Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Cemetery Without Crosses Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 25, 2015

Robert Hossein's "Cemetery Without Crosses" a.k.a. "Une corde, un Colt..." (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group. The supplemental features on the disc include an original theatrical trailer for the film; exclusive new video interview with actor and director Robert Hossein; extract from the French television program Cinema; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated collector’s booklet containing new writing by Ginette Vincendeau and Rob Young. In English or Italian, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A/B "locked".

The widow

After she is forced to witness the execution of her husband (Benito Stefanelli) by members of the Rogers family, the beautiful Maria Caine (Michele Mercier, Black Sabbath) vows to avenge his death. But her bothers-in-law, Eli (Michel Lemoine, Succubus) and Thomas (Guido Lollobrigida, Red Sun), both thieves who have clashed with the Rogers, urge her to pack up her belongings and start a new life somewhere else.

Determined to punish the killers of her husband, Maria heads to a nearby ghost town and meets Manuel (Robert Hossein, Vice and Virtue), a lonely gunman who has decided to spend the rest of his life in peace and quiet. Initially Manuel refuses to get involved, but when he realizes that the widow won’t change her mind and will almost certainly die while seeking justice, he agrees to help.

Manuel then rides to a different town, where he kills two gunslingers trying to settle an old score with a few of the Rogers. He is promptly jailed by the corrupt sheriff (Pierre Collet, Greed in the Sun), but the head of the Rogers family (Daniele Vargas, The Sensuous Nurse) gets him out of jail and offers him a job. Soon after, Manuel kidnaps the only female member of the Rogers family, the young and beautiful Diana (Anne-Marie Balin), and Maria tells her father and brothers that they will see her again only after they give her husband a proper burial and ask for forgiveness.

Robert Hossein shot Cemetery Without Crosses in 1969 and dedicated it to the great Sergio Leone. The Italian director was so moved that he visited Hossein and his crew in Almeria and shot a sequence that appears in the final version of the film. (It is the comic sequence where Manuel and the members of the Rogers family dine together).

While the story is hardly original, the film’s visual style and atmosphere are very unusual. Indeed, at times it literally feels like Hossein wanted to infuse the film with the same minimalistic noirish atmosphere that is present in Jean-Pierre Melville’s classic Le Samouraï. There are many sequences where simple looks and gestures completely replace words. The manner in which bodies move and pose is also uncharacteristic. Even during the shootouts the moves seem fluid and calm, even oddly elegant.

Amongst big European noir westerns only Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence a.k.a. Il Grande Silenzio is bleaker and more atmospheric than Cemetery Without Crosses. The story of Corbucci’s film, which was shot a year earlier, is also similar. In it a widow asks a jaded mute gunman (played by the great Jean-Louis Trintignant) to kill the bounty hunter (played by another iconic European actor, Klaus Kinski) responsible for the death of her husband.

Hossein shot Cemetery Without Crosses with cinematographer Henri Persin, with whom he had previously worked on Bernard Borderie's Angelique films (arguably Mercier’s most popular work). The film was edited by Marie-Sophie Dubus (Andrzej Zulawski’s Possession, La Femme Publique).

Cemetery Without Crosses Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Robert Hossein's Cemetery Without Crosses arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group.

Despite some obvious source limitations, the film has a very pleasing organic appearance. The majority of the close-ups, for instance, boast very good depth (see screencapture #1). In fact, even during the nighttime footage detail and clarity remain pleasing (see screencapture #16). During wider panoramic shots, however, it is easy to see that fluidity and depth are not as convincing as they should be. Grain isn't evenly distributed and there are various yellow stains and scratches (you can see what these stains look like in screencapture #8). Density fluctuations are also present, though they never become distracting. The good news here is that no attempts have been made to digitally repolish and resharpen the film. In other words, the organic qualities we expect to see when older films transition to Blu-ray are retained as best as possible. Colors are stable, never appearing artificially boosted, but saturation could be better. Image stability is good, but occasionally light jitter can be spotted in the bottom end of the frame. The encoding is very good. All in all, even though there is clearly room for improvement, this is a fine technical presentation that makes it very easy to appreciate Hossein's artistic vision. My score is 3.75/5.50. (Note: This is a Region-A/B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have native Region-A, Region-B, or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Cemetery Without Crosses Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0 and Italian LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the English track and optional English subtitles for the Italian track.

The English track is very good. The melancholic Spanish guitar solos sounds crisp and well rounded while the gunshots are sharp and clear. The dialog is stable and clean. Because it was overdubbed some very minor sync issues can be spotted, but they are part of the film's original sound design. There are no audio dropouts, pops, distracting background hiss, or digital distortions to report in our review.

Cemetery Without Crosses Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Cemetery Without Crosses. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• Remembering Sergio - in this brand new video interview, actor and director Robert Hossein recalls how Cemetery Without Crosses came to exist, and discusses his admiration for Sergio Leone. (The great Italian director shot the sequence in which Manuel and The Rogers are seen eating together). The interview was conducted exclusively for Arrow Video on February 25th, 2015. In French, with optional English subtitles. (6 min).

• Location Report - presented here is an extract from the French television program Cinema with raw footage from the shooting of Cemetery Without Crosses as well as clips from archival interviews with Robert Hossein, Michele Mercier (Maria Caine), and Serge Marquand (Larry Rogers). The episode was first broadcast on February 29th, 1968. In French, with optional English subtitles. (8 min).

• Interview with Robert Hossein - in this short archival interview, Robert Hossein quickly explains what inspired him to shoot Cemetery Without Crosses. The interview was conducted for the French television program Cote d'Azur Actualites, and first broadcast on April 17th, 1968. In French, Optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• Booklet - illustrated collector's booklet containing new writing by Ginette Vincendeau and Rob Young.

• Cover - reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork.

Cemetery Without Crosses Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Robert Hossein dedicated Cemetery Without Crosses to the great Sergio Leone. It is a very stylish European noir western, rivaled only by Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence. Hossein's work is largely ignored in English-speaking markets so having Cemetery Without Crosses on Blu-ray is a real treat. Hopefully, Arrow Video will also consider bringing to Blu-ray Bernard Borderie's equally stylish Angélique films, which have already appeared on Blu-ray in France and Germany. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.