QBSNIDERLOES Review of Cemetery Without Crosses

Cemetery Without Crosses (1969)

Excellent film that begs to be viewed and discussed...

[9/10 · 8 November 2008]

Cemetery Without Crosses: a film that I have been chasing for a number of years for my DVD collection...never saw it previously. Well worth the wait...a film that stands up extremely well against the better non-Leone spaghetti westerns (Great Silence, Big Gundown, Bullet for the General, Day of Anger,Face to Face, etc) and at least as well against a Fistful of Dollars. Beginning: sepia toned, without any dialogue, three men on horseback are being chased by about 10-15 men...from the beginning, it is obvious one of the three being chased will not make it...then titles, credits, and color to the movie... A third into the movie, we come to a ghost town where our protagonist dwells...he plays roulette against himself...a former flame comes to the town and asks for his help in obtaining a measure of revenge...don't do it, he cautions... In the middle of the movie, our protagonist sits and eats with the family and employees of the men doing the chasing in the beginning of the movies...silence...knowing glances...something is about to happen... Two thirds into the movie: a woman is kidnapped and raped...tries to escape...the remaining two men who were chased in the movie are kidnapped themselves, beaten... End of Movie: the final, obligatory shoot-out... Questions abound...symbolism heavy...stayed with me a few days...well worth the journey...oh, the photography is excellent, as is the music, and there is a cameo performance by Sergio Leone himself... Very underrated film...