Cemetery Without Crosses

Une corde, un Colt (AKA: Cemetery Without Crosses) is directed by Robert Hossein, who also stars and co-writes the screenplay with Dario Argento and Claude Desailly. Starring alongside Hossein are Michèle Mercier, Anne-Marie Balin, Daniele Vargas, Guido Lollobrigida and Serge Marquand. Music is by Andre Hossein and cinematography by Henri Persin.

After being forced to watch the lynching of her husband by the ruthless Rogers family, Maria Caine (Mercier) asks her inept brothers-in-law for help in retribution. Getting no joy from the pair, she seeks outside help in the form of fast gun Manuel (Hossein), a loner living in solitude out at a ghost town...

It's dedicated to Sergio Leone, who directs one of the best scenes in the film, contains the Argento factor, so it's not really a shock to proclaim that Leone's influence is all over Hossein's movie.

It's a Pasta Western that operates in the void between the real and the spirit world, deliberately ethereal in tone, even sprinkling dashes of the surreal onto the hearty portion. Dialogue is used sparingly, but not to the detriment of film's quality, and Hossein the director dallies in black and white staging, slow zooms and excellent usage of sound effects.

Much like the dialogue, the violence is pared down, there's no Blunderbuss infused blood laden approach to the evil that men do here, it's all very controlled and in keeping with the tonal flows that Hossein favours. The cliché's of the sub-genre are adhered to throughout, thankfully so, while the finale is suitably melancholic.

Thoughtful, sombre and ripe with blurry ambiguity, Cemetery Without Crosses is comfortably recommended to the Euro Western fan. 8/10

From the opening sequence, as a sepia camera lens captures the pursuit of a single rider by a gang on horseback, I just knew that this film was going to demonstrate class. And, although the story itself probably has little to set it apart from many other films within the Euro Western genre, it more than makes up for it with its effective use of camera work and great character portrayal. Yes, this film has class in abundance.

So to the story itself. Having witnessed her husband Ben (a brief but welcome appearance by Benito Stefanelli) executed by the Rogers family, Maria (played by stunning french actress Michèle Mercier) seeks revenge on the killers. Unable to rely on her two oafish brothers-in-law to assist, she seeks help from Ben's best friend (and, as we find out, Maria's former lover) Manuel (Robert Hossein).

Manuel enlists himself as a member of the Rogers gang, enabling him to capture the only daughter. With this prisoner in her custody, Maria has the perfect ransom to deliver a perfect revenge on the Rogers gang. With the scene now set, the bloodshed and twists to the story soon commence.

The character of Manuel is quite unlike any other main western lead that I have seen. Whilst demonstrating an unnerving ability with a gun, there is a definite reluctance to become too embroiled with Maria's plot. His time as a gunfighter by choice has passed - perhaps symbolically shown by him being the sole resident of "Ghost Town". However, his involvement is spurned on by his feelings for her. Hossein, who both played the part of Manuel and directed the movie, plays this solemn and complex character superbly.

Hossein's direction is really eye catching too, with the camera work demonstrating more than a little nod in the direction of a certain Mr Leone (to whom there is a suitable credit in the end title sequence). This is no copycat Leone film however, and firmly stands up on its own merit. Less is definitely more, as the opening scene proves (it must be a good ten minutes before there is any real dialogue. And in reality, when the picture is this effective words are not needed).

In summary, don't be put off by the simplicity of the story, as the way that this film is crafted makes such an issue completely irrelevant. It can stand quite proudly in that top echelon of Euro Westerns, and quite possibly a perfect introduction to the genre to those that have purely seen the Leone movies.

Robert Hossein (who also co-wrote and directed) is a brooding, ghost town dwelling sharpshooter who, for either love or money, seeks vengeance against the family who apparently stole stole an ex-friend's livestock (or were they already stolen?) and hung him for trying to get them back.

One of the most cynical and grim of the Euro-westerns, this is fairly stylish, told with a minimum of dialog. It has the look and feel of a spaghetti western. However, the film owes a bit more in terms of storytelling to it's French half.

As far as the movie goes, Cemetery Without Crosses was offbeat and definitely worth watching, though I didn't find it as brilliant as others make it out to be.

Really puzzling is the writing credit issued to Dario Argento. If he didn't co-write the film, then why is his name on it? Does anyone else say otherwise?

The qualities inherent in this Spaghetti Western have more to do with its uniqueness rather than for any outstanding merit: the film, in fact, is a French-Italian co-production (albeit co-scripted by none other than Dario Argento!). Also unusual is the fact that the movie was helmed by its own leading man – incidentally, the two stars (Hossein and Michele Mercier) had just finished the 5-picture "Angelique" series, which is currently being re-proposed on Italian TV (I've recorded four of them so far but have yet to watch any). Of the remaining cast members, I was mainly familiar with Michel Lemoine (perhaps best-known for playing the Mephistophelean figure in Jess Franco's SUCCUBUS [1967] and who would himself graduate to direction with the likes of SEVEN WOMEN FOR Satan [1974]); though his character isn't given any distinguishing features, the actor's odd looks are enough to give an offbeat tone to the traditional Western garb and settings.

The plot – a running feud between two factions, with each of whom the laid-back and detached ex-gunfighter Hossein becomes involved – is quite typical and straightforward; actually, the hero had been Mercier's flame but the latter eventually married another man, who turned out to be no good…though she's determined that the perpetrators of his death be punished, which is why she now turns once more to Hossein (living a hermitic existence in a nearby ghost town!). In direct opposition to the "Angelique" films mentioned above – where the sensuality of Mercier, one of the loveliest starlets of her time, was given center-stage – here, she deliberately chose to be deglamorized (not only forced to bury her husband all by herself but being physically manhandled by the villains at the end). Anyway, Hossein joins the other side – ostensibly as a rustler – but subsequently kidnaps the patriarch's daughter for purposes of ransom; on the other hand, they retaliate by beating up the two brothers (Lemoine among them) of Mercier's husband. By the time it's all over, unsurprisingly, there are bodies lying everywhere – even the stars get it (with Hossein giving himself a particularly ironic demise)!

Much of what's admirable in the genre at its best is evident here as well: laconic dialogue, good action (ominously donning a glove before engaging in shoot-outs, Hossein's gunplay is so quick as to border on the invisible!), terrific score (by the director's father Andre'!) and an evocatively grubby look (the opening and closing moments, then, are given an added dimension by being presented in sepia); interestingly, Hossein dedicated the film to his friend (and undisputed master of the genre) Sergio Leone!

Cemetery Without Crosses (1969)

*** (out of 4)

Manuel (Robert Hossein) is asked by his former lover (Michele Mercier) to seek out the men who murdered her husband. The gunslinger agrees to take the job so he gets some help and heads out to take the gang down.

CEMETERY WITHOUT CROSSES was a French/Italian co-production that has gained much popularity over the years because it's basically a love letter to the style of Sergio Leone and the film is even dedicated to the legendary filmmaker. Hossein not only stars in the picture but he also directed it as well as co-wrote it and for the most part it's a pretty good entry for the genre. Is it in the same league as Leone? Of course not but this is certainly worth watching.

The screenplay, which included Dario Argento as a co-writer, isn't all that original but what I enjoyed the most about this picture was the style. There are several long stretches where there's not a single line of dialogue spoken. There's often a lot of noise whether it's sound effects or the music score by André Hossein blaring and this allows the terrific cinematography to come to life. The camera just floats from one shot to the next with the sound effects really taking your mind off everything that is going on. This often time leads to a nice surprise with one of the best examples being a scene at the diner table.

You're watching a group of men eat and we hear the sound of them chomping and then out of nowhere there's a little surprise that really works well. I won't ruin the ending but it too was quite effective because of the set up and how the director shows the final shoot out. Both Hossein and Mercier are very good in their roles with Hossein obviously trying to copy the Man With No Name role. CEMETERY WITHOUT CROSSES is a well-made little film. I think there's more style than substance but that's really not a problem here.