The Great Silence

1968

1h 46m

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

444

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99+ Images

Western

Drama

A mute gunslinger fights in the defense of a group of outlaws and a vengeful young widow, against a group of ruthless bounty hunters.

Directors

Sergio Corbucci

Writers

Mario Amendola(screenplay by)

Bruno Corbucci(screenplay by)

Vittoriano Petrilli(screenplay by)

Stars

Jean-Louis Trintignant

Klaus Kinski

Frank Wolff

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Videos1

Trailer
Watch THE GREAT SILENCE official U.S. trailer

Top cast

Jean-Louis Trintignant

Silence

Loco (Tigrero)

Sheriff Burnett

Pollicut

Pauline

Martin

Governor

Regina

Blonde Saloon girl

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

Outlaw

Man in Saloon

Poker player

Charlie

Directors

Sergio Corbucci

Writers

Mario Amendola(screenplay by)

Bruno Corbucci(screenplay by)

Vittoriano Petrilli(screenplay by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Set against a really effective wintry, hostile, background this tells the story of revenge - and that's always best served cold! A woman "Pauline" (Vonetta McGee) and her family are the victims of unscrupulous bandits. Bent of avenging their heinous behaviour, she hires an equally ruthless and deadly enforcer of her own (Jean-Louis Trintignant) to even the score. This anonymous, mute, gunman is very adept at settling scores, and as the bodies gradually pile up, it looks like a confrontation with the bounty hunter/killer "Tigrero" (Klaus Kinski) cannot be long for the waiting. This is a film that you need to watch with a blanket. The freezing scenarios are used superbly to create a sense of isolation, desperation and the frequent presence of blood spattering the snow helps further illustrate the violent and brutal nature of the lives of the late 19th century Utah citizens - only marginally on the human side of civilisation. The dubbing isn't the best, but the dialogue isn't actually that important. It's the whole look and feel of this film that resonates really well. Kinski and his maniacal eyes, the mute Trintignant (did he just not want to learn any lines?) and the sparing interventions of local kingpin "Pollicut" (Luigi Pistilli) and sheriff "Burnett" (Frank Wolff) all add richness and general unpleasantness to the whole thing. What also helps here is unpredictability. The narrative does not just plod along with the usual hero/anti-hero inevitability to it. The story is alive, it has an authenticity and duplicitousness to it that holds the attention really well before a bleak and, frankly rather savage, denouement that is entirely fitting! It's a great big screen experience!

Geronimo196704 Jan, 2023