerns Eastwood had made in Europe for director Sergio Leone; it even boasts a score by Ennio Morricone. The film was a moderate financial success, and was well-reviewed.
No director (save for himself) has worked with Clint Eastwood more times than Don Siegel; Eastwood has cited Siegel’s directoria style as a great influence on his own, and dedicated Unforgiven to Siegel and Sergio Leone. Before Two Mules for Sister Sara, Siegel and Eastwood made 1968’s Coogan’s Bluff, a crime thriller about a rural sheriff who pursues a killer to New York City. They followed Two Mules up with The Beguiled, a psychological thriller set in a girls’ school during the Civil War; Dirty Harry, the hard-hitting thriller that redefined the cop movie; and Escape From Alcatraz, a fact-based prison drama. Eastwood had intended to direct the latter film himself, but Siegel outmaneuvered him and bought the rights himself. This created a rift between the two, and Siegel never directed Eastwood again.
Kino Lorber’s 4K release of Two Mules for Sister Sara will be released on November 4, 2024. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.