Leichen pflastern seinen Weg (1968)

Leichen pflastern seinen Weg: Directed by Sergio Corbucci. With Jean-Louis Trintignant, Klaus Kinski, Frank Wolff, Luigi Pistilli. A mute gunfighter defends a young widow and a group of outlaws against a gang of bounty killers in the winter of 1898, and a grim, tense struggle unfolds.

“Twenty five years before Clint Eastwood made his departure from the western genre with his violent, cynical epic u0026quot;Unforgivenu0026quot;, Sergio Corbucci had already treated us with one of the most dark and unforgiving tales of vengeance violence and that has ever graced the western screen. A forgotten classic that deserves recognition u0026quot;The Great Silenceu0026quot; is Corbucciu0026#39;s definitive movie, powerful to the point of sadness. It can and it will shock itu0026#39;s viewer, with itu0026#39;s unforgiving nature, and themes.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSet around the snowy landscapes of Utah, u0026quot;The Great Silenceu0026quot; stars Jean-Louis Trintignant as Silence, a mute gunfighter assisting a group outlaws for and a woman trying to avenge her dead husband. They are faced against a group of bounty hunters, led by Loco (Klaus Kinsky) a ruthless and merciless man who values only the money he gains from the killing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCorbucci utilizes the snow-filled landscape to the maximum, creating a hauntingly chilling atmosphere that sticks with you from the beginning to the end and most likely, long after youu0026#39;ve watched the film. The opening shot demonstrates perfectly the technique employed by Corbucci, with a long shot of Silence as he rides thru the desert of snow, there are no other environmental elements, just him riding calmly forwards accompanied only by a chilling tune from Morricone. This entire moment creates a image so strong so hypnotizing that I found myself re-watching it again and again. It is these moments that make u0026quot;The Great Silenceu0026quot; great, experiencing the silence before the gunshot and the silence after it, the moments of reckoning, the moments that decide the fates of human beings. I emphasize on u0026quot;human beingsu0026quot; because the characters here are not only likable but believable and they very much feel like real people, the kind you might like or despise or love or hate. Itu0026#39;s not about Silenceu0026#39;s skills as a gunfighter, but the human aspect bellow, that is what makes him feel real. None of this would have succeed had it not been for the brilliant acting of the entire cast. Trintignant and Kinsky make the biggest impression though, adding layers of depth to their respective characters without even uttering a word, just their facial expressions, the way the move, the confidence with which they act it is simply brilliant.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCommenting on the final scene would be a downright shame to those who havenu0026#39;t seen the movie just yet. But it is one of the most memorable, no not only memorable it is one of the greatest endings ever shot, with one of the best uses of slow-motion I have ever seen. Slow-motion that captures the darkest, saddest moment, the one thing no one would expect to happen in a western. This further helps to strengthen the major anti-violence theme as the credits begin to roll and the viewer is left to cope with the unexpected finale.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eEnnio Morricone serves one of his best scores. I would easily rank this amongst u0026quot;The Good, The Bad and The Uglyu0026quot; in terms of quality. But it is by no means similar to it. No. We are not soothed by the comfortable music heard in his collaborations with Leone. This score is, haunting and sad, like the movie itself it has an emotional effect on the viewer.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;The Great Silenceu0026quot; is as every bit as good as any of Leoneu0026#39;s films. But is also as every bit as different from them. A uniquely dark voyage into the brutal reality of human nature, concealed as a western. Sergio Corbucci died in 1990, his movies werenu0026#39;t remembered by many, but those that did will never forget u0026quot;The Great Silenceu0026quot;.”