The Great Silence is directed by Sergio Corbucci and Corbucci co- writes the screenplay with Mario Amendola, Bruno Corbucci and Vittoriano Petrilli. It stars Jean-Louis Trintignant, Klaus Kinski, Frank Wolff, Luigi Pistilli, Vonetta McGee and Mario Brega. Music is by Ennio Morricone and cinematography by Silvano Ippoliti.Snowhill, Utah - Winter at the turn of the century, and the local villagers have succumbed to thievery purely to survive. But with that comes bounties on their heads, which brings into the area the bounty hunters who are a law unto themselves. 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. Death is a financial commodity, greed and corruption stalks the land, while the shades between right and wrong are as blurry as can be. The violence cuts deep, none more so than with the famous finale that closes down the pic with a pneumatic thud. The photography captures the winter scapes perfectly and is in tune with the narrative drive, while maestro Morricone lays a ethereal musical score over proceedings. There's some daft goofs such as a dead man blinking and manacles that mysteriously disappear, and not all the acting is of the standard that Kinski and Wolff provide, but this is one utterly unforgettable bowl of Spaghetti. Its reputation in the pasta circles well deserved. 8/10

It's hard to gauge this because the dubbing into American accents was not so good. Twas a distraction and would have been better with subtitles. The dubbing on its own is bad but that also throws the sound off at times. What's great about this spaghetti western is definitely the snowy scenery of the Dolomites in northern Italia. What a production filming in such conditions. Our protagonist (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and antagonist (Klaus Kinski) are both solid in their performances. Interesting social undertones with a fine hero out to destroy a terrible villain. But all that gets shot down, literally, at the end. In American westerns you know who wins. American westerns I love and have seen perhaps 1,000 of. So the ending here left me shocked. Many westerns come and go, to be forgotten about for all time. Not this one! --A Kat Pirate Screener

One of the more thought-provoking spaghetti westerns of the 1960s/70s. Set in a winterscape that adds to the sombre, almost melancholy tone, each character is on the surface either good or evil; but as the film progresses, these notions of become less distinct, and perhaps more genuine. This adds a depth to the film that other such westerns do not ordinarily have, even if this depth only becomes apparent after the film ends and one reflects on the characters and story. The film seems to me a product of its time and Italy's history, in a political sense - what is right, what is wrong? - a fight between the (perverted) use of the law to get results as against morality, a fight between emotions and indivdualism (i.e. fascism as against indivualism and liberalism). But which one is which...?. Watch, enjoy. The musical score is integral to this film as well, particularly the Love Theme which plays in the deneoumont. A film worth seeking out and buying on DVD, particularly as an antidote to the Segio Leone westerns. As someone else has commented, this is to the spaghetti western as Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" is to the Hollywood western. Perhaps a true western, truer to life than the romanticism of others in the genre.

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. Corbucci isn't interested in presenting us with "good" or "bad," instead he introduces characters with very real human flaws such as greed, lust and the thirst for revenge. These men with their deep emotional scars, and monetary motivations, use the laws of the land to oppress religious freedom and justify murder. There's obviously more lying beneath the surface of this film for those interested in sharpening their analytical chops.If Django's theme was mired in the muck and mud, The Great Silence's theme was buried beneath the frozen snow. Perhaps I'm looking too hard but it would appear to me that Corbucci's film portrays the snow almost as a living entity, as if it were a character witnessing the atrocities of Snowhill. 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! Speech isn't the only thing Trintignant resists, he also carries a Mauser pistol with detachable wooden stock instead of the traditional six-shooters or repeater rifles used in pretty much all Westerns. To say he was different from other Spaghetti Western bad asses would be a slight understatement.I won't say much about the finale but it was incredibly dark and depressing; I was angry and saddened as the film ended on a reflection so powerful it'll remain with you long after the film is over. Forget hand-holding, Corbucci lops hands off at the wrist. I cannot recommend this film enough, seek it out and add it to your collection.