NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray (November 2021): The Masters of Cinema have transferred Sergio Corbucci's Il Grande Silenzio (The Great Silence) to Blu-ray. It is described as a "1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a 2K restoration undertaken and completed for the 50th anniversary of the film’s original release." The screen captures below can attest to the vast improvement of the image quality. Colors are richer, with minor blue leaning, black levels are deeper and it finally looks its best on this UK HD presentation. Quite the revelatory advancement overall past digital editions. Wow. NOTE: Yes, it still has the gauzy look in the scene prior to the opening credits:

NOTE: David says: "From what I've read the digital noise/damage you mentioned was deliberate as they used gauzes over the camera lens." and Eric says "The gauze in front of the camera is definitely on-camera diffusion. It is shot by the same guy who shot most of tinto brass’ films." (Thanks guys!)

NOTE: We have added 42 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

Audio is the same as the Film Movement Blu-ray with linear PCM (24-bit) but this Masters of Cinema edition offer both Italian and English language track options, exporting depth in the often-heard gunplay and the impressive, moody, score by the iconic Ennio Morricone (Who Saw Her Die?, The Black Belly of the Tarantula, The Fifth Cord, Luna, Danger Diabolik, Two Mules For Sister Sara, A Bullet for the General, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, The French Conspiracy, U Turn, Stay As You Are etc. etc.) doing a wonderful job of establishing tone, promoting tension and supporting the film's style - often in a restrained manner. There are optional English subtitles on Masters of Cinema's Region 'B'-locked Blu-ray.

Masters of Cinema stack the extras including three commentaries! Two are new with author Howard Hughes and filmmaker Richard Knew, a second new one by filmmaker Mike Siegel and a highly interesting third audio commentary by director and Spaghetti Western aficionado Alex Cox (author of 10,000 Ways to Die: A Director's Take on the Italian Western), recorded live at the Hollywood Theatre, Portland in 2021. It is included with kind permission of 36 Chambers LLC. It's wonderful. There is a brand new 1/4 hour interview with Austin Fisher, author of Radical Frontiers in the Spaghetti Western: Politics, Violence and Popular Italian Cinema and repeated from the 2018 Film Movement Blu-ray; Cox on Corbucci – filmmaker Alex Cox who surveys Sergio Corbucci's career and how The Great Silence fits within the maestro's oeuvre. Cox does this from, what appears to be, a lone cabin in the wilderness. Also repeated from the US Blu-ray is the 38-minute Western, Italian Style – 1968 documentary - on Italian westerns which includes prime behind the scenes footage of The Great Silence commenting on the how the genre was established. There are the two never-before-seen 'alternate endings' (both fully restored in 2K - "Happy" - 2:01 / "Ambiguous" - 4:31) including the option to play the first one with and Alex Cox commentary. Fans of the film may find these interesting. There are also Filming Silenzio, Promoting Silenzio and Silenzio in Pictures running almost 1/2 hour in total. There are an Italian and English trailer and a stills gallery, plus the package has a collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Western expert Howard Hughes, a reversible poster featuring the film’s original artwork (see below) and Set of 4 facsimile lobby cards (see image below.) It has an O-Card Slipcase and this is a limited edition (3000 Copies Only.)

The Great Silence is a one of the premium of its style-heavy genre and a stellar western with unflinching violence. It's a film that gets better in repeat viewings and the vast extras on the Masters of Cinema Blu-ray advance your appreciation of this masterwork. This new Blu-ray is easily the best for this important western and should make noise in our year-end poll. It has our very highest recommendation!

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ADDITION (July 2018): Film Movement have brought one of the most beloved pasta westerns The Great Silence to Blu-ray for the 50th Anniversary of its original release. It's on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. The 1080P presentation is a revelation over the weak DVDs - but in the beginning I did notice unusual visuals that kind of looked like gauze over the lens HERE and HERE in Silence's coat. It looks odd to me and am still investigating if it is damage or a form of digital noise. I lean to the former. The good news is that I only noticed it in the, lone, early scene.

 The transfer shows thick grain and detail significantly rises over SD and doesn't show the light scratches that are on both DVDS. It is in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio showing more in the frame - notable on the side edges, has depth and skin tones warm looking far more realistic losing the orange-ness of the DVDs. I think the transfer is adept and it is at the mercy of the source - which ends up being reasonably consistent through the majority of the HD presentation.

Film Movement provide a robust linear PCM 2.0 channel (24-bit) track in the original Italian language with the option of a loss Dolby English DUB. Audio has the usual noticeable sync issues but is clear and gunfire has hollow depth - which would probably be accurate to the original production. The score is by the iconic Ennio Morricone (Luna, A Bullet for the General, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, U Turn, Stay As You Are etc. etc.)  It sounds pleasing in the lossless. Film Movement add optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

Extras include Cox on Corbucci spending 1/4 hour with filmmaker and author Alex Cox who surveys Sergio Corbucci's career and how The Great Silence fits within the maestro's oeuvre from a lone cabin in the wilderness. Western, Italian Style is a 38-minute, 1968 documentary on Italian westerns includes prime behind the scenes footage of The Great Silence commenting on the how the genre was established. There are two never-before-seen 'alternate endings', including the option to play the first one with and Alex Cox commentary. Fans of the film  may find these interesting. There are also The Great Silence trailer - an long original and a shorter 2018 one. The package has liner notes with Ending the Silence - a new essay about The Great Silence by film critic Simon Abrams.

The Film Movement Blu-ray has immense value over the DVDs with the imperfect but vastly improved a/v and the extensive extras. Absolutely recommended!