Two Mules for Sister Sara (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
Review Date: Nov 25, 2024
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Don Siegel

Release Date(s)

1970 (November 19, 2024)

Studio(s)

The Malpaso Company/Sanen Productions/Universal Pictures (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)

Film/Program Grade: B
Video Grade: A
Audio Grade: A
Extras Grade: A

Review

In the thick of Clint Eastwood’s newfound superstardom, he teamed up once again with Dirty Harry director Don Siegel for another Western, this time sharing top billing with Shirley MacLaine in Two Mules for Sister Sara from 1970. This unorthodox combination of talent set to an unusual though no less effective score by Ennio Morricone was treated surprisingly more kindly by critics than one might expect. With reports that much of the cast and crew became ill while filming on location in Mexico and that Shirley MacLaine had numerous arguments on the set with Siegel, it’s a wonder that the film holds together at all—telling an off-kilter tale that audiences accustomed to the silent, calculating, and sarcastic demeanor of the Dollars films likely weren’t expecting.

Former American soldier Hogan (Eastwood) is riding through the desert when he happens upon a group of bandits taunting and potentially raping a naked young woman (MacLaine). After he saves her, she puts her clothes back on and reveals that she’s actually a nun named Sara, an ally of the Mexican revolution. He agrees to take her to their encampment, held in place by Colonel Beltran, who’s planning to attack a French garrison where prisoners, and treasure, are supposedly being held. Many obstacles lie in their way, including French troops and random groups of Native Americans, but the biggest obstacle is Hogan’s attraction to Sara and their budding relationship, which she refuses. Yet there’s more to her than she’s willing to admit, which ultimately leads them down a path towards revelation as they struggle to aid their allies.

Two Mules for Sister Sara was shot by cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa on 35mm film (Eastman 100T 5254) with Panavision cameras and anamorphic lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Kino Lorber debuts the international cut of the film in Ultra HD from a 2020 4K scan of the original camera negative, newly-graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and presented on a triple-layered BD-100 disc. The domestic cut of the film resides on a 1080p Blu-ray, which is also included. It’s not quite the night and day difference between the previous Blu-ray and DVD releases of the film, but it’s a mighty fine presentation with healthy and refined levels of grain and a bitrate that sits mostly between 70 and 80Mbps. Detail on costumes, objects, and skin textures is increased with an added crispness. The color palette, though initially limited, blooms in the latter half of the film when some of the more colorful environments and costumes that feature shades of red, blue, and green are revealed. Otherwise, hues mostly consist of browns, tans, and whites of the desert landscapes and structures, though green foliage occasionally shines through. The HDR boosts the detail in the image; even if it’s not a dramatic difference over the previous Blu-ray, it’s still an obvious increase. Blacks are deep with perfect contrast, and the overall presentation is clean and stable, with the only faulty aspects inherent to transitions and the opening and closing titles. As I said in my review of Kino’s Blu-ray in 2020, a UHD presentation would be the only way to improve upon the look of the film, and that’s certainly the case here.

The audio for the international cut is included in English 2.0 mono and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English. The 5.1 is a new addition, which spaces out the original soundtrack, mostly in terms Ennio Morricone’s score. Dialogue is somehow much narrower at times in comparison, but the track does add a bit of aural muscle. However, I found myself mostly preferring the original mono as it’s a better balance of the various elements, even without the boost to the score. These tracks are also clean, lacking any instances of distortion or dropouts. It’s worth mentioning that the domestic cut contains the 2.0 mono only.

Two Mules for Sister Sara on 4K Ultra HD sits in black Amaray case, alongside Kino’s previous 1080p Blu-ray of the 2020 4K restoration of the film on a BD-50, with reversible artwork that features the original US theatrical poster art on the front and the original French theatrical poster art on the back. Everything is housed in a slipcover featuring the same US artwork. Each version is presented on a separate disc with the following extras:

DISC ONE: INTERNATIONAL CUT (UHD)

International Cut (UHD w/HDR – 113:55)
NEW Audio Commentary with Justin Humphreys
Audio Commentary with Alex Cox
At Home With Clint Eastwood (HD – 7:53)
Poster and Image Gallery (HD – 41 in all – 4:17)

DISC TWO: DOMESTIC CUT (BD)

Domestic Cut (HD – 105:02)
Radio Spots (HD – 4 in all – 1:48)
TV Spots (HD – 2 in all – 1:21)
Trailer (HD – 2:36)
A Fistful of Dollars Trailer (HD – 2:27)
For a Few Dollars More Trailer (Upscaled SD – 2:29)
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly Trailer (HD – 3:23)
Coogan’s Bluff Trailer (HD – 2:12)
The Beguiled Trailer (HD – 2:43)
Play Misty for Me Trailer (HD – 1:53)
Joe Kidd Trailer (HD – 2:23)
High Plains Drifter Trailer (HD – 2:31)
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot Trailer (HD – 2:10)
The Eiger Sanction Trailer (HD – 2:50)

The domestic version of the film trims about nine minutes of material sporadically throughout, with most of the cuts lasting only a few seconds. The biggest cut is a minute-long conversation between Eastwood and MacLaine. All of the cuts are extremely minor and have no real bearing on the story. It’s otherwise the same film, but it’s still a shame that it’s not included in 4K.

New to this release is an audio commentary by author and film historian Justin Humphreys, with the previous audio commentary by filmmaker and author Alex Cox in tow. Both speak at length about the making of the film and its cast and crew, particularly Humphreys who offers various facts about the actual filming. Cox tends to go quiet at times, but he still manages to provide plenty of valuable insight into the film’s creation and its place within Western history. Both of these commentaries are exclusive to the international cut. At Home With Clint Eastwood features a vintage interview with Eastwood from around the time of the film’s theatrical release. The Poster and Image Gallery contains 41 images of posters, lobby cards, publicity stills, and behind-the-scenes photos. The rest of the extras on the second disc consist of four radio spots, two TV spots, and a trailer for the film, as well as a series of Clint Eastwood-related releases by Kino Lorber.

Kino Lorber’s new 4K UHD upgrade of Two Mules for Sister Sara provides a beautiful presentation of the international cut with a bevy of great bonus materials, even if the domestic cut isn’t included in 2160p. It’s still an essential purchase for fans of Clint Eastwood and Westerns in general.

- Tim Salmons

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