Classic Spaghetti Western THE GREAT SILENCE Screens at Webster University This Weekend

“They call him “Silence.” Because wherever he goes, the silence of death follows.”

THE GREAT SILENCE (1968) directed by Sergio Corbucci, screens Friday June 29th through Sunday July 1st at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). The film starts at 7:30pm all three nights.

Sergio Corbucci’s masterpiece THE GREAT SILENCE (1968) is more than just one of the greatest Westerns of all-time. Unlike Corbucci’s earlier classic DJANGO (which recenetly played as part of Webster U’s ‘Strange Brew’ series), a violent Spaghetti Western filled with dark humor, THE GREAT SILENCE is a downbeat and completely serious movie from beginning to end, a brutal tale about misery, greed and selfishness, about injustice and the desire for revenge.

THE GREAT SILENCE is set in the winter of 1898, in the mountain town of Snow Hill, Utah. People who were forced to steal in order to survive an ice cold winter, are mercilessly chased and murdered by unscrupulous bounty hunters, who don’t care who they kill as long as there is a reward on their victim’s head. The most atrocious of these bounty hunters is vicious Loco, outstandingly played by Klaus Kinski. In their calamity, desperate relatives of the head hunters’ victims hire a mute gunman called Silence ( Jean-Louis Trintignant), in order to avenge their loved ones and end the killings.

The Music in THE GREAT SILENCE by Ennio Morricone is, once again, excellent (how couldn’t it), the main theme is one of his greatest compositions. The locations are very well-chosen, impressive images of a snowy mountain wasteland make you almost feel the cold. THE GREAT SILENCE is a must-see, not only for fans of Spaghetti Westerns, but for every lover of film. Don’t miss your chance to catch this rare screening this weekend at Webster University

$7 for the general public
$6 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$5 for Webster University staff and faculty

Free for Webster students with proper I.D.

Advance tickets are available from the cashier before each screening or contact the Film Series office (314-246-7525) for more options. The Film Series can only accept cash or check.