From the outset one gets the feeling that Trintignant, a very fine actor, is miscast. According to production reports, he struggled with Italian and English, and it was decided that the best thing was to give him a silent role - which greatly limits his scope, but somehow helps increase the film's claustrophobic atmosphere, hemmed in by constant snow and cold.
Kinski gets the plum part, with the clever lines; the actor who plays the sheriff also does well; cinematography is excellent under such strenuous conditions; dialogue is good enough to keep you riveted; and the motivations of all those human living on the brink of animaldom -- especially the group of "outlaws" who prowl outside of town and keep attacking people for food -- almost turn THE GREAT SILENCE into a Western version of MAD MAX.
The film is full of Leone-like touches, including significant looks and close-ups. Unlike any Leone movie, it is able to show two human beings who feel real love for each other (Trintignant and the black woman whose husband was killed by Kinski). It also has its fair share of subjective angles and shots, all of which builds up to what should have been a terrific climax.
Instead, Director Sergio Corbucci suddenly and unexpectedly decides to turn THE GREAT SILENCE into a historic piece about some massacre. A happier ending would have made it a masterpiece comparable to ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, and certainly better than A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS or FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE.
The greater the pity - as much as I would like to give it a higher mark, because there is much to be enjoyed about THE GREAT SILENCE, ultimately its weak and wayward ending lets it down. 6/10
Kinski gets the plum part, with the clever lines; the actor who plays the sheriff also does well; cinematography is excellent under such strenuous conditions; dialogue is good enough to keep you riveted; and the motivations of all those human living on the brink of animaldom -- especially the group of "outlaws" who prowl outside of town and keep attacking people for food -- almost turn THE GREAT SILENCE into a Western version of MAD MAX.
The film is full of Leone-like touches, including significant looks and close-ups. Unlike any Leone movie, it is able to show two human beings who feel real love for each other (Trintignant and the black woman whose husband was killed by Kinski). It also has its fair share of subjective angles and shots, all of which builds up to what should have been a terrific climax.
Instead, Director Sergio Corbucci suddenly and unexpectedly decides to turn THE GREAT SILENCE into a historic piece about some massacre. A happier ending would have made it a masterpiece comparable to ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, and certainly better than A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS or FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE.
The greater the pity - as much as I would like to give it a higher mark, because there is much to be enjoyed about THE GREAT SILENCE, ultimately its weak and wayward ending lets it down. 6/10