Red Sun (1971) was filmed primarily in Spain, with a mix of desert and rural locations used to create its Wild West and action-set pieces. The production took advantage of several well-known shooting areas in Andalusia and Madrid, chosen to stand in for the American Southwest and the film’s various sequences. Key filming locations
- La Calahorra, Granada, Andalucía, Spain — railroad scenes. This locale provided the rail line backdrop needed for the film’s train-related moments. [source summary: location listings for La Calahorra]
- Adra, Almería, Spain (around Albufera Honda) — mission set, reed flats, and the Comanche attack scenes. The surrounding terrain offered the arid, rugged feel essential for these sequences.
- Tabernas, Almería, Andalucía — most of the desert scenery. The Tabernas Desert is a iconic Western backdrop, frequently used in Spaghetti Westerns, well-suited to the film’s expansive desert vistas.
- Rambla de Lanujar, Gádor, Almería, Andalucía — canyon walk sequence featuring Link and Kuroda. The narrow canyon setting helped establish a tense, secluded atmosphere for the scene.
- Cueva de Roque, Almería, Andalucía — Gauch’s hideout. A cave setting added an element of mystery and concealment to the character’s lair.
- Turre, Almería, Andalucía — river scenes along the Río Aguas, offering contrast to the surrounding desert terrain.
- Manzanares el Real, Madrid — farm sequence in which the protagonists confront Gauch’s henchmen, providing a rural, pastoral counterpoint to the harsher landscapes.
Context notes
- The production was a Franco-Italian-Spanish co-production directed by Terence Young, with shooting taking place in early 1971 across multiple Spanish locations to achieve the film’s diverse settings.
- Several nearby locations in Granada and Madrid were used to supplement the principal desert and canyon areas in Almería, reflecting typical practice for Westerns shot in Spain during that era.
If you’d like, I can pull up map Coordinates for each location or provide a concise location map guide for a visit or study.
