Fernando Sancho Movies

This sweeping, highly literate historical epic covers the Allies' mideastern campaign during World War I as seen through the eyes of the enigmatic T. E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole, in the role that made him a star). After a prologue showing us Lawrence's ultimate fate, we flash back to Cairo in 1917. A bored general staffer, Lawrence talks his way into a transfer to Arabia. Once in the desert, he befriends Sherif Ali Ben El Kharish (Omar Sharif, making one of the most spectacular entrances in movie history) and draws up plans to aid the Arabs in their rebellion against the Turks. No one is ever able to discern Lawrence's motives in this matter: Prince Feisal (Alec Guinness) dismisses him as yet another "desert-loving Englishman," and his British superiors assume that he's either arrogant or mad. Using a combination of diplomacy and bribery, Lawrence unites the rival Arab factions of Feisal and Auda Abu Tayi (Anthony Quinn). After successfully completing his mission, Lawrence becomes an unwitting pawn of the Allies, as represented by Gen. Allenby (Jack Hawkins) and Dryden (Claude Rains), who decide to keep using Lawrence to secure Arab cooperation against the Imperial Powers. While on a spying mission to Deraa, Lawrence is captured and tortured by a sadistic Turkish Bey (Jose Ferrer). In the heat of the next battle, a wild-eyed Lawrence screams "No prisoners!" and fights more ruthlessly than ever. Screenwriters Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson used T. E. Lawrence's own self-published memoir The Seven Pillars of Wisdom as their principal source, although some of the characters are composites, and many of the "historical" incidents are of unconfirmed origin. Two years in the making (you can see O'Toole's weight fluctuate from scene to scene), the movie, lensed in Spain and Jordan, ended up costing a then-staggering $13 million and won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. The 1962 Royal Premiere in London was virtually the last time that David Lean's director's cut was seen: 20 minutes were edited from the film's general release, and 15 more from the 1971 reissue. This abbreviated version was all that was available for public exhibition until a massive 1989 restoration, at 216 minutes that returned several of Lean's favorite scenes while removing others with which he had never been satisfied. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Samuel Bronston produced this extravagant blockbuster, shot in Super Technirama 70. Nominally directed by Nicholas Ray (who makes a brief appearance as the U.S. ambassador), Ray was taken off the film and replaced by the more pliable directorial touches of Andrew Marton. Charlton Heston stars as Maj. Matt Lewis, the leader of an army of multinational soldiers who head to Peking during the infamous Boxer Rebellion of 1900. As the film unfolds, the foreign embassies in Peking are being held in a grip of terror as the Boxers set about massacring Christians in an anti-Christian nationalistic fever. Inside the besieged compound, the finicky British ambassador (David Niven) gathers the beleaguered ambassadors into a defensive formation. Included in the group of high-level dignitaries is a sultry Russian Baroness (Ava Gardner) who takes a shine to Lewis upon his arrival at the embassy compound with his group of soldiers. As Lewis and the group conserve food and water and try to save some hungry children, they await the arrival of expected reinforcements, but the tricky Chinese Empress Tzu Hsi (Flora Robson) is, in the meantime, plotting with the Boxers to break the siege at the compound with the aid of Chinese recruits. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

A successful gamble nets $5,000 and a portion of a cattle ranch, but self defense leads to the death of the previous owner by the gambler. ~ All Movie Guide

This Italian/French/Spanish sagebrusher stars Giuliano Gemma as the Arizona Colt, a notorious bandit. Imprisoned in a desert town, the Colt is sprung by gang leader Gordon Watch (Fernando Sancho). Instead of galloping off into the sunset, Our Hero elects to stay in town to defend its citizens from the film's real bad guys: Watch's gang. Had Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone had anything to do with it, Arizona Colt would probably be hailed as a classic; as it stands, it's just another spaghetti western. The film was also released as Man From Nowhere. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this routine Spaghetti western, Ringo (Montgomery Wood) helps a wealthy Texas family fend off a group of Mexican bandits led by the portly villain Fernando (Fernando Sancho). He protects the wealthy aristocrat (Antonio Casas) and his two pretty daughters Ruby (Lorelia De Luca) and Delores (Nieves Navarro) from the evil desires of the bad men. George Martin plays the local sheriff. Film score is provided by the celebrated composer Ennio Morricone. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

When a brilliant professor is kidnapped and forced to develop a revolutionary weapon of mass destruction, it's up to Agents Dick Maloy (Ken Clark) and Evelyn Stone (Margaret Lee) to thwart the diabolical plans of a powerful criminal mastermind. Shortly after dreaming up a design for a lethal disintegration machine, Professor Kurtz vanishes without a trace. He's being held on an island fortress, and should he succeed in carrying out his captor's plans, they day of reckoning may finally be upon us. Now, Agents Maloy and Stone race to shut down the project and rescue the professor. Other films featuring Clark as suave super-spy Dick Malloy include Mission Bloody Mary (1965) and Operation Lady Chaplin (1966). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Cowboy Saxon vows to seek revenge, with the assistance of Sancho, on the killer, Gazzolo, who murdered his father. ~ All Movie Guide

In this spaghettiesque western, a supposedly dead man returns to his village and finds his family being held captive by an evil desperado and his gang. The frightened man does all he can to save them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This Latin western comedy chronicles the epic saga of the MacGregors, a Scottish clan of ranchers living on the Mexican border, who are in conflict with the local crooked sheriff, the local horse salesman, and a gang of banditos. The trouble begins when the horse trader tries to bilk them on a deal. The brothers begin brawling and are tossed in jail. They are eventually released and discover that the outlaws have taken their horses and find out the sheriff is in league with the rogues and will not help. They then set off to catch the thieves themselves. Unfortunately, they end up captured and can only be saved by their bagpipe-playing daddy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This amusing spaghetti western from prolific director Alfonso Balcazar is set during the American Civil War. Luis Davila stars as Dynamite Jim, a Northern spy smuggling Mexican gold through Rebel territory to an Iowa fort. Jim's journey includes betrayal by a greedy cohort (Fernando Sancho), a showdown with an evil bandit (Aldo Sambrell), and other standard encounters, well-photographed by Victor Monreal. Cult-film fans will be pleased by the lovely Rosalba Neri (as a dancehall floozy) and amused by a particularly ludicrous soundtrack by Nico Fidenco. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide