Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Great Silence Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 17, 2018

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

Sergio Corbucci’s The Great Silence is the reason why descriptions such as “western noir” exist. It oozes the same atmosphere that the classic American film noirs promoted, but trades the cool gangsters and desolated dark alleys for exotic cowboys and picturesque mountain locations.

The film is set in the Utah Territory and all of the action takes place during a brutally cold winter. A vicious bounty hunter named Loco (Klaus Kinski) and his partner have gone after a group of Mormon settlers who have been branded ‘outlaws’ for clashing with the corrupt banker Pollicut (Luigi Pistilli) from the town of Snow Hill. After the settlers are ambushed and executed, Loco transports their bodies to Sheriff Gideon Burnett (Frank Wolff) and demands that he is paid the $1,000 per head prize that the banker has arranged with him.

Around the same time a notorious mute gunslinger named Silence (Jean-Louis Trintignant) also arrives in town and is immediately approached by the beautiful Negro Pauline (Vonetta McGee), whose husband has also been recently murdered by Loco and his partner. The widow tells Silence that even though she does not have the money to pay him right away, she is ready to hire him to avenge the death of her husband. Soon after, Silence forces Loco’s partner to draw on him and puts a bullet in his forehead. When Loco vows to do the same, all hell breaks loose.

In conventional American and European westerns from the 1960s and 1970s the action is typically the main attraction -- the more elaborate or flashier it is, the more convincing the film’s identity becomes. In Corbucci’s western the concept is basically flipped upside down and the film is defined by its heavy atmosphere.

It is important to underscore, however, that the careful stylization does not erode the film’s authenticity. In fact, the shootouts and executions are so uncharacteristically graphic that some of the visuals actually have a bit of a documentary edge. Also, this is one of a very few European westerns from the era where the line that usually separates the good and the bad is very rarely, if at all, easy to spot. The film simply remains reluctant to produce a morally superior winner and then let him ride into the sunset as a hero, so when it is all said and done this too has a major effect on its authenticity.

The quality of Trintignant’s work is on par with that in The Conformist, though in this case Kinski deserves just as much praise for being the catalyst behind it. (Apparently, there was no love lost between them and each tried to outdo the other).

Corbucci was able to secure the services of cinematographer Silvano Ippoliti, who later on lensed Tinto Brass’ two most outrageous films, Caligula and Salon Kitty. The hugely atmospheric soundtrack was composed by the legendary maestro Ennio Morricone.

The Great Silence Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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).

The Great Silence Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

The Great Silence Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Cox on Corbucci - in this new video piece, director and author Alex Cox (Repo Man) discusses The Great Silence and offers some comments about Sergio Corbucci's career. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 480/60i).

• Western, Italian Style (1968) - this wonderful documentary examines the genesis of the Italian westerns and the unique qualities that defined them and made them successful at home and abroad. Included in its are interviews with director Enzo G. Castellari (Keoma), Sergio Corbucci (while shooting The Great Silence), and Jean-Louis Trintignant, amongst others. The documentary was conceived and directed by Patrick Morin, and features commentary by actor Frank Wolff. In English, not subtitled. (38 min, 480/60i).

• Original Theatrical Trailer - original theatrical trailer for The Great Silence. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (4 min, 1080p).

• Restoration Trailer - new 2018 theatrical rerelease trailer for The Great Silence. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

• Two Alternate Endings -
  
  1. Alternate Ending One - fully restored alternate ending, which can be viewed with optional commentary by director/author Alex Cox (Repo Man). In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).
  
  2. Alternate Ending Two - second fully restored alternate ending. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (5 min, 1080p).

• Trailer Gallery - a collection of trailers for the following Film Movement releases:
  
  1. Time to Die
  2. Hana-Bi
  3. Kamikaze 89
  4. The Dark Valley
  5. Once Were Warriors
  6. Ugly, Dirty and Bad

• Booklet - 16-page illustrated booklet featuring cult film expert Simon Abrams' essay "Ending the Silence" and technical credits.

The Great Silence Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.