Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Michael_Elliott 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.

mazaldivar cemetery without crosses(aka the rope and the colt) is one of the best spaghetti westerns out there. it is up there with THE GREAT SILENCE. wonderful film. i must warn u however... there is not a lot of shooting going on here like most spags. in fact the kill count is 16(which is unheard of in this genre). but the story is tight and it moves in a nice pace. one of the few spag westerns that actually feels like a Leone film(though a poor mans Leone). wonderfully shot. the main character hangs out in a ghost town. let me tell u this is the best ghost town i have seen in any film. the only thing wrong with the film is one scene where the main character is sitting at a dinner table and everybody starts looking at him. and this goes on for a while. until finally it is revealed as to why they were staring. it wasn't really worth the 2 minutes of silence just to get the "punchline". other than that a this is definitely on my top ten spag list, if not then an early teen list.

marc-366 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.

unbrokenmetal ***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** A rider is chased by many others. He reaches his home, his wife watches in fear. The hunters catch him, take him to the tree and hang him while his wife keeps screaming. The boss of the hunters looks at her but doesn't say a word. They all ride away when the deed is done. The 2 brothers of the hanged man are coming home. They watch the young widow dig a grave. Nobody offers help. The 2 brothers leave some money on the table and ride away.The first 10 minutes of this movie are passing by without any dialogue, set in a pale desert land without any colours. Yes, `Une corde, un colt' is very stylish, just like the other great French western from 1968 (co-produced with Italy), `Le Grand Silence'. It was much more than just a job for Robert Hossein, who co-produced, directed and co-scripted the movie and also played the main character, gunfighter Manuel. His personal ambitions made this movie so much better than the usual genre fast-food. He used symbolism from the B&W era, for example the scene when Manuel comes around to visit the widow: you see the lonely rider far away in the desert, slowly coming closer, whilst her black scarf is draped over a bush in the foreground. The black scarf is so much bigger than the man due to camera perspective, and you now: he will arrive too late, and she will be dead. Poetry in pictures.The film music is a cross between traditional US title songs (`the days are dust and the nights are black') and Morriconean trumpets as they were en vogue in the 60s. No big experiments here, but good craftsmanship.Back to the story: the widow hires gunfighter Manuel to kill the villains. He says: `Vengeance will never satisfy you, you just don't realize it yet.' But he picks up the job and kills all the bad guys. Hossein as Manuel does not look like the normal Clint Eastwood stereotype. His soft mouth and sad eyes seem to say he is a victim of fate, not a hero, not even an anti-hero. He wears a black glove on his right hand only to symbolize his dark side. In a deserted ghost-town, he plays the roulette against himself, all became meaningless, there is no victory. At the end of the movie, Manuel throws his gun away (a cliche since the 50s), but then the daughter of the villain uses this opportunity to kill him with a rifle. They never did this to John Wayne and Gary Cooper... Interesting note: Dario Argento contributed to the screenplay, and he worked on another film with a revenge story the same year: Once Upon A Time In the West!