Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970)

In 1970, Eastwood starred in the western, Two Mules for Sister Sara with Shirley MacLaine. The film, directed by Siegel, is a story about an American mercenary who gets mixed up with a whore disguised as a nun and aid a group of Juarista rebels during the puppet reign of Emperor Maximilian in Mexico. The script was written by Budd Boetticher but was challenged by the writer-producer Martin Rackin and experienced many disagreements over the script and filming. Rackin, who was disliked by both Eastwood and Siegel attempted to cut costs of the picture and pushed to shoot in Mexico and employ a Mexican cast of relative unknowns. Rackin hired Albert Malz, a onetime member of the Hollywood Ten to rewrite the script and pay homage to Leone's westerns. The film saw Eastwood embody the tall mysterious stranger once more, although the film was considerably less crude and more sardonic than those of Leone. The role of Sister Sara was initially offered to Elizabeth Taylor during the filming of Where Eagles Dare (Taylor then being the wife of Richard Burton) but had to turn down the role because she wanted to shoot in Spain where Burton was filming his latest movie. Although Sister Sara was supposed to be Mexican, they eventually cast Shirley Maclaine although they were initially unconvinced with her pale complexion. Both Siegel and Eastwood felt intimidated by her onset, and Siegel described Clint's co-star as, "It's hard to feel any great warmth to her. She's too unfeminine and has too much balls. She's very, very hard." Two Mules for Sister Sara also marked the last time that Eastwood would receive second billing for a film and it would be 25 years until he risked being overshadowed by a leading lady again in The Bridges of Madison County (1995). The film, which took four months to shoot and cost around $4 million to make, received mixed reviews, and Roger Greenspun of the New York Times reported, I'm not sure it is a great movie, but it is very good and it stays and grows on the mind the way only movies of exceptional narrative intelligence do".

Budd Boetticher, a long term resident of Mexico renowned for his series of Randolph Scott westerns, wrote the original 1967 screenplay that was bought with the provision that Boetticher would direct. Boetticher had planned the film for Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr who had played a man of action and a nun in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison. Kerr's character was a member of the Mexican aristocracy escaping the vengeance of the Mexican Revolution with Mitchum's cowboy protecting her as he led her to safety to the United States. Carrol Case sold the screenplay to Martin Rackin who had Albert Maltz, also living in Mexico, rewrite the story. Maltz's version had Clint Eastwood playing a soldier of fortune for the Juaristas and Shirley MacLaine playing a revolutionary prostitute. Boetticher expressed disgust with MacLaine's bawdy character obviously not looking like a nun as opposed to his idea of a genteel lady whose final revelation would have been more of a surprise to the audience.

Though Boetticher was friends with both Eastwood and director Don Siegel, Siegel understood Boetticher's dislike of the final film. Boetticher asked Siegel how he could make an awful film like that with Siegel replying that it was a great feeling to wake up in the morning and know there was a cheque in the mail whilst Boettcher replied it was a better feeling to wake up in the morning and be able to look at yourself in the mirror.

Eastwood had been shown the script by Elizabeth Taylor during the filming of Where Eagles Dare with the view of Taylor playing the female role. The role eventually went to MacLaine after Taylor did not wish to do the film, with Eastwood believing that the studio was keen on MacLaine as they had high hopes for her film Sweet Charity where she played a taxi dancer.

Bruce Surtees was a camera operator on the film and acted as a go-between between Siegel and Gabriel Figueroa that led him to work on Siegel's next film The Beguiled. Figueroa used many photographic filters for effects in the film.

Cast

• Shirley MacLaine as Sara
• Clint Eastwood as Hogan
• Manuel Fábregas (billed as Manolo Fábregas) as Col. Beltrán
• Alberto Morin as Gen. LeClaire
• Armando Silvestre as First Bandit
• John Kelly as Second Bandit
• Enrique Lucero as Third Bandit
• David Estuardo as Juan
• Ada Carrasco as Juan's mother
• Pancho Córdova as Juan's father
• José Chávez as Horatio

Pop Culture Influences

Shock rocker Alice Cooper released a song on his 2001 album Dragontown entitled "Sister Sara", which is about a woman posing as a nun while living a life of sin.