The Great Silence

Simply and starkly a great movie, one of the most unforgettable westerns ever made anywhere. As it happens, it was made in the Dolomites, in Italy, by Django director Sergio Corbucci, with a French star (Jean Louis Trintignant, The Conformist) as the eponymous mute gunfighter, and a German madman, Klaus Kinski (Fitzcarraldo), as his antagonist, a vicious bounty hunter appropriately known as Loco. Shot against the wintery mountainous backdrop, their duel is utterly enthralling, culminating in an ending that will scar your soul.

This is a resolutely political movie – small wonder it wasn’t released in the US for 50 years. If it had been let loose in 68, the fires may have burned even more brightly. As usual, Morricone’s score takes all this to another level, the icing on the proverbial cake. He himself rated it is his best work in the genre, barring his collaborations with Leone.

The greatest Spaghetti Western ever made.

Alex Cox, director, Repo Man

Brutal, bleakly beautiful spaghetti Western filmed on stark locations in the Dolomites, with one of the most uncompromising and unforgettable finales ever filmed.

Leonard Maltin

It’s anarchic and rigorous, sophisticated and goofy, heartfelt and cynical. The score, by Ennio Morricone, is as mellow as wine.

AO Scott, New York Times

Community Partner