This spectacle movie is packed with noisy action , fights , uncomfortably cast , breathtaking Spanish outdoors and epic happenings . It deals with a small group of resistance fighters who form a vintage Spanish guerrilla led by an illiterate peasant called Miguel (Frank Sinatra who replaced Marlon Brando) battling for Spanish independence in 1810 and all of them must struggle a 6 ton cannon across the rugged terrain of Spain in order to help the British defeat the French commanded by General Jouvet (Theodore Bikel) . This enormous gun , perhaps the largest in the world at that time , to be destined to pull down the Avila walls . Meanwhile , along the way a British officer , named Anthony (Gary Grant who was utterly in love with Loren) joins the bunch , but then the protagonists have an affair and he falls in love for Juana (Sophia Loren in his first English-speaking role and she obtained $200,000 for her work on this big production) , the leader's sweetheart and the woman who get them both on fire .
In this spectacular but silly flick there are epic events , battles , a love triangle , historical events and a cast of thousands . The flick describes the efforts , sacrifices and hardships to transport such a gigantic cannon throughout Spain and how it must be covered from the Bonaparte army . Based on a novel titled ¨The Gun¨ by CS Forester's about Napoleon's Iberian campaign in which Guerrilleros have to move a huge cannon chased by the Napoleonic forces . This is still a slog through an overlong , and tiring script by the prestigious Edward Anhalt ; however , the film results to be epic , thrilling , overwhelming and impressive , especially on Avila's final battle . Miscasting actors , specially of Frank Sinatra as a Spanish countryman hurt the movie . As Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra are a passable but uncomfortable duo , playing as two heroes struggling to lug a vast cannon within range of the Napoleonic wars , they considered themselves to be miscast in this film . Cary Grant had sworn never to make another historical film after the disastrous The Howards of Virginia (1940) , he made an exception for this film to star with other tower-box office actors as Sinatra and Loren . In fact , Sophia Loren got a great amount of money for her work in this big-budgeted super-production . This was one of two films Sophia Loren and Cary Grant starred in together , the other was Houseboat or Cintia (1958) by Melville Shavelson . As Sophia Loren is gorgeous as the rebellious girl providing the love interest on both , Grant and Sinatra . Support cast is frankly excellent , plenty of notorious Spanish secondaries as José Nieto , Carlos Casaravilla , Carlos Larrañaga , Xan Das Bolas , Emilio Rodríguez , Julian Ugarte , Barta Barri , Felix De Pomes , and Spanish ex-president Adolfo Suarez as extra and many others . Colorful cinematography in Technicolor by Franz Planer supported by Spanish cameraman Manuel Berenguer , being shot on location in Ciudad Encantada , Cuenca , Castilla-La Mancha , El Escorial's monastery , El Escorial, Madrid , Santiago de Compostela , A Coruña , Galicia , Segovia Roman Aqueduct , Segovia , Castilla y León, and Toledo and Valdemoro Madrid . Furthermore , it contains a rousing , evocative and sensitive musical score by George Antheil .
This spectacularly solemn film and full of sound and fury was well produced/directed by Stanley Kramer but flopped in box office . By that time to be said that this producer Stanley Kramer himself wants really to pull down the Avila walls to make more realist the finale scenes . He was a successful filmmaker who had several hits , such as : Fugitives , It's a mad , mad mad world , Inherit the wind , Judgement at Núremberg , On the beach , Ship of fools , The secret of Santa Vittoria , The Domino Principle , Guess who's coming to dinner , among others .
