GREAT SILENCE, THE 1968- IL GRANDE SILENZIO
Jean Louis Trintignant, Klaus Kinski, Vonetta McGee, Frank Wolff, Luigi Pistilli
Sergio Corbucci’s best, IMO about a mysterious gunfighter named Silence who is after a gang of ruthless bounty hunters using the law as a means to masquerade their murder sprees.
One of the most downbeat and depressing cinematic experiences you’re ever likely to see. Even knowing how the film ends still does not prepare you for its power to shock you into a numbing state of doubt at what you have seen. Frank Wolff plays the law abiding sheriff and the only character outside of Silence who could be a foil for the bad guys.
Klaus Kinski in his greatest western performance as the lead heavy shows what he can do as the psychotic killer Loco (El Tigrero in the Italian version). He dominates the film and nearly succeeds in making it HIS film. Kinski is a deceitful and deceptive man who uses the notion of bounties for the good of the law as a means to cover up his gleefully murderous tendencies. He uses tricks to lure out his prey and even tortures some before killing to gain information. He is a sadistic killer with a free roaming license for mass slaughter with a personality that cries out for a bounty to be (rightfully) placed on his own head. But his character is calculating and cunning biding his time before the more difficult kills. Never is Loco's true villainous side more apparent than in the scene where the sheriff sees him for what he is and attempts to transfer Loco to prison. Only Loco has other plans for the sheriff.
There really isn't a lot to say for Trintignant. He is fine in the role which doesn't require him to speak but he is a memorable presence when he is in his imposing garb and brandishing his unusual pistol. The only times that Silence is brutally effective is when his gun is in his hand. Outside of this, he is a very vulnerable hero. Again, the finale involving Silence and his fateful appointment with Loco is one of the most emotionally powerful sequences I've ever seen. Even to reveal what happens doesn't do the scene justice.
A ferocious and callous film that goes against the grain refusing to allow good to triumph over evil. A bonafide gothic horror western similar in look to Mario Bava’s ‘Wurdulak’ segment in his THREE FACES OF FEAR. From the costuming to the overall sense of fear and dread. It certainly seems likely that Corbucci may have channeled Bava's classic during the shoot.
The first Italian western to be shot entirely in a snow bound location, this adds to the desolate and isolated feeling of hopelessness the film forces upon you. The scenes shot on studio sets utilizing fake snow lend the film a fairy tale quality that does not deviate from the atmosphere of dread brought on by the expansive scenes of the elements pounding the characters into madness or death.
At the behest of nervous producers, Corbucci was asked to shoot an alternate ending for other markets that would not tolerate such a brutal finish. According to Howard Hughes exhaustive book ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE ITALIAN WEST, there was a rumor that Clint Eastwood was going to remake the film but nothing ever came of it. The film failed in Italy but was successful in Germany and France but could not secure US distribution.
During the production of the film, Kinski had an ongoing affair with the lead actress Vonetta McGee whom, according to his autobiography, was also lusted after (but to no avail) by Marlon Brando during the same time.
Also of note considering the popularity of Italo westerns in Japan, there was a TV show in Japan in 1973 entitled THE MUTE SAMURAI that ran for 26 episodes which is EXTREMELY similar in tone to the film THE GREAT SILENCE. An incredibly violent and bleak series with a similar storyline to SILENCE. It's also amazing what the Japanese can get away with on television. This show is also recommended if you are a fan of samurai cinema.
THE GREAT SILENCE has FINALLY, after so many years, been making the rounds on US cable television being seen on IFC and reportedly, the Encore Western Channel. Simply the highest recommendation.
Author
Topic: The Great Silence / Il grande silenzio (Sergio Corbucci 1968) (Read 15343 times)