Whenever you think of Spaghetti Westerns, it’s highly likely that the very first image that comes to mind is that of Clint Eastwood, draped in a poncho, as the infamous Man With No Name. Sergio Leone’s “Dollars” trilogy is certainly the pinnacle of the Spaghetti Western, having produced three exceptional motion pictures that have since come to define the entire genre. But if you love Spaghetti Westerns and are looking to dig a bit deeper, consider giving Sergio Corbucci‘s unofficial “Mud and Blood” trilogy a shot. Now is the perfect time to dive in and enjoy the splendor of these “unrated” masterpieces.
Sergio Corbucci’s “Mud & Blood” Trilogy Highlights Spaghetti Westerns at Their Best
So, just what is the Mud and Blood trilogy? For starters, it’s not an official trilogy but is instead something along the lines of Taylor Sheridan‘s “American Frontier” trilogy. The three films in the Mud and Blood trilogy — 1996’s Django, 1967’s The Great Silence, and 1969’s The Specialists — are Corbucci’s definitive take on the Western, full of morally complex characters, intense action sequences, and plenty of mud and blood to go around. Unlike Leone’s “Dollars” films, Corbucci’s trilogy does not follow a central character, or even any of the same leading stars, from one feature to the next, but they are connected by their similar themes and unique takes on the genre. While you may have already heard of Django (if only because of its loose connection to Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained), the other two are also spectacular displays of Spaghetti Western style and substance.
With Django, Corbucci kicks off this three-picture extravaganza with a literal bang, leaning into a bloody and violent landscape that has come to characterize the Western subgenre. The film meditates on its title character (brought to life by Franco Nero), who wanders the muddy and bleak American West near the U.S.-Mexico border on an uncompromising mission of revenge. Although the film initially frames Django as a hero, that all changes as his motivations are slowly uncovered, and we begin to see that there’s a monetary gain in play. Still, he honors the heroic Western archetype well, with Corbucci inserting political undertones, as the film’s leading man finds himself caught between Mexican revolutionaries and overtly racist ex-Confederates. It’s a heck of a way to kick off the Mud and Blood narrative.
The following year, Corbucci released The Great Silence, which leaves behind the mud-covered landscape of Django for a wintry slush as it follows “Silence” (Jean-Louis Trintignant), a mute gunslinger who gets in the middle of a conflict between Utah townsfolk and the politicians and bankers who lord them, most notably Henry Pollicut (Luigi Pistilli), the man who killed Silence’s family. Along with Django, The Great Silence is easily one of the greatest R-rated Spaghetti Westerns out there, as it features a breathtaking, snowy landscape and an intensity that only Corbucci could bring so valiantly to the screen. Finally, there’s The Specialists, the lesser-known installment that concludes this thematic trilogy. Here, gunfighter Hud Dixon (Johnny Hallyday) arrives in Blackstone, Nevada to track down those who murdered his brother, and it turns out that the entire town is complicit. Each of these films offers a distinct view of the Old West, using the period as an allegorical lens through which to explore Corbucci’s own political interests and leanings.
The “Dollars” Trilogy Has Long Overshadowed Corbucci’s “Mud and Blood” Trilogy
What sets Django, The Great Silence, and The Specialists (sometimes called Drop Them or I’ll Shoot) apart is that each of these three films takes place in cold and bleak locations (which is sometimes typical of a Western and sometimes not) and focuses on the weight and cost of violence with leading characters who engage in it without care. Not to spoil the endings for you here, but not every lead character makes it out alive. It’s easy to see how the Mud and Blood series has long been overshadowed by Leone’s collaborations with Clint Eastwood. After all, without a familiar leading man like Eastwood (who was already popular due to his television work on Rawhide), stringing these three Meatball Westerns together and promoting them to audiences was a harder sell. In fact, The Great Silence was never released theatrically in the U.S., so it’s no wonder that it’s often been slept on.
It’s really a shame since each of these three Corbucci-made pictures stands tall enough on their own. With capable leading men in Franco Nero, Jean-Louis Trintignant, and Johnny Hallyday, each film is a standalone adventure you’ll wish you’d watched sooner. As noted before, Corbucci’s complex political leanings are on display here as well. Django speaks about his thoughts on racial discrimination, while The Great Silence reportedly condemns the violence that led to the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., Che Guevara, and Robert F. Kennedy — to whom he dedicated the film when speaking to the German-based Film magazine. Meanwhile, The Specialists (which is arguably the least effective of the bunch) is largely an anti-hippie film, emphasizing the complicated nature of Corbucci’s political beliefs. So, if you’re in the mood for some Italian-made Western action flicks, this lesser-known trilogy could be just what you’re looking for.
While the full Mud and Blood trilogy can be hard to track down, Django and The Great Silence can be rented digitally on Prime Video.
- Release Date
-
November 30, 1966
- Runtime
-
91 Minutes
- Director
-
Sergio Corbucci
- Writers
-
Sergio Corbucci, Bruno Corbucci, Franco Rossetti
Cast
