RED SUN
DIRECTED BY TERENCE YOUNG
MUSIC BY MAURICE JARRE
LES FILMS CORONA
OCEANIA FILMS
PRDUCCIONES BALCAZAR S.A.
NATIONAL GENERAL PICTURES
INFORMATION FROM IMDb
Plot Summary
The Japanese ambassador is traveling through the Wild West by train, when gangsters hold up the train, to rob a gold shipment. They also carry an ancient Japanese sword the ambassador was carrying as a present for the US president. The ambassador's bodyguard (Toshiro Mifune) will go after them, with the aid of one of the gang's leaders betrayed by his pals...
Written by Artemis-9
Cast
Charles Bronson ... Link Stuart
Ursula Andress ... Cristina
Toshirô Mifune...Kuroda Jubie (as Toshiro Mifune)
Alain Delon ... Gotch 'Gauche' Kink
Capucine ... Pepita
Barta Barri ... Paco (as Bart Barry)
Guido Lollobrigida ... Mace (as Lee Burton)
Anthony Dawson ... Hyatt (as Tony Dawson)
Gianni Medici ... Miguel (as John Hamilton)
Georges Lycan ... Sheriff Stone (as George W. Lycan)
Luc Merenda ... Chato (as Luke Merenda)
Tetsu Nakamura ... Japanese Ambassador (as Satoshi Nakamura)
José Nieto ... Murdered Mexican farmer (as Jo Nieto)
Julio Peña ... Peppie (as Jules Pena)
Mónica Randall ... Maria (as Monica Randall)
Hiroshi Tanaka ... 2nd Samurai
and many more...
Directed
Terence Young
Writing Credits
Laird Koenig ... (story)
Denne Bart Petitclerc ... (adaptation) &
William Roberts ... (adaptation) &
Lawrence Roman ... (adaptation)
Gerald Devriès ... (dialogue) (as Gerald Devries)
Produced
Robert Dorfmann ... producer
Ted Richmond ... associate producer
Music
Maurice Jarre
Cinematography
Henri Alekan
Trivia
One of the Seven Samurai (Toshirô Mifune) and one of The Magnificent Seven (Charles Bronson) are in the movie.
The movie stars U.S. born Charles Bronson, Japanese actor Toshirô Mifune, French actor Alain Delon and Swiss actress Ursula Andress. It was filmed in Spain by the British director Terence Young.
This movie made Charles Bronson a huge star in Japan. Around this time, Bronson also did an ad for a Japanese cologne for which he earned $100,000 for just 4 days work.
John Huston considered this, Red River (1948) and Stagecoach (1939) to be among the three best westerns ever made.
The Japanese Ambassador refers to the emperor as the "Mikado". This term originated with the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta of the same name and became widely used in the West in reference to Japanese culture. No such term existed in Japan until after the operetta became internationally famous in the 1880s; well after the time-line presented in Red Sun.
Charles Bronson's character is called Link - 'links' is the German word for 'Left' The man who betrays him is 'Gauche' - which is the French word for 'Left'.
Terence Young had previously cast Ursula Andress and Anthony DawsonDr. No (1962). Young also cast Dawson in two other James Bond films - From Russia with Love (1963) and Thunderball (1965).
Ursula Andress loved the Andalusian Stallion she rode in the movie. She also fell in love with the area and bought a Spanish villa during the shoot.
Terence Young intended reuniting his cast for the drug trade thriller "Opium" in the late 1970s. Omar Sharif would also have starred, but the project never materialised.
Toshiro Mifune signed early.
Terence Young originally wanted Clint Eastwood to star.
The film was originally to be made for Warner Bros but was eventually made by France's Corona Films, headed by Robert Dorfman and Ted Richmond.
Charles Bronson filmed this movie at the same time as Chato's Land (1972).
Toshiro Mifune entertained the cast and crew throughout the entire production with his refined culinary skills, bringing over a supply of Japanese meats, watercress, seaweed, and other ingredients. He would also exchange recipes for French and Italian dishes, including spaghetti.
Originally the film was intended to be made in 1967 after associate producer Ted Richmond's Villa Rides (1968), with Laird Koenig writing the original draft. Koenig eventually received a story credit as the script was drastically reworked a number of times, most significantly by Denne Bart Petitclerc. David A. Goodman was also brought to write a version in 1968, and final screenplay credits in 1971 went to Petitclerc, William Roberts, and Lawrence Roman.
At the same time he signed on to this film, Terence Young was also preparing a biography of artist Benvenuto Cellini, potentially to star Claudia Cardinale, Raquel Welch, Ursula Andress, Romy Schneider, and Kim Novak. That film would never come to fruition, but that connection meant Andress was retained to star in this film instead.
Terence Young clashed throughout the production with Ted Richmond, who later told International Soundtrack Madrid in 1971, "We were both under tremendous tension, but I'm planning three more pictures with Young." Not surprisingly, that turned out to be wishful thinking as the two never worked together again.
Before handing off screenplay duties, Ted Richmond based the idea for the film on a story he heard from an authority on Eastern history about a Japanese representative dishonored during a trip through the American West. He prepared a 15-page outline and courted Toshiro Mifune for the role during a trip to Japan in 1966, getting the first casting commitment for the international cast
The costly production went smoothly for the most part, though a heavy, unexpected rainstorm added 18 days to the shooting schedule.
Family man Charles Bronson brought an entourage of 16 people to the set, including wife Jill Ireland and their five children.
The busy schedules of Alain Delon and Capucine meant that they flew back to France and Switzerland respectively for weekends and were helicoptered back to the location each Monday.
This film was part of a three-picture deal that Terence Young had with Charles Bronson that also included Cold Sweat (1970) and The Valachi Papers (1972).
Goofs
Continuity
Link loses his bedroll when he intentionally rolls down the cliff. At the bottom, it lands next to him.
Crew or equipment visible
Equipment visible at 43:43 in lower left hand corner.
Factual errors
This story takes place around 1870. During the train robbery, several calvary soldiers are shown with foreign type bolt action rifles. The US calvary troops were not issued bolt action rifles during this period, but were equipped with either lever-action Spencer carbines or single-shot Sharps carbines, with single-shot "trap-door" Springield carbines being introduced in 1873.
Miscellaneous
When Link Stuart at the end is waiting for the train he looks at the train coming around the bend. Behind the train you can clearly (blu-ray) see a car driving along a road near the tracks.
Filming Locations
La Calahorra, Granada, Andalucía, Spain (railroad scenes)
Adra, Almería, Spain
Manzanares el Real, Madrid, Spain
Tabernas, Almería, Andalucía, Spain