...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

The Great Silence

200 statements
38 feature instances
9 referencing feature instances

The Great Silence	type	TVTItem
The Great Silence	label	The Great Silence
The Great Silence	page	TheGreatSilence
The Great Silence	comment	The Great Silence or Il grande silenzio is a 1968 Italian spaghetti western directed by Sergio Corbucci. It is considered Corbucci's greatest film and has a reputation for being one of the bleakest westerns ever. It plays with a lot of western tropes, such as the usual protagonist of few words actually being a mute, and intentionally provoking his enemies into drawing first.In 1898, a harsh winter has driven many of the residents of Snow Hill, Utah to stealing food to avoid starvation, prompting corrupt banker Henry Pollicut (Luigi Pistilli) to declare them outlaws and put prices on their heads. The bounties attract the enthusiastic attention of a local gang of Bounty Hunters, led by the brutal Loco (Klaus Kinski). However, the "bandits" have a defender in the form of mute gunslinger Silence (Jean-Louis Trintignant).When "outlaw" James Middleton sneaks into town to visit his wife, Pauline (Vonetta McGee), and is gunned down in cold blood by Loco, Pauline hires Silence to kill Loco in revenge. Meanwhile, the newly-elected governor is promising amnesty to the "outlaws", but he first appoints virtuous yet inept soldier Gideon Burnett (Frank Wolff) as sheriff of Snow Hill to restore order. And so the stage is set for a bloody confrontation between the bounty killers and the villagers...Contrast with Sergio Leone's For a Few Dollars More. Nicolas Winding Refn's Valhalla Rising and Only God Forgives can be seen as Spiritual Successors.
The Great Silence	fetched	2024-02-21T11:31:50Z
The Great Silence	parsed	2024-02-21T11:31:50Z
The Great Silence	processingComment	Dropped link to GenreBlind: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
The Great Silence	processingUnknown	GenreBlind
The Great Silence	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Great Silence / int_1235f055	type	Dirty Coward
The Great Silence / int_1235f055	comment	Dirty Coward: Loco has a man of his wound Silence so that he will win the duel.
The Great Silence / int_1235f055	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_1235f055	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_1235f055
The Great Silence / int_12dd5755	type	Pursued Protagonist
The Great Silence / int_12dd5755	comment	Pursued Protagonist: The drawn-out scene of one of the bandits running through the woods before being lassoed by evil Bounty Hunter Loco and dragged behind his horse is the fourth scene rather than the first, but otherwise has the atmosphere and plot importance to count. Loco's torture of the man leads to him giving up the location of Pauline's husband, who Loco then kills, causing Pauline to hire Silence to kill Loco, kicking off the rest of the plot.
The Great Silence / int_12dd5755	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_12dd5755	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_12dd5755
The Great Silence / int_13c1fec8	type	Dragon-in-Chief
The Great Silence / int_13c1fec8	comment	Dragon-in-Chief: In theory Loco is just a hired gunman working for Pollicut the banker, but he provides a more personal and sadistic threat to Silence and the others, and even after Pollicut is dead, Loco remains a murderous presence.
The Great Silence / int_13c1fec8	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_13c1fec8	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_13c1fec8
The Great Silence / int_14beeefd	type	Darker and Edgier
The Great Silence / int_14beeefd	comment	Darker and Edgier: Considering its gloomy snow-covered setting, the haunting score by Ennio Morricone, and the brutal deconstruction of western tropes that lead to its depressing ending, The Great Silence is arguably the darkest western ever made. Both literally and figuratively.
The Great Silence / int_14beeefd	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_14beeefd	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_14beeefd
The Great Silence / int_17501df2	type	Cool Old Guy
The Great Silence / int_17501df2	comment	Cool Old Guy: Walter, the leader of the outlaws is a gray-bearded man whose a loyal leader to his people and willing to pay attention to Silence.
The Great Silence / int_17501df2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_17501df2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_17501df2
The Great Silence / int_1dacdb4f	type	Senseless Sacrifice
The Great Silence / int_1dacdb4f	comment	Senseless Sacrifice: Silence is wounded in his shoulder, is handicapped by his right hand being burned and calmly walks up to a building in which six bounty hunters are holed up. To drive the point home, the first thing that happens in the final scene is a bounty hunter shooting Silence's left hand through a window, totally crippling him.
The Great Silence / int_1dacdb4f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_1dacdb4f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_1dacdb4f
The Great Silence / int_1e8f4221	type	Fingore
The Great Silence / int_1e8f4221	comment	Fingore: Within the first few minutes Silence establishes an M.O. of shooting men's fingers off so that they can never use guns again.
The Great Silence / int_1e8f4221	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_1e8f4221	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_1e8f4221
The Great Silence / int_23e32a30	type	Genre Deconstruction
The Great Silence / int_23e32a30	comment	Genre Deconstruction: In the climax, despite the wound in his right hand, Silence still arrives to take on Loco in a duel. However before the duel begins, Loco's men shoot Silence's left hand. When Silence does finally attempts to draw, Loco easily kills him and then slaughters all of the other main characters. The movie makes it clear the hero doesn't always win or overcome the odds. To add to the above, in contrast to most Westerns where the hero has Hollywood Healing, here every injury Silence received earlier in the movie affected him and is the reason Loco is so easily able to defeat him.
The Great Silence / int_23e32a30	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_23e32a30	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_23e32a30
The Great Silence / int_2e8441c9	type	The Bad Guy Wins
The Great Silence / int_2e8441c9	comment	The Bad Guy Wins: Loco, with the help of some fellow bounty hunters, comes out on top against Silence in the end, with Loco executing an injured, handicapped Silence, followed by Pauline as she rushes in to avenge Silence's death. And then, true to Pauline's earlier words to Silence, Loco then gives his fellow hunters the okay to murder all the defenseless outlaws they were holding hostage in a savage hail of bullets, leaving their bloody corpses littering the saloon until they're able to find a way to transport their bodies back to civilization to collect the bounties on their heads. And just for the icing on his total victory, Loco takes Silence's Mauser pistol for himself before riding off with his cronies.
The Great Silence / int_2e8441c9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_2e8441c9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_2e8441c9
The Great Silence / int_319e4a2f	type	Even Evil Has Standards
The Great Silence / int_319e4a2f	comment	Even Evil Has Standards: Loco's henchman Sanchez is uneasy about remaining with him after he tosses the sheriff into a frozen lake.
The Great Silence / int_319e4a2f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_319e4a2f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_319e4a2f
The Great Silence / int_329a19a0	type	Hollywood Healing
The Great Silence / int_329a19a0	comment	To add to the above, in contrast to most Westerns where the hero has Hollywood Healing, here every injury Silence received earlier in the movie affected him and is the reason Loco is so easily able to defeat him.
The Great Silence / int_329a19a0	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_329a19a0	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_329a19a0
The Great Silence / int_382a6399	type	The Hero Dies
The Great Silence / int_382a6399	comment	The Hero Dies: Silence himself at the end is gunned down, along with all of his friends and allies.
The Great Silence / int_382a6399	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_382a6399	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_382a6399
The Great Silence / int_44fc28e8	type	Honor Before Reason
The Great Silence / int_44fc28e8	comment	Honor Before Reason: Silence will only shoot in self-defense. He does not seem to be very far-sighted in defining self-defense as 'the moment the other guy draws on me', so he passes off many opportunities to kill Loco or the guy making moves on his girl. Pauline is clearly aware of the fact that Loco's demand for Silence to show up for a duel is a trap, and that he will kill all the people there after he kills Silence regardless of whether Silence shows up or not. Regardless, Silence still shows up to his death.
The Great Silence / int_44fc28e8	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_44fc28e8	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_44fc28e8
The Great Silence / int_49d59be9	type	Scenery Porn
The Great Silence / int_49d59be9	comment	Scenery Porn: The movie canâ€™t go long without lingering and gorgeous shots of the snow-covered mountains and looming canyon walls.
The Great Silence / int_49d59be9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_49d59be9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_49d59be9
The Great Silence / int_4a852458	type	Big Good
The Great Silence / int_4a852458	comment	Big Good: The Governor, whose promise of amnesty (although it's partially just because of the political tide) gives hope to the outlaws, while he also sends Sheriff Burnett to try and reign in the bounty hunters.
The Great Silence / int_4a852458	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_4a852458	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_4a852458
The Great Silence / int_4e3d253b	type	Downer Ending
The Great Silence / int_4e3d253b	comment	Downer Ending: At least in the original version which Sergio intended. Silence, Pauline, and the rest of the villagers were all gunned down by the bounty hunters. However, it's averted in the Revised Ending, due to Sergio being pressured to do so for Asian and South African markets because of the original depressing bleak ending.
The Great Silence / int_4e3d253b	featureApplicability	-1.0
The Great Silence / int_4e3d253b	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_4e3d253b
The Great Silence / int_5f146203	type	Dissonant Serenity
The Great Silence / int_5f146203	comment	Dissonant Serenity: Loco is played by Klaus Kinski, and is therefore characterized by this trope.
The Great Silence / int_5f146203	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_5f146203	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_5f146203
The Great Silence / int_6bda9a30	type	Meaningful Name
The Great Silence / int_6bda9a30	comment	Meaningful Name: As one reviewer put it, he's called Silence because all he leaves behind him is death and silence, "...and let's face it: who wants to be called Death?"
The Great Silence / int_6bda9a30	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_6bda9a30	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_6bda9a30
The Great Silence / int_7fbb2a3	type	Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
The Great Silence / int_7fbb2a3	comment	Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Just when Silence goads Loco into pulling a gun on him, the sheriff shoots away the gun Loco is reaching for to defuse the fight and arrests Loco. If he had let the fight go forward Silence might have won and kept Loco from killing Silence, the sheriff, and their allies. Later, the sheriff disarming an outlaw trying to shoot the captured Loco also helps lead to this tragedy. The sheriff telling the outlaws (who only steal to survive) to go to Snow Hill for good after he arrests Loco makes them easier prey for Loco once he escapes.
The Great Silence / int_7fbb2a3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_7fbb2a3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_7fbb2a3
The Great Silence / int_863fa679	type	What Happened to the Mouse?
The Great Silence / int_863fa679	comment	What Happened to the Mouse?: There are twenty bandits during the scene where their hunger makes them rob Sheriff Burnett of his horse, but only seventeen of them come into town and are captured right before the climax.
The Great Silence / int_863fa679	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_863fa679	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_863fa679
The Great Silence / int_8b442f50	type	Did Not Get the Girl
The Great Silence / int_8b442f50	comment	Did Not Get the Girl: Inverted as Loco kills Silence after one of his henchmen wounds him, only for Pauline to attempt to avenge him, leading to her death at Loco's hands as well.
The Great Silence / int_8b442f50	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_8b442f50	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_8b442f50
The Great Silence / int_8cb4ea46	type	By-the-Book Cop
The Great Silence / int_8cb4ea46	comment	By-the-Book Cop: The sheriff fusses over the regulations about how stagecoaches can transport bodies. Later, he gets a Bothering by the Book moment when he insists on an exhumation and series of reports before he will pay Loco the bounty on Paulineâ€™s husband (who she buried before the official identification) while smirking at Loco, who has spent their screen time offending the sheriff with his ruthlessness.
The Great Silence / int_8cb4ea46	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_8cb4ea46	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_8cb4ea46
The Great Silence / int_92a61707	type	The Speechless
The Great Silence / int_92a61707	comment	The Speechless: The main character never speaks due to having had his throat cut.
The Great Silence / int_92a61707	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_92a61707	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_92a61707
The Great Silence / int_934c7e38	type	Paper Tiger
The Great Silence / int_934c7e38	comment	Paper Tiger: While the bandit Miguel is a well-meaning tragic victim, he is also a blusterer without much real fight in him. He is introduced shooting the last of some bounty hunters Silence shot it out with, only to be told that the man's injuries would have kept him from hurting Silence anyway. Then, Miguel makes a speech about how miserable hiding in the mountains is and how the bandits are former soldiers who should fight the bounty hunters themselves, but when this gets little supports, he decides to turn himself in rather than fight or stay hiding. And when the men he turns himself in to prepare to kill him, he tries to run rather than fight back.
The Great Silence / int_934c7e38	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_934c7e38	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_934c7e38
The Great Silence / int_9b54d536	type	Evil Counterpart
The Great Silence / int_9b54d536	comment	Evil Counterpart: Loco to Silence. While Silence only shoots people in self-defense, Loco kills even those he has promised to let live if they surrender. The contrast between the two becomes even clearer when you think that Loco has the choice of taking his targets alive but he chooses to kill them anyway. Silence on the other hand completely refuses to shoot anyone who doesn't try to shoot him first.
The Great Silence / int_9b54d536	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_9b54d536	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_9b54d536
The Great Silence / int_a70223	type	Karma Houdini
The Great Silence / int_a70223	comment	Karma Houdini: Loco faces neither death nor imprisonment for his numerous murders, including that of a sheriff trying to stop him. Given the killing of the latter, and the fact that his actions have made bounty hunting illegal now, he will likely face something at some point.
The Great Silence / int_a70223	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_a70223	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_a70223
The Great Silence / int_b58b4e3c	type	Too Dumb to Live
The Great Silence / int_b58b4e3c	comment	Too Dumb to Live: The sheriff is not exactly the brightest guy in town and dies as the indirect result of some Nice Job Breaking It, Hero moments. There are times when Loco and the banker exchange glances as he impulsively tries to establish his authority.
The Great Silence / int_b58b4e3c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_b58b4e3c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_b58b4e3c
The Great Silence / int_bb0c0a4d	type	Fiery Redhead
The Great Silence / int_bb0c0a4d	comment	Fiery Redhead: Regina the brothel madame, who doesn't hesitate to let Loco and Pollicut know what she thinks of their ways despite the danger they pose.
The Great Silence / int_bb0c0a4d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_bb0c0a4d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_bb0c0a4d
The Great Silence / int_c3245c20	type	I Lied
The Great Silence / int_c3245c20	comment	I Lied: Loco loves to shoot people after promising to spare them if they surrender themselves.
The Great Silence / int_c3245c20	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_c3245c20	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_c3245c20
The Great Silence / int_c3585f4a	type	Boom, Headshot!
The Great Silence / int_c3585f4a	comment	Boom, Headshot!: Loco executes Silence in this way in their final showdown.
The Great Silence / int_c3585f4a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_c3585f4a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_c3585f4a
The Great Silence / int_c3c18143	type	Hope Spot
The Great Silence / int_c3c18143	comment	Hope Spot: There's a moment when the Sheriff arrests Loco, which looks as if it could bring an end to the bounty hunters efforts. Then Loco knocks the sheriff through a frozen lake and goes riding back to resume killing.
The Great Silence / int_c3c18143	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_c3c18143	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_c3c18143
The Great Silence / int_c85cb635	type	WhyDontYaJustShootHim
The Great Silence / int_c85cb635	comment	Silence will only shoot in self-defense. He does not seem to be very far-sighted in defining self-defense as 'the moment the other guy draws on me', so he passes off many opportunities to kill Loco or the guy making moves on his girl.
The Great Silence / int_c85cb635	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_c85cb635	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_c85cb635
The Great Silence / int_d21f3d5d	type	Justified Criminal
The Great Silence / int_d21f3d5d	comment	Justified Criminal: Walter and his gang are portrayed as having been driven into stealing due to being starving from the winter.
The Great Silence / int_d21f3d5d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_d21f3d5d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_d21f3d5d
The Great Silence / int_d73e0f7f	type	"Ray of Hope" Ending
The Great Silence / int_d73e0f7f	comment	"Ray of Hope" Ending: It's stated that the massacre came as such a shock that it led to the end of bounty hunting as a legal profession, so while The Hero Dies and so does most of the cast, the villains' victory is short-lived and pyrrhic.
The Great Silence / int_d73e0f7f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_d73e0f7f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_d73e0f7f
The Great Silence / int_dbab18ef	type	Morally Bankrupt Banker
The Great Silence / int_dbab18ef	comment	Morally Bankrupt Banker: Literally. Pollicut the banker is the one behind all of the bounties on people who arguably don't deserve them.
The Great Silence / int_dbab18ef	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_dbab18ef	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_dbab18ef
The Great Silence / int_e44a1a70	type	Bounty Hunter
The Great Silence / int_e44a1a70	comment	Bounty Hunter: Loco and his gang are evil examples. Silence is a good version though, hired by some families of their victims to bring them down.
The Great Silence / int_e44a1a70	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_e44a1a70	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_e44a1a70
The Great Silence / int_f85354eb	type	Attempted Rape
The Great Silence / int_f85354eb	comment	Attempted Rape: The banker tries to force himself on Pauline two times. He is shot to death by Silence during the second attempt.
The Great Silence / int_f85354eb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_f85354eb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_f85354eb
The Great Silence / int_name	type	ItemName
The Great Silence / int_name	comment
The Great Silence / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great Silence / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Great Silence / int_name
The Great Silence / int_name	itemName	The Great Silence

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

The Great Silence	hasFeature	Bothering by the Book / int_9d2129ab
The Great Silence	hasFeature	Bounty Hunter / int_9d2129ab
The Great Silence	hasFeature	Creepy Crossdresser / int_9d2129ab
The Great Silence	hasFeature	International Coproduction / int_9d2129ab
KlausKinski	seeAlso	The Great Silence
The Great Silence	hasFeature	Lawful Evil / int_9d2129ab
The Great Silence	hasFeature	Paper Tiger / int_9d2129ab
The Great Silence	hasFeature	Revolvers Are Just Better / int_9d2129ab
The Great Silence	hasFeature	The Speechless / int_9d2129ab

Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.