Reviews (9)

Dark Yarn With Dragging Coffins EASTER EGG and tech specs
This DVD came with The Spaghetti Western Collection. I simply didn't relate to the characters as most others seem to have. My enjoyment of the movie was limited by the lack of what I felt was a thoughtful score. Maybe I'm so used to Ennio Morricone's moving scores, as they seem to fit movies like another character. I wasn't impressed with the composition by Luis Enriquez Bacalov, whose music starts the title off. I don't know, maybe I don't care for lyrics. I guess lyrics shouldn't be used if the story is well- told in the movie.

This movie is quite dark and opens to some intense beating of a woman. Django is also dragging a coffin through mud towards a bleak- looking town where havoc eventually fills the streets which were emptied by the numerous killings.

I would lie to give it 4 stars because the music to me detracts from the movie. And the English dubbing just adds to not help me identify with the characters like I'd enjoy. Other macaroni flicks have gotten me to feel something for the characters, but something was missing here. I couldn't even feel for the woman being tortured (Loredana Nusciak). Yet for a movie like The Good The Bad and The Ugly, I could even identify with Al Mulock's character at the very beginning (the bounty killer whose head fills the screen from a once- empty desert scene). I would give it a very average score and tack on just a smidgen more for the DVD quality presented by Blue Underground, which is consistent with the other nice presentations they have distributed.

Tech Specs and Easter Eggs: Region- free NTSC DVD from a 90- minute master print, in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.66:1 (only) and enhanced for 16X9; English mono and Italian mono with optional English subtitles; Django: The One and Only interviews; trailer; movie poster/production stills photos; linear notes; a two- page double- sided pamphlet with more detailed notes. I also found only one Easter Egg (I have found up to 3 in two other DVDs by Blue) which can be accessed by going to the Extras page, higlighting Django - The One and Only and then pressing LEFT on your remote to access a hidden feature.

A guy who loves spaghetti westerns is disapointed
Too many Corbucci films are inept, sloppy, and cartoonish. Speed Racer can be less cartoonsish. (see Navajo Joe). Django is not the worst but it is also no exception.
Two clever ideas in the film - a laconic anti-hero drags around a coffin with a machine gun inside
and a showdown in a graveyard with an interesting use of a cross.
That's it.
Otherwise -
Silly unconvincing action scenes - Django holds off dozens of incredibly stupid bad guys by sitting behind a log in the middle of a street. No one thinks to come up from the sides and behind?
Bad guys come off like Snidely Whiplash. And this may be insulting to poor Snidely.
The editing is uninspired.
Continuity errors (for some inexplicable reason a unconsious woman keeps changing positions on bridge - this is actually funny)
The violence and action are unrealistic and stupid. Just because Tarantino may have borrowed the infamous ear-eating scene does not make the movie any better. Incidentally the ear looks like a fig, and the scene is even sillier with the inane acting and dubbing involved.
Franco Nero's understated anti-hero style acting is completely ruined be hokey dialogue and a dubbed voice that sounds like Casper Milquetoast.
Worst of all - there is no film-making-style, especially for a spaghetti western.
Anchor Bay's version looks and sounds only OK but I doubt the film ever looked or sounded very good.
Quality spaghetti westerns can be very engaging but its hard to understand why this one was so popular Maybe it comes off better dubbed into German - for some reason it was very popular in Germany.
I gave this film two stars but not for its merits but for its place in history as being the predecessor of many other far superior spaghetti westerns. Had the sound, picture, dialgue and dubbing quality been better I may have squeezed out three stars.

Django lives
I'd heard lots about this film over the years but was unable to see it until a few years ago. It has the usual flaws of a spaghetti western (poor dubbing, choppy editting and almost silly lyrics for the title song), which are to be expected,and after having seen so many, are even endearing, but its quirkiness more than makes up for it. (Any film with the main character constantly dragging a coffin behind him in the mud has a certain deviant appeal.) Excepting the Leone westerns (which are so far above the ordinary Italian western that they are literally in a class by themselves), this is one of the best.

Django is djust dreadful
I head a lot of good things about this -- comparisons to Leone's films and that it was so popular it spawned a horde of sequals. I had contemplated buying the Anchor Bay DVD, and upon viewing, I'm so glad I didn't. Franco Nero is absolutely dreadful -- i'm not sure if he or the dubbing is to blame but the delivery and dialogue are some of the worst I've ever witnessed. The character is such a goody goody with lines like, "You shouldn't treat women like that" and "That's not right." To compare this to Leone is to reduce Leone's interesting characters and cinematography into cardboard gunfights. I didn't even finish the film.

Corbucci's best film!
Don't listen to any claims made made for Bullet For A General, Django is without a doubt the best non-Leone spaghetti Western of all time. The opening scene (blue-clad Nero carrying a saddle over his shoulder and dragging a coffin through the gooiest mud in film history)is beautiful. Corbucci's direction is more controlled here than anywhere else--less zooms, less jarring close-ups, and neater editing. And Django has to be one of the first action heroes to fire a heavy machine gun from the hip (without even pulling the trigger, no less!).

But make no mistake. This is Italian exploitation--love it or hate it. An ear is cut off, prostitutes fight in the mud, and our hero's hands are crushed in gory detail that would make One-Eyed Jacks mumble in disgust. Don't expect John Ford here. But if you're looking for something different, are curious about spaghetti Westerns but afraid to buy any because so many are horrible--then this is the movie for you! ... Read more

Description

On an unforgiving, snow swept frontier, a group of bloodthirsty bounty hunters, led by the vicious Loco (Klaus Kinski Nosferatu, For a Few Dollars More) prey on a band of persecuted outlaws who have taken to the hills. As the price on each head is collected one-by-one, only a mute gunslinger named Silence (Jean-Louis Trintignant The Conformist) stands between the innocent refuges and the greed and corruption that the bounty hunters represent. But, in this harsh, brutal world, the lines between right and wrong aren't always clear and good doesn't always triumph. Featuring superb photography and a haunting score from maestro Ennio Morricone, director Sergio Corbucci's (Django, Compa=F1eros) bleak, brilliant and violent vision of an immoral, honorless west is widely considered to be among the very best and most influential Euro-Westerns ever made. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

A very unusual, powerful and largely overlooked gem!
I watched The Great Silence for the first time last night.
There is no doubt in my mind that this film is easily amongst the best spaghetti westerns ever made. I do feel this is better than Django. The Sergio Corbucci films I'd previously seen seemed very hit and miss. The photography sometimes looked rough, complete with shaky zooms. The photography in The Great Silence however is generally superb. Some wonderful wide shots and a number of other beautiful shots, the camera does pan about very well.
The film is set on a snow swept landscape and it looks terrific, it also contains a wonderful, haunting score from Ennio Morricone.

On an unforgiving, snow-swept frontier, a group of bloodthirsty bounty hunters, led by the vicious Loco (Klaus Kinski) prey on a band of persecuted outlaws who have taken to the hills. As the price on each head is collected - one - by - one, only a mute gunslinger named Silence (Jean-Louis-Trintignant) stands between the innocent refugees and the greed and corruption that the bounty hunters represent.

It's hard to believe this film was made in 1968, it is very impressive for many reasons. First it does not follow most genre conventions, it simply follows it's own set of rules, the ending is especially different. It's well cast, I thought both of the male leads were perfect. There is a very good moment where the mute gunslinger and a coloured woman make love. This scene is really unusual and quite daring for the time. This is a very bleak film, which may put some people off. I happen to think the ending is brilliant.

The Great Silence is such a wonderful film. The English dubbing is sometimes poor, but this is only a small flaw.

I'm very pleased with the DVD of this film. Not only have they found a very decent print of the film, it's a new digital widescreen 1.66:1 transfer. Print damage is minimal, there are a few shots which look to have aged but on the whole it's very good, grain is rarely evident. The sound wasn't so good, there is background noise and it can often be heard over the dialogue.

If you are a fan of spaghetti westerns, this film is essential viewing. It is better than Sergio Corbucci's own Django which is a very good spaghetti western in it's own right. A very unusual, powerful, bleak and largely overlooked gem.

I picked up the DVD due to the positive reviews I read here.
The Amazonians here did not let me down, most of the reviews are spot on.

Highly Recommended.

Memorable
Sergio Corbucci is primarily responsible for the emergence of the spaghetti western film genre. I know, I know; you are saying to yourself right now that Sergio Leone's movies starring Clint Eastwood define the genre, and you are correct in this assertion. But Corbucci's film "Django" made it possible for people like Leone to make his vast contributions to the genre. "Django," with its gritty atmosphere, grim violence, and delightfully slick conclusion set the stage for everything that came after. Fortunately, director Corbucci didn't quit making films after his initial success; he made several other films including this 1968 classic spag western, "The Great Silence." Starring the always wonderfully warped Klaus Kinski and French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant, Corbucci's film is an intriguing entry in the universe of Italian westerns. For years the only way to acquire a copy of the movie was to shell out big bucks for cruddy looking VHS dupes usually three or four times removed from the original source. Not anymore. Now you can watch Corbucci's film with great sound, a nice picture, and you even get a few extras. It's too bad they don't make films like this one anymore.

Trintignant plays Silence, a brooding, mute gunslinger moving from place to place gunning down bad guys. He's not a bad guy himself, though, because he only kills goons who prey on innocent people. A burning need for personal revenge fuels these vendettas--several men slaughtered Silence's own family when he was a young child, cutting our hero's throat in the bargain. Silence survived the attack and, even as he avenges innocents egregiously wronged, seeks out the evil ones responsible for his own personal tragedy. And find them he will even if it means dying in the process. Things start to heat up when the mute avenger stumbles across a band of rogue Mormons hiding out in the snow covered mountains. A banker in a small town has put a price on these outcasts' heads, leading to a search and destroy mission conducted by every slimy bounty hunter in the land. Leading the charge to bring in these "baddies" is none other than the psychopathic Loco (Kinski), a smirking thug who shoots first and asks questions later. You just know Loco and Silence will have a showdown somewhere along the line.

In the meantime, several subplots help move the film along: a black woman widowed when Loco gunned down her husband hires Silence to avenge his memory, a new sheriff who refuses to go along blindly with Loco's violent ways arrives in town, and the banker funding most of the mayhem carries an intriguing secret of great interest to Silence. The tension slowly builds as Loco and Silence head towards their final, fatal showdown (not giving anything away here--all of these films have a final, fatal showdown). Will the new sheriff manage to remove Loco and his fellow thugs from the equation before the bullets start to fly? Will the banker manage to eradicate Silence and the sheriff by employing the wily Loco? Will Silence avenge the horrors visited upon his family years before? All of these questions, and many others, find some resolution by the end of the movie. By the way, the conclusion to "The Great Silence" is not at all what you would expect from a movie in this genre. I think the end alone qualifies this movie as a must see for the spag western fan. It's unique in its grimness.

"The Great Silence" is really a fairly standard revenge film of the type often seen in the spaghetti western canon. What sets Corbucci's picture apart is the distinctive atmosphere, the unusual backdrop against which the characters play out their fates. Most low budget Italian western films take place in blasted, desert like landscapes full of wind, dust, and tumbleweeds. The sun beats down on the characters in these films with an unrelenting intenseness, throwing off shadows that stretch for miles, turning faces into dry leather masks, and drenching every living being in a constant sheen of sweat. "The Great Silence" definitely doesn't take place in a desert. Instead, Corbucci opted for snow-covered mountains, ice covered lakes and rivers, and a town with streets mired in deep mud. The freezing cold of winter in the "The Great Silence" acts as a metaphor of sorts, an external symbol of the icy detachment of a speechless gunslinger as he methodically and ruthlessly tracks down his enemies. Throw in a pounding score from veteran Italian master Ennio Morricone and you have all the elements of a great western. I've seen films in the genre that are better than "The Great Silence," but not very many.

A few extras on the DVD version of the film are noteworthy. There's an alternate ending for the film, a "happier" ending without any audio that employs a standard "last minute save" technique seen in dozens of other films. Corbucci apparently shot this conclusion in case audiences rejected his downbeat original idea. I think the film works great with the original ending if for no other reason than it is more realistic. You'll want to pick up Corbucci's movie if you like westerns. The picture quality is quite good, there are extras, and it's just plain fun to watch. Pick up "Django" while you're at it and make it a double feature.

Not Leone
Ok here again is an example of buyer beware. I plunked down about $20 for the Great Silence, mostly through researching different boards and accumulating opinions, and for the most part I picked this film based on that.

Now my tastes in westerns run to stories that are believeable and plausible. Basically, is it a storyline that could have happened? Once you throw in weird stuff and add jugglers and acrobats and hidden guns in banjos (Sabata for example) you loose me. If I want to see that I'd watch re-runs of the Wild Wild West, lol.

The Great Silence was a dark and brooding story it had what at that time was some pretty graffic violence and the juxtaposition of blood and snow was good, it had a good flash back sequence a shocking (for that time ending) and music by Morricone. As a Spaghetti Western at face value it delivered, which at the time was what it was created for.

The back story line of Silence and his motives was good. And the portrayal of the character of Loco was done well by Klaus Kinsky.

But the rest was very far fetched. You have a gang of outlaws some with sickles (looking like medieval grim reapers with their hoods and great coats) with no reason to be there, walking easily over the top of deep snow unaided by snow shoes, while at the same time horses are breaking through and struggling. Its as if it was filmed at a ski resort with packed powder, which it come to think of it probably was, lol.

The town of Snow Hill was way too small and the gang of outlaws and the gand of bounty killers seemed to out number the town.

This like I said was ok, also, must add that except for Klaus Kinsky the dubbing wasn't up to snuff and it was noticeable, but it was very low budget, so get it if you want to see violence more graffic than Leone and very nice western winter snow shots, but check reality at the door.

Death in a Cold Climate
This amazing film has an impact altogether greater than the sum of its parts. If you take it scene by scene, you may find yourself distracted by the atrocious dubbing, skimpy plot or sloppy editing. But the impact of the movie as a whole is just tremendous. There's the stark originality of the snowbound setting, the unprecedented radicalism of the story, and the shattering conclusion that's designed to enrage you against injustice. Corbucci's attention to gothic detail is as striking as ever, though the gunfights have a strangely "half-cocked" feel compared to the ferociously crisp exchanges in DJANGO. There are some flabby passages, and you almost get the feeling that this is a recovered "lost" western that was never quite completed (although of course it was a successful mainstream release in Europe).

The DVD is great value - a superb new print from the master negative. It's great to be able to see the legendary "happy ending" at last (also in fine condition, though without sound and exhibiting Corbucci's deliberate "spoiler" technique of too-fast filming to prevent it from being used!). It's good to see Alex Cox introducing the film - it was he and the BBC's Nick Freand-Jones who gave the movie its English language premiere, since when its cult status has been assured.

One of the best spaghetti westerns
Profound, atmospheric, great soundtrack, thoughtfull. Did I mention the ending? There are so many reviews on this movie that the ending is hardly a surprise. But even though you may read about it you have to see it to believe it. Not just a political statement which may reflect on the continuing history of man's cruelty to man as dictated by the powers that be, and the laws of the land, but darn good storytelling and entertainment. -1 star because it does not offer any solutions to it's premise. 5 stars will be given to the American remake that inspires rather than disheartens the soul; that offers some solutions and stirs some positive emotions. You know what they say: If you are not part of the solution ... Maybe a movie with Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman as the good guy and the bad guy. Very original and a must see nevertheless. Hollywood take notes. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

The Best
This is an awesome movie. What's to say? It has Jack Palance as a "very bad dude." Plus, the best musical score ever written. If you don't hum "companeros" when you have watched this - I don't know what to say. Great fun, great movie. The best spaghetti western ever. If you like westerns this is the best one to see. I can't say enough good about this film. This would be the one western I owned if I was only allowed one. A good fun time.

An OddBall Movie That Makes No Sense
The action drifts from one scene to another, none of it making any sense. Spaghetti Western genre better left undone and unviewed.

Swedish Bullets and Cuban Berets
Although "The Great Silence" may well be Corbucci's best spaghetti western, "Companeros" is surely his most enjoyable-- and probably the closest he ever comes to vivid characterization in his films. Franco Nero's Yodlaf Peterson (aka "The Swede") is an amusing riff on the Gringo figure with "much money but not much heart" (to borrow a line from "A Bullet for the General"). And Nero clearly enjoys playing off Tomas Milian's sometimes buffoonish yet always committed "El Vasco" (meaning "beret," which Milian wears throughout the entire film, Che Guevera style, only taking it off during his marriage ceremony to Iris Berben)--the two generate a chemistry that seldom occurs in spaghetti westerns, especially the highly political ones. ("A Bullet for the General" explores the growing alienation between the Gringo and the revolutionary, for instance; "Faccia a Faccia" documents the growing horror of the bandit for the Western intellectual; and "The Big Gundown" shows grudging respect between the American sheriff and the Mexican outlaw against the forces of capital--but no real friendship.) Significantly, the film ends with the true *beginning* of friendship-- "Companeros" turns from an ironic statement by "Il Penguino" (the Swede) to one of political commitment and personal investment. Against the amoral greed of prior Gringo characters (starting with Eastwood's "Man with No Name"), Yodlaf learns by the end of the film that there is something more important than the self. By naming himself a "companeros," he effectually rejects the greed and apoliticism typical to the role.

Ennio Moriconne's music is outstanding, and, as he says in an interview in the disk's "extras," he intentionally worked to create a unique "style" for Corbucci's film, one far different from the haunting score he had just provided for Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West." Unfortunately, Corbucci's camerawork is generally undistinguished, perhaps because he was no longer working with his longtime collaborator Enzo Barboni, who had gone on to make his own films. Alejandro Ulloa's photography is far less accomplished and stylish (perhaps a reason why he worked almost entirely in low-budget, exploitative films).

Overall, a highly enjoyable movie, although the pacing (as is often the case with Corbucci's works) is at times lumbering. One particularly interesting feature of Anchor Bay's print is its inclusion of the expository "backstory" of how Milian's character receives his nickname at the film's opening (the US version cuts right from the opening gunfight back in time to Yodlaf's arrival, several weeks earlier, in San Bernadino). It's a wonderful five minute sequence, reminiscent of his "Tepepa" role-- and a shame that American viewers have been unable to appreciate it for thirty years.

I am Yodlof the Swede...but they call me "the Penguin"
Another must have for any Spaghetti western as well Franco Nero fan. What happens when Yodlof the Swede(Nero)steps of the train,fresh as a daisy (spats and all) into a dirty south of the border town is one of my all time gut-busting faves of any Spaghetti Western.His rather sacreligious appropriation of the town's patron saint is another knee slapper.I'm no big fan of leftist politics and I thought the professors pacifistic message was interesting...being that it had to share such large chunks of screen time with machine gun battles and all.But Tomas Milian and Jack Palance did bang up jobs and "il pinguino" was,in my opinion,one of Nero's best roles.Mr. Morricone put out another real winner of a soundtrack as well.This movies strong points far outweigh it's one or two weaknesses.Rome on the range ...Corbucci style!

"No, I'm swedish.."
A trigger-happy swede roaming around mexico with his not-so-bright "compañero"?? Yeah, sounds about right to me.. :)
Ignoring this, Compañeros is a good eurowestern. Franco Nero is really cool in this movie, and even gets the chance to hook up with his old buddy Mr. Machinegun towards the end. Jack Palance does a good job as the sleazy crook you really want to see dead. If you haven't seen this movie already, now would be a good time. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

very good
Celentano's one of the best movie

The Con Artist
This is a great hilarous movie about 2 con artists how escape from jail. they both try to out smart one another but later on they join together to fool others. Anthony Quinn is the wiser con artist Adriano Celentano is like the student who learns fast. This is a very funny movie how the student out smarts the teacher. ... Read more

Amazon.com

One of the best and most unusual spaghetti Westerns ever made, Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence is set in the beautiful desolation of the snow-covered high plains. Jean-Louis Trintignant, the romantic French star of My Night at Maud's and A Man and a Woman, hardens his blue eyes into a steely stare to play the mute mercenary gunslinger "Silence." Klaus Kinski (star of Werner Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God and Nosferatu the Vampyre) is his target, a grinning, amiable bounty killer whose deadly logic leaves a trail of corpses in his wake, all murdered "according to the law." Corbucci, whose Django is a genre classics, complicates his trademark cynicism with the compelling contradictions of his hero and villain, and the chilly atmosphere of the frozen mountain community brings a new twist to the phrase cold-blooded murder.

Cult director Alex Cox (Repo Man) calls The Great Silence "the greatest spaghetti Western ever made" in a six-minute video interview, in which he explains his love for the film in an insightful monologue. Cox also provides optional commentary on the alternate happy ending (which otherwise plays without sound), an unusual find that was likely shot for Asian territories. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (17)

A very unusual, powerful and largely overlooked gem!
I watched The Great Silence for the first time last night.
There is no doubt in my mind that this film is easily amongst the best spaghetti westerns ever made. I do feel this is better than Django. The Sergio Corbucci films I'd previously seen seemed very hit and miss. The photography sometimes looked rough, complete with shaky zooms. The photography in The Great Silence however is generally superb. Some wonderful wide shots and a number of other beautiful shots, the camera does pan about very well.
The film is set on a snow swept landscape and it looks terrific, it also contains a wonderful, haunting score from Ennio Morricone.

On an unforgiving, snow-swept frontier, a group of bloodthirsty bounty hunters, led by the vicious Loco (Klaus Kinski) prey on a band of persecuted outlaws who have taken to the hills. As the price on each head is collected - one - by - one, only a mute gunslinger named Silence (Jean-Louis-Trintignant) stands between the innocent refugees and the greed and corruption that the bounty hunters represent.

It's hard to believe this film was made in 1968, it is very impressive for many reasons. First it does not follow most genre conventions, it simply follows it's own set of rules, the ending is especially different. It's well cast, I thought both of the male leads were perfect. There is a very good moment where the mute gunslinger and a coloured woman make love. This scene is really unusual and quite daring for the time. This is a very bleak film, which may put some people off. I happen to think the ending is brilliant.

The Great Silence is such a wonderful film. The English dubbing is sometimes poor, but this is only a small flaw.

I'm very pleased with the DVD of this film. Not only have they found a very decent print of the film, it's a new digital widescreen 1.66:1 transfer. Print damage is minimal, there are a few shots which look to have aged but on the whole it's very good, grain is rarely evident. The sound wasn't so good, there is background noise and it can often be heard over the dialogue.

If you are a fan of spaghetti westerns, this film is essential viewing. It is better than Sergio Corbucci's own Django which is a very good spaghetti western in it's own right. A very unusual, powerful, bleak and largely overlooked gem.

I picked up the DVD due to the positive reviews I read here.
The Amazonians here did not let me down, most of the reviews are spot on.

Highly Recommended.

Memorable
Sergio Corbucci is primarily responsible for the emergence of the spaghetti western film genre. I know, I know; you are saying to yourself right now that Sergio Leone's movies starring Clint Eastwood define the genre, and you are correct in this assertion. But Corbucci's film "Django" made it possible for people like Leone to make his vast contributions to the genre. "Django," with its gritty atmosphere, grim violence, and delightfully slick conclusion set the stage for everything that came after. Fortunately, director Corbucci didn't quit making films after his initial success; he made several other films including this 1968 classic spag western, "The Great Silence." Starring the always wonderfully warped Klaus Kinski and French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant, Corbucci's film is an intriguing entry in the universe of Italian westerns. For years the only way to acquire a copy of the movie was to shell out big bucks for cruddy looking VHS dupes usually three or four times removed from the original source. Not anymore. Now you can watch Corbucci's film with great sound, a nice picture, and you even get a few extras. It's too bad they don't make films like this one anymore.

Trintignant plays Silence, a brooding, mute gunslinger moving from place to place gunning down bad guys. He's not a bad guy himself, though, because he only kills goons who prey on innocent people. A burning need for personal revenge fuels these vendettas--several men slaughtered Silence's own family when he was a young child, cutting our hero's throat in the bargain. Silence survived the attack and, even as he avenges innocents egregiously wronged, seeks out the evil ones responsible for his own personal tragedy. And find them he will even if it means dying in the process. Things start to heat up when the mute avenger stumbles across a band of rogue Mormons hiding out in the snow covered mountains. A banker in a small town has put a price on these outcasts' heads, leading to a search and destroy mission conducted by every slimy bounty hunter in the land. Leading the charge to bring in these "baddies" is none other than the psychopathic Loco (Kinski), a smirking thug who shoots first and asks questions later. You just know Loco and Silence will have a showdown somewhere along the line.

In the meantime, several subplots help move the film along: a black woman widowed when Loco gunned down her husband hires Silence to avenge his memory, a new sheriff who refuses to go along blindly with Loco's violent ways arrives in town, and the banker funding most of the mayhem carries an intriguing secret of great interest to Silence. The tension slowly builds as Loco and Silence head towards their final, fatal showdown (not giving anything away here--all of these films have a final, fatal showdown). Will the new sheriff manage to remove Loco and his fellow thugs from the equation before the bullets start to fly? Will the banker manage to eradicate Silence and the sheriff by employing the wily Loco? Will Silence avenge the horrors visited upon his family years before? All of these questions, and many others, find some resolution by the end of the movie. By the way, the conclusion to "The Great Silence" is not at all what you would expect from a movie in this genre. I think the end alone qualifies this movie as a must see for the spag western fan. It's unique in its grimness.

"The Great Silence" is really a fairly standard revenge film of the type often seen in the spaghetti western canon. What sets Corbucci's picture apart is the distinctive atmosphere, the unusual backdrop against which the characters play out their fates. Most low budget Italian western films take place in blasted, desert like landscapes full of wind, dust, and tumbleweeds. The sun beats down on the characters in these films with an unrelenting intenseness, throwing off shadows that stretch for miles, turning faces into dry leather masks, and drenching every living being in a constant sheen of sweat. "The Great Silence" definitely doesn't take place in a desert. Instead, Corbucci opted for snow-covered mountains, ice covered lakes and rivers, and a town with streets mired in deep mud. The freezing cold of winter in the "The Great Silence" acts as a metaphor of sorts, an external symbol of the icy detachment of a speechless gunslinger as he methodically and ruthlessly tracks down his enemies. Throw in a pounding score from veteran Italian master Ennio Morricone and you have all the elements of a great western. I've seen films in the genre that are better than "The Great Silence," but not very many.

A few extras on the DVD version of the film are noteworthy. There's an alternate ending for the film, a "happier" ending without any audio that employs a standard "last minute save" technique seen in dozens of other films. Corbucci apparently shot this conclusion in case audiences rejected his downbeat original idea. I think the film works great with the original ending if for no other reason than it is more realistic. You'll want to pick up Corbucci's movie if you like westerns. The picture quality is quite good, there are extras, and it's just plain fun to watch. Pick up "Django" while you're at it and make it a double feature.

Not Leone
Ok here again is an example of buyer beware. I plunked down about $20 for the Great Silence, mostly through researching different boards and accumulating opinions, and for the most part I picked this film based on that.

Now my tastes in westerns run to stories that are believeable and plausible. Basically, is it a storyline that could have happened? Once you throw in weird stuff and add jugglers and acrobats and hidden guns in banjos (Sabata for example) you loose me. If I want to see that I'd watch re-runs of the Wild Wild West, lol.

The Great Silence was a dark and brooding story it had what at that time was some pretty graffic violence and the juxtaposition of blood and snow was good, it had a good flash back sequence a shocking (for that time ending) and music by Morricone. As a Spaghetti Western at face value it delivered, which at the time was what it was created for.

The back story line of Silence and his motives was good. And the portrayal of the character of Loco was done well by Klaus Kinsky.

But the rest was very far fetched. You have a gang of outlaws some with sickles (looking like medieval grim reapers with their hoods and great coats) with no reason to be there, walking easily over the top of deep snow unaided by snow shoes, while at the same time horses are breaking through and struggling. Its as if it was filmed at a ski resort with packed powder, which it come to think of it probably was, lol.

The town of Snow Hill was way too small and the gang of outlaws and the gand of bounty killers seemed to out number the town.

This like I said was ok, also, must add that except for Klaus Kinsky the dubbing wasn't up to snuff and it was noticeable, but it was very low budget, so get it if you want to see violence more graffic than Leone and very nice western winter snow shots, but check reality at the door.

Death in a Cold Climate
This amazing film has an impact altogether greater than the sum of its parts. If you take it scene by scene, you may find yourself distracted by the atrocious dubbing, skimpy plot or sloppy editing. But the impact of the movie as a whole is just tremendous. There's the stark originality of the snowbound setting, the unprecedented radicalism of the story, and the shattering conclusion that's designed to enrage you against injustice. Corbucci's attention to gothic detail is as striking as ever, though the gunfights have a strangely "half-cocked" feel compared to the ferociously crisp exchanges in DJANGO. There are some flabby passages, and you almost get the feeling that this is a recovered "lost" western that was never quite completed (although of course it was a successful mainstream release in Europe).

The DVD is great value - a superb new print from the master negative. It's great to be able to see the legendary "happy ending" at last (also in fine condition, though without sound and exhibiting Corbucci's deliberate "spoiler" technique of too-fast filming to prevent it from being used!). It's good to see Alex Cox introducing the film - it was he and the BBC's Nick Freand-Jones who gave the movie its English language premiere, since when its cult status has been assured.

One of the best spaghetti westerns
Profound, atmospheric, great soundtrack, thoughtfull. Did I mention the ending? There are so many reviews on this movie that the ending is hardly a surprise. But even though you may read about it you have to see it to believe it. Not just a political statement which may reflect on the continuing history of man's cruelty to man as dictated by the powers that be, and the laws of the land, but darn good storytelling and entertainment. -1 star because it does not offer any solutions to it's premise. 5 stars will be given to the American remake that inspires rather than disheartens the soul; that offers some solutions and stirs some positive emotions. You know what they say: If you are not part of the solution ... Maybe a movie with Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman as the good guy and the bad guy. Very original and a must see nevertheless. Hollywood take notes. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Dark Yarn With Dragging Coffins EASTER EGG and tech specs
This DVD came with The Spaghetti Western Collection. I simply didn't relate to the characters as most others seem to have. My enjoyment of the movie was limited by the lack of what I felt was a thoughtful score. Maybe I'm so used to Ennio Morricone's moving scores, as they seem to fit movies like another character. I wasn't impressed with the composition by Luis Enriquez Bacalov, whose music starts the title off. I don't know, maybe I don't care for lyrics. I guess lyrics shouldn't be used if the story is well- told in the movie.

This movie is quite dark and opens to some intense beating of a woman. Django is also dragging a coffin through mud towards a bleak- looking town where havoc eventually fills the streets which were emptied by the numerous killings.

I would lie to give it 4 stars because the music to me detracts from the movie. And the English dubbing just adds to not help me identify with the characters like I'd enjoy. Other macaroni flicks have gotten me to feel something for the characters, but something was missing here. I couldn't even feel for the woman being tortured (Loredana Nusciak). Yet for a movie like The Good The Bad and The Ugly, I could even identify with Al Mulock's character at the very beginning (the bounty killer whose head fills the screen from a once- empty desert scene). I would give it a very average score and tack on just a smidgen more for the DVD quality presented by Blue Underground, which is consistent with the other nice presentations they have distributed.

Tech Specs and Easter Eggs: Region- free NTSC DVD from a 90- minute master print, in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.66:1 (only) and enhanced for 16X9; English mono and Italian mono with optional English subtitles; Django: The One and Only interviews; trailer; movie poster/production stills photos; linear notes; a two- page double- sided pamphlet with more detailed notes. I also found only one Easter Egg (I have found up to 3 in two other DVDs by Blue) which can be accessed by going to the Extras page, higlighting Django - The One and Only and then pressing LEFT on your remote to access a hidden feature.

A guy who loves spaghetti westerns is disapointed
Too many Corbucci films are inept, sloppy, and cartoonish. Speed Racer can be less cartoonsish. (see Navajo Joe). Django is not the worst but it is also no exception.
Two clever ideas in the film - a laconic anti-hero drags around a coffin with a machine gun inside
and a showdown in a graveyard with an interesting use of a cross.
That's it.
Otherwise -
Silly unconvincing action scenes - Django holds off dozens of incredibly stupid bad guys by sitting behind a log in the middle of a street. No one thinks to come up from the sides and behind?
Bad guys come off like Snidely Whiplash. And this may be insulting to poor Snidely.
The editing is uninspired.
Continuity errors (for some inexplicable reason a unconsious woman keeps changing positions on bridge - this is actually funny)
The violence and action are unrealistic and stupid. Just because Tarantino may have borrowed the infamous ear-eating scene does not make the movie any better. Incidentally the ear looks like a fig, and the scene is even sillier with the inane acting and dubbing involved.
Franco Nero's understated anti-hero style acting is completely ruined be hokey dialogue and a dubbed voice that sounds like Casper Milquetoast.
Worst of all - there is no film-making-style, especially for a spaghetti western.
Anchor Bay's version looks and sounds only OK but I doubt the film ever looked or sounded very good.
Quality spaghetti westerns can be very engaging but its hard to understand why this one was so popular Maybe it comes off better dubbed into German - for some reason it was very popular in Germany.
I gave this film two stars but not for its merits but for its place in history as being the predecessor of many other far superior spaghetti westerns. Had the sound, picture, dialgue and dubbing quality been better I may have squeezed out three stars.

Django lives
I'd heard lots about this film over the years but was unable to see it until a few years ago. It has the usual flaws of a spaghetti western (poor dubbing, choppy editting and almost silly lyrics for the title song), which are to be expected,and after having seen so many, are even endearing, but its quirkiness more than makes up for it. (Any film with the main character constantly dragging a coffin behind him in the mud has a certain deviant appeal.) Excepting the Leone westerns (which are so far above the ordinary Italian western that they are literally in a class by themselves), this is one of the best.

Django is djust dreadful
I head a lot of good things about this -- comparisons to Leone's films and that it was so popular it spawned a horde of sequals. I had contemplated buying the Anchor Bay DVD, and upon viewing, I'm so glad I didn't. Franco Nero is absolutely dreadful -- i'm not sure if he or the dubbing is to blame but the delivery and dialogue are some of the worst I've ever witnessed. The character is such a goody goody with lines like, "You shouldn't treat women like that" and "That's not right." To compare this to Leone is to reduce Leone's interesting characters and cinematography into cardboard gunfights. I didn't even finish the film.

Corbucci's best film!
Don't listen to any claims made made for Bullet For A General, Django is without a doubt the best non-Leone spaghetti Western of all time. The opening scene (blue-clad Nero carrying a saddle over his shoulder and dragging a coffin through the gooiest mud in film history)is beautiful. Corbucci's direction is more controlled here than anywhere else--less zooms, less jarring close-ups, and neater editing. And Django has to be one of the first action heroes to fire a heavy machine gun from the hip (without even pulling the trigger, no less!).

But make no mistake. This is Italian exploitation--love it or hate it. An ear is cut off, prostitutes fight in the mud, and our hero's hands are crushed in gory detail that would make One-Eyed Jacks mumble in disgust. Don't expect John Ford here. But if you're looking for something different, are curious about spaghetti Westerns but afraid to buy any because so many are horrible--then this is the movie for you! ... Read more