Sergio Corbucci’s The Great Silence might not be as iconic or popular as his Django, but it is considered by many,
including Spaghetti Western aficionados, as his best work. This harsh, bleak and
disturbing film with strong socio-political undercurrents remains a rarity for
having brought two of the most legendary European actors together – Jean-Luis
Trintignant and Klaus Kinski. Silence (Tringtignant) is a mute gunslinger
incredibly adroit with his custom-built weapon, while Lolo (Kinski) is a
sadistic bounty hunter who kills men with rewards on their heads. The two are
put on a scintillating collision course when Silence falls in love with Pauline
(Vonetta Mc Gee), a beautiful widow, and decides to avenge for her grief by killing
Lolo. Corbucci sure loved having his heroes being put into physical
disadvantage before the climax, but the much anticipated showdown never fully
materializes; rather, it ended on such an anti-climactic and pessimistic note
that he had to release another version with a happier finale. Though tad uneven
in terms of direction, script and acting of the support cast, the themes of
class struggle and racism, and the moody atmosphere, added depth to the it. The
two renowned lead actors were eminently good; Kinski, in fact, was particularly
memorably for his gleefully immoral turn. Set amidst the Great Blizzard of
1899, the stunning and foreboding white landscapes added a menacing tone to the
film’s character. And Ennio Morricone added another feather to his vaunted cap
with the rapturous score that superbly alternated between edginess and
melancholia, and used everything from violins to trumpets to even sitars for
the rousing sound effects.
Director: Sergio Corbucci
Genre: Western/Spaghetti Western/Revisionist Western
Language: Italian
Country: Italy
Decision at Sundown,
the third of seven collaborations between Budd Boetticher and Randolph Scott, was
a strange little Western. It didn’t just have its rationally blinded anti-hero
seeking revenge for a rather senseless cause, and its antagonist, though he’s
anything but a bad guy per se, visibly worried when the inevitable face-off occurs,
it also had possibly the most comically unspectacular showdown in the history
of this otherwise “macho” genre. The film begins with Bart Allison (Scott), a
gruff Texan riding into the prosperous town of Sundown with his amiable buddy
Sam (Noah Berry Jr.) with a clear purpose. Tate Kimbrough (John Carroll), a
wealthy debonair, had the temerity of having an affair with Bart’s wife while
he was away, following which she committed suicide; and now Bart wants to
avenge her death, and perhaps more importantly, preserve his own honour and
male-ego. Ironically, Tate has finally decided to settle down, and while he’s
taking his marital vows, Bart arrives in the church and announces his plans of
killing him by the end of the day. What follows is an expected, but largely
atypical, battle between the stubborn and borderline psychotic Bart, and Tate’s
henchmen. Interestingly, their fight turns out of be the catalyst for even the
town folks, who had bowed down to Tate’s position of power thus far, to finally
stand up to him. And, understandably, this dramatic change of fortunes within
the space of a day leaves Tate mighty bemused. Though bereft of spectacles or
grand locales, and tad too slight for a psychological Western, it does deserve a
watch, if not for anything else, for its cheeky reversal of genre conventions.
Director: Budd Boetticher
Genre: Western/Psychological Western
Language: English
Country: US
Bad Day at Black Rock was not just an incredibly tense, gripping, nail-bitingly
suspenseful and feverishly paced psychological thriller, it also provided a disturbing
look into xenophobia, racial prejudice and collective guilt. Consequently,
though John Sturges is mostly remembered for the likes of The Magnificent Seven and The
Great Escape, this largely underrated Modern Western gem might just be the
smartest film he ever made. When a suavely dressed and mild-mannered one-armed
stranger named John MacReedy (Spencer Tracy) arrives in the dusty one-horse
town of Black Rock – the train that he arrives in makes a stop there for the
first time in 4 years just to drop him – it palpably sends a wave of cold
shiver through the town. What starts as visible curiosity and even impertinence,
however, ends up taking the shape of open hostility and violence, as the town
folks seem to be desperate to keep MacCreedy from digging up a very dark secret
from their past. His nemesis turns out to be the slimy town boss Reno (Robert
Ryan) and his brutish bullies (Ernest Borgnine and Lee Mervin), while his
unlikely ally turns out to be the local doctor (Walter Brennan) as the rest of
the folks blindly obey Reno’s diktats even when their conscience directs
otherwise. The sparsely populated town, along with the grimy locales, stripped-down
visuals and terse conversations, added to the mood of paranoia, suspicion, distrust
and deception that dominated the film’s crisp run-time. Tracey was terrific as
the seemingly amiable but essentially steel-willed protagonist, while the
support cast of Ryan, Borgnine, Mervin and Brennan was also very good in their
roles.
Director: John Sturges
Genre: Thriller/Psychological Thriller/Mystery/Modern Western
Language: English
Country: US
Shane was,
at once, a throwback to the mood and structure of Classical Westerns, and an
elegy to the imminent death of the masculinity, heroism and associated
lawlessness of the mythical Wild West. It’s simple storyline masked grand and poignant themes which made this an emotionally and intellectually engaging
watch. The film begins with an archetypal drifter named Shane (Alan Ladd) – a taciturn,
amiable and mysterious loner – riding from out of nowhere to a tiny Wyoming
town. He decides to settle down for a while with Joe Starrett (Van Heflin), a
homesteader, and his family comprising of his loving wife (Jean Arthur) and
young son. A power-hungry cattle baron (Emile Meyer), meanwhile, wants to drive
the folks out of their lands, and even brings a menacing hired gun to add
strength to his gang of bullies. But the headstrong Starrett, backed by the
enigmatic Shane, form the biggest roadblock for him, and, as is the wont, a
gunfight to settle scores arrives sooner than expected. Add to its underlying
subtexts of Starrett’s wife developing feelings for the chivalrous Shane and
his son almost hero-worshipping the gunslinger as he quite clearly represents a
dying but incredibly charming breed, and the eternal conflict between
capitalistic impulses and concept of communities, and you have an excellent film, even if the battle between good and evil was anything but novel
or spectacular. Ladd brought into his character quiet charisma and
old-fashioned charm, making it a symbol for the changing times, a theme
that Ford too brilliantly captured in The Man who Shot Liberty Valence. The glorious cinematography and
affecting score aptly accentuated the film’s tone.
Director: George Stevens
Genre: Western
Language: English
Country: US
Though Sautet got his first international success with The Big Risk, Les Choses de la Vie was possibly a
bigger milestone in his career. It was with this film that he came into his own
as a master chronicler of the lives of the urban French bourgeoisie, and it also made him a household name among cineastes. Though he went on to make even
better films on what became his pet theme, this was nonetheless a poignant,
layered and understated account of a man’s dilemma vis-à-vis his emotional
attachment, reflected during his moment of reckoning. It begins
with a terrible car accident and the person badly injured, as it turns out, is
the protagonist – Pierre (Michel Piccoli), who, while drifting in and out of
consciousness, starts recollecting episodes and fragments, both happy and sad,
from his life. What emerges is that, despite his outward impassivity, he is
torn between Hélène (Romy Schneider), his gorgeous fiancé
with whom he presently lives, and his estranged wife Catherine (Léa Massari)
and son (Gérard Lartigau) who he visits on and off. As memories of the good
times he shared with his family flood through his mind, so do snippets of the small
cracks that have started developing between him and Hélène. The story ended on
an unresolved note, both literally and figuratively, and pun intended, which
showed early in his career his proficiency at concocting memorable endings. Piccoli
was good in the lead role, but Montand, who portrayed a similar scenario
in Vincent, Francois, Paul & the Others, would certainly have done a better job at it. The simple,
melancholic score deserves a special mention.
Director: Claude Sautet
Genre: Drama/Psychological Drama/Family Drama/Romance
Language: French
Country:France
