Spoiler Alert: This post contains spoilers to the film and If you have not seen it yet, I advise you to not read it any further.
Although I do have youtube video links and even a Vimeo one this week, I could not find a youtube video link of Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox introducing Italian director Sergio Corbucci’s 1968 bleak revisionist Spaghetti western masterpiece The Great Silence. Once again, readers will have to rely on Cox’s intro transcript (read here). The episode’s original airdate was August 26, 1990 (read here). I absolutely agree with everything Cox says about this brilliant film. Everything from legendary composer Ennio Morricone’s somber music score to it’s winter scenery sets the tone for what may be one of the darkest westerns ever made. Even the ending is a completely tragic one as Cox details in the links. For my money, it may even by my number one favorite spaghetti western of all-time – and I have tons of other favorites in that sub-genre. Btw, If any of you readers are interested in reading my list of my favorite westerns, read here. Also, If you are interested in reading a list of my favorite Sergio Corbucci films, read here.
Here is a youtube video link to Alex Cox’s intro to The Great Silence from a special feature on the 2004 Fantoma DVD edition (read here)
Here is a Vimeo link to Cox’s intro to it for something called International Film Series
Here is a youtube video link to the film’s original theatrical trailer – though I do not think it ever got a theatrical release in America on it’s initial release in 1968.
Finally, here is a youtube video link to the 2018 Digitally Restored version of the film from the Film Movement Blu-ray/DVD company that released in on home video in that aforementioned year
Also, here is a link to Alex Cox’s book on spaghetti westerns If any of you readers are interested.