The great Silence

The Great Silence

Genre: Spaghetti Western

Original title: Il grande silenzio

Director: Sergio Corbucci

Year: 1968

A mute gunslinger faces off against a gang of bounty hunters in the great blizzard of 1899, and a grim, tense struggle unfolds.

In 1968 Sergio Corbucci, best known for the cult classic Django, gave us an unforgettable western that was like no other.  It stars the well respected French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant as the character of Silence. Silence is an appropriate name given that his character cannot speak after having his throat savagely cut as a child, this coming moments after witnessing his parents being murdered at their home. Silence seeks revenge but abides to the rules of the west by never shooting unless somebody draws first, this also prevents him from being arrested. Klaus Kinksi delivers his most iconic performance in a Spaghetti as Loco the bounty hunter. He is ruthless in his pursuit for financial gain & has no problem with shooting a defenseless person to collect the bounty on their head. Elsewhere you have Frank Wolff as the sheriff, Luigi Pistilli & Vonetta McGee. 

The cast are all wonderful but it's the setting that Corbucci decides to use as a backdrop that is the real star of this picture. Having already used an unusual and visually striking backdrop for Django (with the filthy muddy sets), Corbucci sets The Great Silence in the blizzard of 1899 meaning that the entire set & surroundings are covered in snow. This creates the doomed setting for these characters to live in. Even the superb Ennio Morricone score composed by Bruno Nicolai remains restrained when in comparison to most of Morricone's other Spaghetti's. Instead of a score that runs throughout, most of the film is soundtracked only by the sound of the harsh wind as the snow becomes as big of a part of the film as any of the characters.  The characters constantly struggle against their harsh surroundings with guns that have frozen up & they even resort to eating a horse to stay alive. Also any bloodshed inevitably falls onto the snow which for some reason the combination of the two creates such a brutally striking visual.

"They call him silence because wherever he goes, the silence of death follows"

The film is less political than some of Corbucci's other westerns, though there were some obvious themes that appear to be against capitalism, against what is seen as 'good' in the name of the law & even boasts an interracial relationship which I can't imagine had been done in a Western prior to this. As for the cinematography, Corbucci's usual close ups and use of shaky cam are all present but it's the unpleasant stench of inevitable doom that The Great Silence is soaked in that really makes this film so special.

There are some unforgettable scenes spread throughout. Of course there is the classic trait of the genre seeing our hero show off his accurate gun skills & my personal favourite where Kinksi's character is being transported after being arrested by the sheriff. Kinksi asks to stop to go to the toilet, squats over & the second the sheriff turns his back he pulls out a gun from under the snow that he'd planted their previously. 

The film builds up and we expect a showdown with Silence vs Loco. It is made clear throughout that Silence will not draw first, Loco also abides to these rules though it appears to be more through pride than to honour the "rules" of the west as he has no problem murdering defenseless people throughout the film.

However what really sets The Great Silence apart from other westerns is its unforgettable ending. If you've never seen the film I'd highly recommend that you stop reading now.

The film builds up to its climax with Silence being terribly injured with the majority films sympathetic being held at gunpoint by Loco & the other bounty hunters. Its made clear that they will all be executed unless Silence comes & faces Loco so of course our badly wounded hero enters the scene & we expect him, against all the odds, to save the day. However the doom & gloom of the surroundings throughout the film does not ever let up & we are treated to an unexpected & devastating ending where Silence is shot to death by the bounty hunters followed by a massacre of every single one of the films sympathetic characters. It is the kind of ending that will make your draw hit the ground & the type that will remain with you long after the picture has finished. 

The Great Silence saw Sergio Corbucci deliver not only his own masterpiece, but one of the great Spaghetti Westerns of all-time & one of the all-time great pieces of Italian cinema history. It remains about as essential as they come.

Rating: ★★★★½

Klaus Kinksi, unforgettable as Loco

Primal Impulse

Primal Impulse

Genre: Giallo, Psychological Thriller, Mystery

Original Title: Le Orme

AKA: Footprints / Footprints on the Moon

Director: Luigi Bazzoni

Year: 1975

A woman is tormented by strange dreams of astronauts on the moon. She visits a deserted seaside town whose inhabitants know her even though she does not know them.

Le Orme [Footprints/Primal Impulse] is a completely unique oddity in the gialli genre. It is such a radical departure from the norm that it's probably debatable to whether it is actually one or not. 

We spend almost the entire film with the character of Alice as she tries to piece together three days of her life that have completely disappeared from her memory. She is played wonderfully by Brazilian actress Florinda Bolkan who also appears in Don't Torture a Duckling & A Lizard in a Woman's Skin. She perfectly conveys the confusion & isolation that her character is feeling, often just through her facial expressions. 

We get some trippy sci-fi flashbacks through her eyes of a man being dumped on the moon & a few scenes with none other than Klaus Kinski. The trailer sold this as some kind of Giallo in space with Klaus Kinski, so on that front it is disappointing as this is just a tiny fraction of the film, Kinksi must have no more than a couple of minutes screen time in this picture. 

The beginning of this unusual flick is done really wonderfully. Alice is constantly surrounded by huge buildings overlooking her which creates an uneasy claustrophobic atmosphere that is often very quiet and eerie. There's a real gentle score which just adds to the mood that the visuals have already supplied. The film moves onto small tourist location of Garma & here she meets people who have spent time with her during her lost period. It's all done in a very ambiguous manor and we see the entire film through this one character. It works for a while but unfortunately this formula is repeated for the rest of the movie and loses momentum half way through the picture. Fortunately the film is beautifully shot and remains visually engaging even if the plot outstays it's welcome.  The film fizzles out with a confusing ending which is left open to interpretation to the viewer.   

I can definitely see the cult appear to a film like this, it is one which may possibly become clearer on repeated viewings. If you want a giallo that is a bit different to the norm then it's one well worth seeking out.

Rating: ★★★½

Florinda Bolkan, a very confused woman.

Slaughter Hotel

Slaughter Hotel

Genre: Giallo, Exploitation

Original Title: La bestia uccide a sangue freddo

AKA: The Beast Kills in Cold Blood / Asylum Erotica

Director: Fernando Di Leo

Year: 1971

A masked killer stalks an institution for mentally disturbed rich women

This is often listed under the Giallo genre but I'm not so sure it deserves to be there. This is pure exploitation, it boarders into erotic-film territory with full on female masturbation scenes & has more of a slasher feel than you'd expect from a film from 1971.

Top of the films bill is the legendary Klaus Kinski, which is the main reason I wanted to see it. He is an actor who can be absolutely mesmerizing, unfortunately here he's clearly cashing in a Cheque. He's only on screen for maybe 15 minutes in the whole picture and doesn't really do anything of any importance. A real waste. 

The films major problem is, shockingly, director Fernando Di Leo. For someone who's directed the cream of the Poliziotteschi genre I can't believe he could shoot a film so poorly as he manages to here. There's zero attempt to do anything interesting with the camera & scenes which should be tension filled just go on forever.  He somehow makes a game of Croquet look even more boring than it already is. 

There's some entertaining characters, you've got a nymph who tries to fuck anything walking in the hospital who finally gets her way with the gardener, we are then treated to a really awkward sex scene which lasts far too long. When someone comes in & the nymph won't leave him alone he gives her a good old fashioned Italian slapping. Then there's plenty of pure exploitive scenes including a Lesbian scene which they build up forever with so much flesh nothing is left to the imagination.

It's pure sleaze from start to finish, which unfortunately is for the most part incredibly poorly executed. It's one for the Exploitation fan more than the Gialli crowd. It's a pretty bad film & entertaining for all the wrong reasons.

Rating: ★★

Nymph's, Lesbians & rich women.

Nosferatu in Venice

Nosferatu in Venice

Original Title: Nosferatu a Venezia

Genre: Vampire, Gothic Horror

Director(s) Augusto Caminito, Mario Caiano

Year 1988

Paris Catalano travels to Venice to investigate the last known appearance of Nosferatu  in 1786, yet after a séance the all-powerful vampire returns.

Nosferatu In Venice is an infamous release mostly because of one man, Klaus Kinksi. Batshit crazy or a temperamental genius, which ever way you look at it he must of been an absolute nightmare to work with.

Given that arguably Kinksi's most famous role came in Werner Herzog's Nosferatu The Vampyre it came as no surprise that he'd be approached to revive the character again which he made so unforgettable. So the deal was set for Kinksi to once again transform into the bald headed, chalk-white skinned vampire nine years later in this gothic tale set in Venice. Unfortunately Kinksi arrived on set with a full head of long white hair & made it clear that under no circumstances would he be going through the painful make-up sessions again, so that idea was scrapped & the hair remained. This was possibly the catalyst for a violent argument that Kinksi had with the director Mario Caiano on the very first day, Kinksi then refused to work with him. Caiano left after receiving his full salary, this happening after people had already earlier left the project. Producer Augusto Caminito decided to direct the film for free to save the film from collapsing under financial disaster, its also reported that Kinksi himself ended up directing segments of the picture. To top this off two of the actresses accused Kinksi of assault. This must of been one of many times when producers regretted having Kinksi onboard.

Given all the problems on set it comes as no surprise that the film feels an incoherent mess with pacing issues  & underdeveloped characters, the most notable coming from the legendary Donald Pleasence. He has a few lines of religious mumbo-jumbo & just disappears, it is a completely disposable part & a real waste of talent. That said, the film does have a number of positives that prevent it from being a disaster. First of all you have the location of Venice which is always so beautifully cinematic. The alleyways, crumbling buildings and rivers create a haunting atmosphere, especially in a scene where Kinksi is stood upright on a boat with the mist in the background, it is a visually stunning scene. 

As for Nosferatu, they choose to ignore many of the classic vampire rules, crosses do not effect him & he has no problems with daylight & despite all of Kinksi's problems on set he still manages to portray the character as an incredibly creepy beast that has almost supernatural powers. Vangelis best known for scoring Blade Runner provides added atmosphere with a very gothic sounding score. Usually I'm not fond of  80s scores & whilst he uses many of the instruments & sounds of the era that would usually be a turn off for me they really come together well providing a very gothic feel.

Given the problems on set this film should be a complete monstrosity & despite it being a real mixed bag it has enough positives to make it worthwhile, though it is one I'd only recommend to Kinksi or Vampire completists.

Rating: ★★½

Kinksi, getting his freak-on