Il grande silenzio

Plot synopsis:
Henry Pollicut, a corrupt Utahn banker and justice of the peace, has a man named Gordon and his wife murdered by two bounty killers. To prevent Gordon's son giving them away, one of the killers slices the boy's throat, rendering him permanently mute. Years later, the son, armed with a Mauser C96, exacts his revenge by assassinating the bounty killer and shooting Pollicut's right-hand thumb.
Sometime later, in 1898, a severe blizzard has swept the frontier, bringing privation to the town of Snow Hill. As a result, much of the community is forced to steal in order to survive. Pollicut, seeking to make a profit, places prices on the thieves' heads, attracting the attention of a bounty killer gang led by "Loco". As they prey on the outlaws, Gordon's son, now going by the moniker "Silence", works with the bandits and their allies to fight against the killers. Silence operates on a principle whereby he provokes his enemies into drawing their weapons first so he can kill them in self-defense.
One of the outlaws, a black man named James Middleton, leaves the safety of the group to be with his wife, Pauline. James is subsequently killed by Loco when he takes Pauline hostage. Vengeful, Pauline writes to Silence, requesting him to kill Loco. Meanwhile, the newly-elected Governor, hoping to have order maintained before declaring an amnesty regarding the outlaws, assigns the righteous but unlucky soldier Gideon Burnett as the sheriff of Snow Hill. On his way, Burnett encounters the outlaws, who steal his horse for food. After getting lost in the snow, he finds a stagecoach travelling to Snow Hill, on which he meets Silence, and later, Loco. Upon arrival, Silence meets Pauline, who promises to raise his reward.
Pauline attempts to sell her house to Pollicut, who demands that she becomes his mistress – his reason for putting a bounty on her husband. Pauline bitterly refuses. Silence leaves for the town saloon, and attempts to provoke Loco into drawing. Instead, Loco severely beats him before Silence fights back. Angered, Loco attempts to shoot him, but he is stopped by Burnett, who arrests him for attempted murder and prepares to take him to a prison in Tonopah. Before leaving, Burnett requests that the townspeople provide food for the outlaws. Meanwhile, Pauline becomes romantically and sexually involved with Silence while tending his wounds.
Burnett and Loco stop by a frozen lake to allow Loco to relieve himself, but he springs a trap, shooting the ice surrounding Burnett and leaving him to die in the freezing water. Loco rides to his hideout and convinces the rest of his gang to confront Silence. Determined to take Pauline by force, Pollicut attempts to rape her as his henchman, Martin, tortures Silence by burning his right hand. Silence overpowers Martin and kills Pollicut. Loco and his gang arrive to look for Silence, just as the outlaws appear at the edge of town to collect the provisions, having been previously advised to do so by Burnett. Deciding to use them to draw out Silence, the gang herds the bandits into the saloon and captures Pauline. Loco tells Pauline to have Silence duel with him – if Silence wins, the outlaws will be set free; if he wins, they will be killed.
Despite Pauline's pleas that the duel is a trap, Silence stands outside the saloon. A killer shoots his left hand, greatly impairing his speed and marksmanship. Loco then stands in the doorway, ready to face the weakened Silence. As Silence begins reaching for his Mauser, Loco reaches for his Colt Single Action Army – but as Silence draws, another wounding shot is fired. Loco fires at Silence's head, killing him. Distraught, Pauline attempts to shoot Loco herself, but swiftly dies as well. The bounty killers turn their guns on the outlaws, massacring the entire group. As Loco and his men prepare to collect their bounties, he takes Silence's Mauser from Pauline's hands. The killers ride out of Snow Hill into the morning sun. A title card explains that Loco's actions resulted in public condemnation of bounty killing, and a memorial was erected in Snow Hill to honor those who died by his greed.
=== Alternative ending ===
Due to the bleak nature of the original finale, Corbucci was forced to shoot an alternative "happy" ending to the film for the North African market, where Spaghetti Westerns were popular, but had to have an upbeat conclusion. Some of the footage shot for this ending appeared in the film's Italian trailer, despite it not appearing in that release of the film. Because it was believed that no audio elements for this ending had survived, early DVD releases of the film, such as the US release from Fantoma Films, feature it without sound. However, a version with synchronised audio has since been discovered and restored.
In this ending, Loco draws his gun without waiting to be prompted by Silence. Suddenly, Burnett, having survived falling into the frozen lake, rides into town on horseback and shoots Loco in the head, allowing Silence to kill the remaining bounty killers. Burnett frees the outlaws as Pauline takes the bandages on Silence's burnt right hand off, revealing a gauntlet that he used for protection, before applying bandages to his wounded left hand. As Burnett takes the thieves to the local jail to await their amnesty, he asks Silence to become his deputy, which he accepts with a smile.

Tags: depressing, realism, western, bleak, cult, violence, atmospheric, flashback, revenge

Review:
"That western in the snow" - was my brother's response when he heard that I'd finally tracked down a copy of THE GREAT SILENCE, a.k.a. THE BIG SILENCE (I first saw it 10 years ago on BBC2's 'Moviedrome').If you like Sergio Leone's films (such as THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY and A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS) then you'll probably enjoy this film by Sergio Corbucci.
Violence, shooting, cussing, strange costumes, haunting music, trademark camera angles and the Italian style go to make up one of the best (lost)westerns I've ever seen.These films aren't to everyone's taste, but THE GREAT SILENCE is worth watching just to hear the main theme tune which is a fantastic work of latterday composition - it sounds daft but I nearly cry when I hear it sometimes.
This is my favourite piece of Ennio Morricone's music.As I said before the main reference points for this film are those of Sergio Leone, except for the snow-laden setting and the distinct lack of humour( THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY still makes me laugh, despite countless watching).
the director went to great lengths to preserve his radical finale (particularly unpopular with the producer) - there is a version of the film with a cop-out ending.In short then, this is a great movie despite all the shortcomings of the particular genre( I'm not saying anything)- I once read that the term "Spaghetti Western" was a derisory one used by American film critics - but I can't think of any American westerns as enjoyable as some of these Italian films..
It can and it will shock it's viewer, with it's unforgiving nature, and themes.Set around the snowy landscapes of Utah, "The Great Silence" stars Jean-Louis Trintignant as Silence, a mute gunfighter assisting a group outlaws for and a woman trying to avenge her dead husband.
They are faced against a group of bounty hunters, led by Loco (Klaus Kinsky) a ruthless and merciless man who values only the money he gains from the killing.Corbucci utilizes the snow-filled landscape to the maximum, creating a hauntingly chilling atmosphere that sticks with you from the beginning to the end and most likely, long after you've watched the film.
Trintignant and Kinsky make the biggest impression though, adding layers of depth to their respective characters without even uttering a word, just their facial expressions, the way the move, the confidence with which they act it is simply brilliant.Commenting on the final scene would be a downright shame to those who haven't seen the movie just yet.
This score is, haunting and sad, like the movie itself it has an emotional effect on the viewer."The Great Silence" is as every bit as good as any of Leone's films.
the chaos is as present in the general mood as it is in Corbucci's wild and messy camera-work (from beautiful panoramas to crash zooms and close ups that accentuate the villains' ugliness).The story is straight and simple but allows for great characters as the mute bounty hunter Silence (Trintignant, conveying impossible emotion with nothing but his haunting eyes) travels to a snowy town to bring down the killer of his client's husband and coincidentally fulfill a more personal vengeance.
Unlike Corbucci's earlier masterpiece "Django" from 1966, a violent Spaghetti Western, but also full of dark humor, "The Great Silence" is a sad and utterly serious movie from the beginning to the end, a brutal tale about misery, greed and selfishness, about injustice and the desire for revenge.
In their calamity, desperate relatives of the head hunters' victims hire a mute gunman called Silence, in order to avenge their loved ones and end the killings.The acting in this movie is brilliant.
Nobody could be as diabolical as Klaus Kinski in the role of Loco, Jean-Louis Trintignant performance as Silence is just great, and Vonetta McGee is amazing as Pauline, a beautiful black woman, who falls in love with Silence after losing her husband to the bountykillers.
"The Great Silence is", after "Django", Sergio Corbucci's second film that could be described as one of the most important Westerns of all-time.
The film is plenty of dark fatalism and features to Silence (Jean Louis Trintignant in his first and unique Western , he had agreed to do the film in order to help out the producer, who was a friend of his), a mute gunslinger with a 7,63 mm Mauser Broomhandle gun , helping a group of desperado outlaws and an African- American woman named Pauline (Voneta McGee) attempting to revenge death her husband against the bounty hunters led by the ruthless Loco (Klaus Kinski) and payed by Pollicut (Luigi Pistilli) .
Furthermore, an upright sheriff (Frank Wolff) appears trying peace and order.This widely deemed picture , unlike most conventional Spaghetti Western , contains exceptional setting , colorful images with a sensational cinematography by Silvano Ippoliti and features a sensitive musical score by the classic Ennio Morricone .
It also deals with the brief and doomed relationship between Silence and the outlaw's widow with great compassion, amidst the bloodbath that we come to expect from Corbucci.All in all, a classic film - and the best non-Leone Spaghetti Western..
Like Corbucci's mudbound gem "Django", the snowbound "The Great Silence" is an imaginative spaghetti western *not* set in a dusty desert.
The Great Silence further proves this perceived notion.Director Sergio Corbucci (known for his hyper-violent, but somewhat communitarian motifs) incorporates both American and European cinema values, as well as the themes generally condoned along with the western genre.
The story boils down to vendettas and paybacks and paydays between scorned bounty hunters and duped sheriffs, plus the title character- named as such because of a mute demeanor and because actor Trintignant didn't want to learn any lines- leading Silence and Loco (albeit this isn't even one of Kinski's craziest performances by far) into a final showdown.The circumstances leading up to this showdown should, in a more conventional western, be pretty clean-cut.
If it isn't altogether successful it's attributable to flaws scattered around: random 'soft-lighting' in the last act that is very distracting, a couple of plot points not totally clear even by the end, and Kinski looking sometimes like a pretty boy as much as a sadistic bounty hunter, plus Corbucci's tendencies to favor close-ups for more formulaic means as opposed to drawing out deeper emotions through a more keen system.But even with Corbucci not being a 'great' director, he has a keen eye for Utah (if it is Utah, which it probably isn't), and the vast vistas of snow and fields in a plain sight that contrasts the sort of void sucking the characters in with the hopeless center of bounty hunters without the strongest opponent.
The late, great Italian film maker Sergio Corbucci (Django, Companeros) directed and co-wrote this incredible western, Il Grande Silenzio (aka The Great Silence) in 1968.
It is as visually impressive and powerful in its silence as the greatest work of another Sergio, Leone, but what makes Corbucci's piece stand out is its total pessimism, honesty and possibly the darkest and saddest ending ever filmed.
These powerful images are fantastic themselves, but when it all is given the magic touch of Ennio Morricone's music, it becomes clear this is perhaps the greatest of all the spaghetti westerns made in Italy.Extremely great and also handsome actor Jean-Louis Trintignant is a killer named Silence.
At this point I'll point out that I'm definitely not talking about the alternative (and very bad) "happy ending" Corbucci was forced to shoot for some foreign audiences like the Far East and North Africa, as the producers thought they would have probably disliked the film too much in its original form and finale, THE original finale I'm talking about.
The theme of violence, greediness and overall decadence of man has never been this strong in the Italian western genre and naturally the ending broke all the conventions and rules of the genre, because this film just wants to be and is so much more.The imagery is stunning in the wintery mountains and white heaven in hell.
The Great Silence is far more precise and open, making a damning condemnation of the ruthless amorality of the typical spaghetti anti-hero by casting the outlaws as persecuted innocents and showing up the bounty hunters for the opportunistic killers they are.
Memorable images to this effect include a bounty hunter gorging messily on a roast chicken (in extreme close-up!), starving outlaws falling upon the carcass of a horse, and a black-hooded woman with a scythe recalling the look of the grim reaper.As I've noted in other comments, Corbucci had a serious handicap when it came to making westerns, in that had no eye for location shots, often wasting the Mediterranean landscapes the Sergio Leone made such good use of.
The fantastic scenery in snow, Morricone's incredibly melancholic soundtrack which ranks among his best works, and of course the charismatic actors: All this make THE GREAT SILENCE not only one of the best, but also one of the saddest westerns of all time.Of course, as with many Italian productions of the time, there are bits of odd dialogue, some rough editing, and scenes were the lower budget shines through, but the brilliant ending more than makes up for it.
Superior to DJANGO (1966), Corbucci's most popular work, this would probably be his best film; of the director's more renowned Spaghetti Western efforts, I've also watched COMPANEROS (1970) and would most like to catch up with A PROFESSIONAL GUN (1968).The script is denser than your average Western, if not nearly as ambitious as the contemporaneous Sergio Leone films; it's also interesting to note the dual meaning of the title: Jean-Louis Trintignant's character has been nicknamed Silence (since he's a mute) but it also refers to his unfailing skill as a gunslinger - bringing silence, i.e. death, wherever he passes.
The main actors all deliver terrific performances - Trintignant is one of the most interesting heroes in the entire "Spaghetti Western" subgenre (apparently, Marcello Mastroianni was the original choice!), Klaus Kinski (ditto where villains are concerned; his foppish bounty hunter here is surely the most significant of the actor's many forays in the field), Vonetta McGee (unusual for any type of Western to feature a black woman in the lead, and the same goes for her interracial love scene with Trintignant!), Frank Wolff and Luigi Pistilli (whose character is tied with Trintignant's backstory, Leone-style, though this element isn't revealed gradually here - which perhaps weakens its impact in the long run!).Ennio Morricone's score didn't seem all that impressive while I was watching the film, being subtler than usual for the maestro, but emerges as undeniably haunting in retrospect.
I have now seen this movie on three different occasions and each time I am struck by the power of the final scene.The Great Silence is the story of a snowbound Utah town plagued by bounty killers.
The bounty killers are now the prey of this mute death machine known as Silence.Loco (as played by Klaus Kinski) is one of the meanest, most vile characters to ever appear in film.
Enter the mute gunfighter known as Silence, who has a deep rooted hatred of bounty hunters...Something of a cult classic and massively popular in Spaghetti Western fan's circles, The Great Silence is as perpetually cold as the snowy landscapes that surround this tale.
Kinski gets the plum part, with the clever lines; the actor who plays the sheriff also does well; cinematography is excellent under such strenuous conditions; dialogue is good enough to keep you riveted; and the motivations of all those human living on the brink of animaldom -- especially the group of "outlaws" who prowl outside of town and keep attacking people for food -- almost turn THE GREAT SILENCE into a Western version of MAD MAX.
It is filmed in typical spaghetti western fashion, fans of the genre will instantly recognize the camera work and use of music (which is Morricone so it is of course excellent.)The film has a good story, great cinematography, and Klaus Kinski is perfect as the villain.
Great Silence, The (1968) **** (out of 4) Extremely brutal and at times shocking Spaghetti Western takes place during the great blizzard of 1898 and follows a mute gunfighter (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who wants to take down a sadistic bounty hunter (Klaus Kinski).
I can't really say why is it that I liked this movie so much since I'm not a big fan of westerns, but it has a good story, the acting isn't bad and the characters themselves were interesting(specially Silence).
What more can you ask for than a desolate snow-covered wasteland, a mute ghost-like avenger, and a villain that looks and acts like the human personification of a snake?A truly atmospheric production and one of director Sergio Corbucci's best, The Great Silence delivers thrills and shocks in equal doses, with lots of jaw-dropping moments, including probably the most unexpected ending in the history of westerns.Here, Klaus Kinski does what he does best, providing some truly inspired villainy.
"The Great Silence" (1968), directed by Sergio Corbucci, is definitely the best non-Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western ever made.
The cast, including the brilliant Klaus Kinski, play to perfection, especially Jean-Louis Trintignant, who stars as "Silence", who, as a child, had his throat cut, thus making him unable to speak, is a awesome piece of acting.
Towards the end of the film is a remarkable shot of Klaus Kinski's bounty hunter standing, at night, in the doorway of an old saloon (which looks very like a village inn from old pre-WWII Europe), largely back-lit with his eyes fixed on his next victim.
The narrative held me with it easily but I must confess that I was a bit turned by the idea that the law is a restrictive force and that vigalintism or bounty hunters are the only way to keep the peace, if it the conclusion of this idea was an impressively bleak and memorable ending.Although I saw a dubbed version the performances were mostly pretty good even if many of the support cast had the presence of cattle, filling out the scenes.
When asked what my favorite Spaghetti Western is I usually place Corbucci's Django at the top of my list but truth be told The Great Silence is far superior; it's a mesmerizing masterpiece overflowing with Roman violence and French nihilism.
The film's locations combined with the snow (actually shaving cream) and fog created a sense of isolation and an atmosphere of dread-inducing stillness.French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant (Questi's Death Laid an Egg) is perfect as the infamous Silence, a character that mocks the "silent anti-hero" stereotype of Spaghetti Westerns by being mute!
Originally released in 1968, Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence (Il Grande Silenzio) is widely considered the greatest spaghetti western not made by Sergio Leone.
Unlike most non-leone Spaghetti Westerns, it actually tries to be something other than Sergio Leone, and with the mute hero, snowcapped landscapes, interracial sex (the first on film) and shocking ending, it succeeds.
It definitely is a peculiar movie, far better than most Spaghetti Westerns: scenes are at moments truly magnificent, (such as the coach ride with the haunting Morricone score, the starting titles scene, where Trintignant rides his horse through the snow, the love scene, etc.); music is very appropriate and nice; actors are almost all good (exceptions are the old woman who loses her son, and Mr. Wolff, the sceriff, who seems to me an American Renzo Montagnari (Italian actor in erotic comedies of 60ies...).
My feeling is that it isn't in that the idea of the western hero and villain are still there, the black and white morality of most John Wayne movies permeates this one, but in The Great Silence the bad beat the good because they are inherently more powerful..
But this isn't your normal western, and just like in real life, the good guy's don't always win.The Great Silence is still something to marvel at, even to the modern film-goer.
Yes. But The Great Silence is not just a deep contemplation of violence  it is also simply a very entertaining spaghetti western, thus it never feels dull and is always engaging.The whole cast is excellent, but the highlight is the incredibly talented Klaus Kinski, who is electrifying in the role of the ice-cold bounty hunter Loco.
And it is also worth noting that Ennio Morricone scores the film, and he does it expertly.But the big allure of The Great Silence is its complete reversal of the western genre.
It doesn't feel cheap or gimmicky, like it very easily could have.It is, in fact, so devastating that Corbucci was actually forced to shoot an alternate "happy" ending for certain markets, in which, just in the nick of time, the (dead) sheriff miraculously reappears and kills Loco, allowing Silence to finish off the rest of the bounty hunters.
The west was a harsh place in time where the good guys didn't always win, and Corbucci did an excellent job conveying that.The Great Silence is a fascinating film that turns the western genre completely on its head.
It's well worth adding to any Spaghetti western soundtrack collection and rates right up there with DEATH RIDES A HORSE (1968) and THE BIG GUNDOWN (1967)The movie itself involves a hired killer named "Silence" (Jean-Louis Trintignant in a non-speaking role) who helps protect Mormons (who have a bounty on their heads and are forced to live out in the mountains) from the likes of Loco (Klaus Kinski) and his gang of fellow bounty hunters.
"The Great Silence" is really a fairly standard revenge film of the type often seen in the spaghetti western canon.
There is no doubt that this is an excellent movie, but I must disagree with the many reviewers who call this the best non-Leone spaghetti western.Klaus Kinski is great in this movie, as always, and one can not say enough about Ennio Morricone's score.