The Great Silence (Il Grande silenzio) (1968)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Reid V

  
  Certainly the most bleak spaghetti western. If you think about it, that is saying a lot.

• Tsubaki S

  
  The beauty of Il Grande Silenzio is that it tells such a dark tale in the most straighfoward manner possible. It forgets about the western myths and goes for the crude aspects of this world. Silenzio is not a hero, just a man defending himself, Loco is not a cartoonish "bad… More
  The beauty of Il Grande Silenzio is that it tells such a dark tale in the most straighfoward manner possible. It forgets about the western myths and goes for the crude aspects of this world. Silenzio is not a hero, just a man defending himself, Loco is not a cartoonish "bad guy", just somebody doing his job. With bountys over the heads of poor people trying to survive private property becomes more valuable than human beings. When the ending arrives it never feels forced or out of logic. It was the only way in which this story could be finished. There are no heroes here, just another pile of nameless corpses, and somebody with more money in the pocket.

• Conner R

  
  A really drawn out Spaghetti Western epic and completely different from anything else the genre produced. It has a great snow-covered backdrop set at the end of the old west, where the bounty killers rule. Klaus Kinski plays an amazing villian, essentially a more devious and smarter… More
  A really drawn out Spaghetti Western epic and completely different from anything else the genre produced. It has a great snow-covered backdrop set at the end of the old west, where the bounty killers rule. Klaus Kinski plays an amazing villian, essentially a more devious and smarter version of his hunchback character from For A Few Dollars More. I really do think this was made way ahead of its time because in many ways it marks the end of the genre. It's very similar to Unforgiven.

• El Hombre I

  
  One of the most cynical and grim westerns ever. Instead of the usual hot, dusty deserts, we get snowy emptiness and a central character who is able to convey so much without ever speaking a word. Although director Corbucci made a name for himself with "Django", Il Grande… More
  One of the most cynical and grim westerns ever. Instead of the usual hot, dusty deserts, we get snowy emptiness and a central character who is able to convey so much without ever speaking a word. Although director Corbucci made a name for himself with "Django", Il Grande Silenzio is the far more impressive work. Some of the rough edits and camera angles distinguish it from Hollywood films and for me, add to the underbelly of human nature portrayed in the film. Klaus Kinski creates one of the most chilling villains with the coldest blue-eyed stare. Although from time to time he seems practical, as much as one can during hard times as this, he's out of his mind. Maestro Ennio Morricone serves up one of his best scores with the main theme measuring up to his accomplishments with Sergio Leone. Do not miss this film. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=thegreatsilence.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/thegreatsilence.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Bruce B

  
  The Great Silence aka : Il grande silenzio Made in 1968 A Spaghetti Western Directed by Sergio Corbucci . Thus is the second movie I have watch made by Corbucci, first being Companeros. Both are excellent movies for a Saturday Night. In the Great Silence we have Jean-Louis… More
  The Great Silence aka : Il grande silenzio Made in 1968 A Spaghetti Western Directed by Sergio Corbucci . Thus is the second movie I have watch made by Corbucci, first being Companeros. Both are excellent movies for a Saturday Night. In the Great Silence we have Jean-Louis Trintignant who plays Silence a mute gun slinger who is hired by Pauline (Vonetta McGee) a very beautiful lady. At on point Pauline and Silence develops a interracial romance, a relationship seldom seen in Westerns, Italian or Western back in the day, this added to the final scene with Pauline has the making of something well hidden over the years in the US Theater. Klaus Kinski who plays the very bad guy named Loco (its always keen how Italian Directors think up such cool name for Bad Guys). The ending of this film is like no other Spaghetti Western and I will not give it away. This is one that is unique and a must see. 4 1/2 stars the highest I have given to an Italian Western.

• Pierluigi P

  
  Two gunslingers, Silenzio and Loco, meet in Utah in 1899's blizzard, where the snowy landscapes will be inevitably splattered with blood. A bleak western with some atypical patterns, the presence of two great european actors, and a powerful conclusion.

• Stephen M

  
  This has to be the most downbeat and depressing western I have ever seen. Corbucci's other decent spaghetti western, "Django", was set in a sea of mud; "The Big Silence" is also strikingly set, against a backdrop of heavy snow drifts. If you're looking… More
  This has to be the most downbeat and depressing western I have ever seen. Corbucci's other decent spaghetti western, "Django", was set in a sea of mud; "The Big Silence" is also strikingly set, against a backdrop of heavy snow drifts. If you're looking for a happy ending, don't bother; if you like mountain scenery and bad dubbing, jump right in.

• Chris W

  
  I'm no expert on the genre of Spaghetti Westerns, but this ranks, I feel, as an excellent example. The cinematography is absolutely brilliant-bleak, stark, and quite stunning- a true visual delight. Jean Louis Trintignant and Klaus Kinski are superb in their respective roles… More
  I'm no expert on the genre of Spaghetti Westerns, but this ranks, I feel, as an excellent example. The cinematography is absolutely brilliant-bleak, stark, and quite stunning- a true visual delight. Jean Louis Trintignant and Klaus Kinski are superb in their respective roles of a mute gunfighter who stands up for what's right and the sadistic bounty hunter he goes up against. Another highlight to the film is Ennio Morricone's score. It's not as good as the scores he did for Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns, butit's still pretty awesome. This is a very off-beat and different film, even for a Spaghetti Western. Go check it out.

• Michael G

  
  An incredibly well-done spaghetti western. Completely dismal and depressing although it's absolutely beautiful. It takes a little while to get off the ground, but once it gets going it's totally worthwhile. This has easily got to be one of the darkest endings I've ever… More
  An incredibly well-done spaghetti western. Completely dismal and depressing although it's absolutely beautiful. It takes a little while to get off the ground, but once it gets going it's totally worthwhile. This has easily got to be one of the darkest endings I've ever seen in a movie and it left me almost completely speechless.

• Walter M

  
  In "The Great Silence," a group of outlaws is holding out in the hills of Utah in 1898. Some of them are getting impatient with promises of amnesty and go back to Snow Hill, ruled by the villainous Pollicut(Luigi Pistilli), and are gunned down by Loco(Klaus Kinski), a… More
  In "The Great Silence," a group of outlaws is holding out in the hills of Utah in 1898. Some of them are getting impatient with promises of amnesty and go back to Snow Hill, ruled by the villainous Pollicut(Luigi Pistilli), and are gunned down by Loco(Klaus Kinski), a bounty killer. In fact, the governor(Carlo D'Angelo) is greatly considering the amnesty, appointing Burnett(Frank Wolff) to be sheriff in the meantime to cut down on the bloodshed. Along comes Silence(Jean-Louis Trintignant), a mute avenger, to aid those who cannot protect themselves. "The Great Silence" is an entertaining spaghetti western that is raised a notch, not only because of its wintry setting and an absolutely stunning ending, but also its being grounded in a politcal reality, and was quite daring for its time. Set in a period when the frontier was closing and lawmen like Burnett were no longer just referees and started to take an active role in protecting the citizens. This was needed to not only stop the killing by the bounty killers(the movie gets tantalizingly close to bringing up the death penalty) but also Silence who uses the law to his advantage by provoking gunmen into a fight they cannot win. Of course, it is easy to goad a sociopath.

• Lesley N

  
  A snowy Western... fantastic! This time with a mute shooter, who along with the sheriff, are our heros trying to protect the outlaws, whilst the bounty hunters, prefering Wanted Dead to Wanted Alive, are the baddies, led by a menancing and as usual, mad as a bagful of nuts, Klaus… More
  A snowy Western... fantastic! This time with a mute shooter, who along with the sheriff, are our heros trying to protect the outlaws, whilst the bounty hunters, prefering Wanted Dead to Wanted Alive, are the baddies, led by a menancing and as usual, mad as a bagful of nuts, Klaus Kinski. Excellent music by Ennio Morricone too, and a killer ending

• Jonny C

  
  The Great Silence is a little known Spaghetti Western made around same time as the man with no name trilogy. If you set aside some awful acting and dialogue, you've got a decent western, with a great baddie, and a worthwhile hero. The ending was definitely not what I was… More
  The Great Silence is a little known Spaghetti Western made around same time as the man with no name trilogy. If you set aside some awful acting and dialogue, you've got a decent western, with a great baddie, and a worthwhile hero. The ending was definitely not what I was expecting, as it left a sour taste in my mouth.

• Patrick D

  
  This is quite a different western. I does have all the regular fare: lone gunman, bad guy, gang of thugs, dutiful sheriff. But this film takes place in the winter (!) and deals with the threat of the cold and bandits that kinda blur the line of good and bad, since they are forced out… More
  This is quite a different western. I does have all the regular fare: lone gunman, bad guy, gang of thugs, dutiful sheriff. But this film takes place in the winter (!) and deals with the threat of the cold and bandits that kinda blur the line of good and bad, since they are forced out of their town to fend for themselves. The hero is also mute and only kills people in self defense, never draws the gun first. This film does drag at parts but really keeps moving with several aspects of the story to keep track of. What really fucking got me was the end. I'm still shaking my head in disbelief. It's no surprise that this film comes from the director of the equaly great and unique Django. If you care for westerns (and especially ones of the spaghetti variety) see this one.

• Marion R

  
  One of the best Italian westerns ever made. A must watch for any fan western cinema. Really good.

• Christopher B

  
  What a great western! Another fantastic Kinski performance and a killer ending.

Read all 15 featured audience ratings