8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A group of bloodthirsty bounty hunters, led by the vicious Loco prey on a band of persecuted outlaws who have taken to the hills. As the price on each head is collected one-by-one, only a mute gunslinger named Silence stands between the innocent refugees and the greed and corruption that the bounty hunters represent. But, in this harsh, brutal world, the lines between right and wrong aren't always clear and good doesn't always triumph.
Starring: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Klaus Kinski, Frank Wolff, Luigi Pistilli, Mario BregaForeign | 100% |
Western | 32% |
Drama | 4% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Italian: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (448 kbps)
BDInfo
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Sergio Corbucci's "The Great Silence" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; new video program with filmmaker Alex Cox; restored alternate endings; Patrick Morin's vintage documentary "Western, Italian Style"; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The mute
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement.
The release is sourced from a good, but with some limitations, recent 2K remaster struck from the OCN. The first thing that needs to be made very clear is that the technical presentation represents a huge upgrade in quality over the old DVD release that Fantoma produced many years ago. And not just in terms of detail and fluidity, but also in terms of framing, so you are actually looking at a drastically different presentation. Additionally, there are natural organic nuances that are present on the new remaster that are simply missing on the old release. This being said, some native limitations remain. For example, the 'checkers effect' from the prologue isn't eliminated (you can see examples in screencaptures #7 and 8). There are also areas of the film where density isn't optimal and not because of conditions introduced during the shooting process (see screencapture #18). I also spotted some small fluctuations that affect the film's dynamic range and my guess is that the gamma levels are not set properly. This is an issue that a lot of players would automatically adjust, but it is something that could have been avoided during the encoding process and the end result would have been even more convincing. The rest I like. There are no traces of problematic digital tinkering. The color grading is also quite nice, though ideally I think that some nuances could have been even better. Image stability is very good. Finally, there are no large cuts, damage marks, stains, or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English Dolby Digital 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided, but keep in mind that they are usable only for the Italian track. (The English dub has entirely different lines).
Both tracks were actually overdubbed during the post-production process. I prefer the English track because the overwhelming majority of the actors utter their lines in English, so I was a bit disappointed to see that the English track is only lossy. More importantly, it does not appear to have been fully remastered, while the Italian lossless track has been remastered and is clearly superior. My guess is that some specific work was done on the Italian track to remove age-related imperfections and improve stability. All in all, I personally would view the film with the English track, but I am aware that some people also prefer the Italian track.
Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence is rightfully considered one of the greatest European westerns ever made, but in my opinion it has a lot more in common with the classic American film noirs. If western noir was a legit genre, it would have been one of its undisputed masterpieces. Film Movement's Blu-ray release is sourced from a good 2K remaster, and while I think that there is room for further meaningful improvements, I like it quite a lot because it represents a very strong upgrade in quality over the old DVD release that Fantoma produced years ago. The release also includes Patrick Morin's excellent vintage documentary Western, Italian Style, which has some very interesting observations from director Corbucci and Enzo G. Castellari. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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