KingM21 Review of The Great Silence

The Great Silence (1968)

Another fine Spaghetti Western from Sergio Corbucci!

[8/10 · 22 April 2006]

In this one, the bounty killers (led by an evil but affable Klaus Kinski) are actually the bad guys, as they heartlessly hunt down and kill harmless (and perhaps innocent) men. The wife of one of these men hire Silence, a mute gunman who is against the ruthless ways of the bounty killers (when he was just a child, a group of them destroyed his family). Jean-Louis Trintignant plays Silence and does an excellent job of conveying his emotion through his eyes and facial gestures. One thing that gave this one a unique feeling compared to other SWs was the use of cold, snowy surroundings…some of the photography was stunning. The music by the legendary Ennio Morricone really enhances the desperate tone of each scene. The ending is a real kicker. I won't spoil it but it's definitely effective and unforgettable. The uncut Fantoma DVD release (re-release?) had a clean print and clear sound and included the alternate ending, which was amusing after seeing the original ending. I liked the glove though!