The Great Silence (1968)

A mute gunfighter defends a young widow and a group of outlaws against a gang of bounty killers in the winter of 1898, and a grim, tense struggle unfolds.

Director:

Sergio Corbucci

Writers:

Sergio Corbucci (story), Vittoriano Petrilli (screenplay)

Stars:

Jean-Louis Trintignant, Klaus Kinski, Frank Wolff

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jean-Louis Trintignant	...	Gordon / Silence (as Jean Louis Trintignant)
Klaus Kinski	...	Tigrero / Loco
Frank Wolff	...	Sheriff Gideon Burnett
Luigi Pistilli	...	Henry Pollicut
Mario Brega	...	Martin
Carlo D'Angelo	...	Governor of Utah (as Carlo D' Angelo)
Marisa Merlini	...	Regina
Maria Mizar	...	Blonde Saloon Girl
Marisa Sally	...	Black-Haired Saloon Girl
Raf Baldassarre	...	Sanchez
Spartaco Conversi	...	Walter
Remo De Angelis	...	Fake Sheriff in Flashback
Mirella Pamphili	...	Red-Haired Saloon Girl in Flashback
Vonetta McGee	...	Pauline Middleton (as Vonetta Mc Gee)

Storyline

Bounty killers led by Loco prey on outlaws hiding out in the snowbound Utahn mountains. After Pauline's husband becomes Loco's latest victim, she hires a gunman for revenge; Silence, mute since his throat was cut when he was a boy.

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Plot Keywords:

interracial sex | spaghetti western | snow | revisionist western | mute | 

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Taglines:

Never was Kinski more evil - never was Kinski better!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

27 January 1969 (France)

Also Known As:

The Great Silence

Filming Locations:

Elios Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,755, 1 April 2018, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$53,074, 30 August 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Adelphia Compagnia Cinematografica, Les Films Corona

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Sound System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Sergio Corbucci, Marcello Mastroianni gave him the idea of a mute gunfighter when the actor told him that he had always wanted to do a Western, but unfortunately didn't speak English. When Corbucci first met Jean-Louis Trintignant, he learned that he didn't speak English either. Because he had a fascination with characters with a crippling weakness, Corbucci decided that this was the moment to turn the taciturn Spaghetti Western hero into a mute.

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Goofs

When Sheriff Burnett inquires Silence about his C96, he refers to it as a "mechanical gun" (English version)/"machine gun" (Italian version). Although rapid-fire models of the C96 and its imitation models would eventually be made, none of them existed in 1898. Silence's model is a historically accurate semi-automatic model.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Hunter: [after Silence has killed four other bounty killers] W-Wait! I-I surrender! Don't kill me! I-I won't do it again! I'm through with bounty hunting! Don't kill me, Silence!
[Silence shoots both of the man's thumbs off; the killer moans in pain]
Hunter: Damn you! You've... crippled my hands!
[tries to shoot Silence with his pistol, but is shot in the back by Miguel]

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Alternate Versions

Two alternative endings were created for this film:

• A "happy" ending, in which Sheriff Burnett (having somehow survived being trapped under a frozen lake) rides into town and shoots Loco before he can kill Silence, allowing him to kill the remaining bounty killers. This ending was once believed to be shot for the North African and Japanese markets, but has since been revealed to have been created as an alternative solution for the producers, who wanted the film to have a "seasonal" (ie. Christmas) appeal.
• A lesser-known, "ambiguous" re-cut of the original ending with additional footage, in which Silence is wounded, but Loco gestures to his gang members to leave the saloon before they can kill anyone.

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Connections

References 10,000 Dollars for a Massacre (1967)

User Reviews

Truly Unique!!

I recently purchased this movie off of the internet after viewing some Sergio Leone films that really got me into the western genre, specifically the spaghetti westerns. I must say that this is unlike any movie I have viewed from the time period. The story is captivating and kept my interest and the ending is one that I will never forget and an extremely important moment for the western genre. However, don't be expecting a Sergio Leone film. This is very different and Sergio Corbucci has his own distinctive style, such as sloppy close-ups and messy cinematography, along with many cuts. The landscape of the film is fresh and one of the main components of this work of art that makes the film so unique. Outside of Leone Corbucci is considered the best director of spaghetti westerns and it is clearly demonstrated here, which I actually hold in higher regard than Leone's first installment of the dollars trilogy "A Fistfull of Dollars". Definitely worth a look if you are a spaghetti western fan as this movie is one of the most important milestones in the genre and in film overall.