Il Grande Silenzio (aka The Great Silence) (1968)

Set in 1890's Utah during a severe blizzard, a group of ruthless bounty hunters led by a man named Loco (Klaus Kinski) hunt down a group of townspeople hiding in the mountains. Their only crime being they have stolen to feed their families. A mute gunslinger (Jean Louis Trintignant) takes it upon himself to protect the wanted townspeople who are awaiting a pardon from the new governor (Carlo D'Angelo). Directed by Sergio Corbucci (DJANGO), this spaghetti western wasn't released in the U.S. until 2001 and then only on DVD. It's a dark and bleak western, one of the most nihilistic westerns ever made. The following year Peckinpah's THE WILD BUNCH would cause a sensation and controversy in the U.S. over its violence and bleak revisionism when Corbucci's movie did it all the year before. The movie ends in a bloodbath and there are no heroes to save the day. Corbucci was prodded into filming two more endings, one "happy" and one ambiguous leaving the fate of its characters in question. Fortunately, neither (to my knowledge) saw the light of day theatrically. The violence in the film reflects the era (both Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinated earlier in the year) and apparently the deaths of Malcolm X and Che Guevara were influential in his decision to make the film. Underappreciated in its day, the film has since got a cult following and is now recognized as one of the best spaghetti westerns ever made. The snow laden landscapes are beautifully shot by Silvano Ippoliti and the underscore is pure Ennio Morricone. With Vonetta McGee, Luigi Pistilli, Frank Woff and Marisa Merlini.