The Great Silence
One of the best and most unusual spaghetti Westerns ever made, Sergio Corbucci'sThe Great Silenceis set in the beautiful desolation of the snow-covered high plains. Jean-Louis Trintignant, the romantic French star ofMy Night at Maud'sandA 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'sAguirre: The Wrath of GodandNosferatu 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, whoseDjangois 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 phrasecold-blooded murder.Cult director Alex Cox (Repo Man) callsThe 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