I agree with you on the day-by-night scenes, but thought the movie was great
I think most spaghetti western plots (including Leone’s movies) aren’t super polished. For me the climate is probably the most important thing.
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There could be spoilers in this…
I saw it again yesterday (since it’s now on Netflix, yay). I did remembered it as very bleak movie, but it seems I forgot how downbeat it really is. Maybe the bleakest one among SWs (yes, including GS). From the very start there’s just misery, violence and doom, with no hope of redemption for no one. The (first) rape scene is the climax, point of no return after which we realize that all characters are doomed, there’s no salvation for neither of them, all they can do now is wait for their sentence. The act itself is offscreen, we don’t see it, instead we get extended shots of looks exchanged between Manuel and Maria. No words are spoken, but it is very emotional and tense, we understand everything. Manuel is asking, maybe even pleading Maria to stop this. He is obviously against it, repulsed by it. But he has given himself to Maria’s control completely, he will do whatever she ask him to do, wrong or right, good or evil (because he deeply loves her, off course). Maria too is repulsed by this, but she is too steeped in vengeful rage to step back, she will see her revenge all the way. And so we step over point of no return, violence will breed more violence, revenge will breed another revenge and so on in circles until everything is destroyed.
In this film Hossein has mixed some of sensibilities displayed in his other movies, like excellent Taste of Violence, with typical spaghetti western tropes, including ludicrous ones like shooting rope off from the hip. It makes for somewhat uneven mix, movies is too serious so some of the tropes feel out of place. Some famous motifs are borrowed, like music box, but forgotten latter. Silence is used too great effect in this movie, like in the example above, unspoken communication with viewers works, but I wish there was just a little bit more dialogue (Leone for example knew how to use both silence AND dialogue), little bit more attention to detail, and just a little bit more light and hope, at least at some point.
Killer theme song by Scott Walker.
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This is why I am not a big fan of the film. I’ve no doubt that the aforementioned rape scene is important (as regards the story, character etc):but any rape scene, in any film, instantly Iowers it in my
opinion and estimation. Thankfully, in ‘Cemetery’, we are not spectators of the deed, rather just guilty observers of the human desecration and defloration of a young woman…
By the way, with the following, I’m not knocking the film, which is very well made, acted, directed, and with a wonderful opening theme. I’m just commenting on one of the key plot-lines.
As viewers, we stand side by side with the real schemers, architects, and perpetrators of this outrage.
They stand apart from the sexual violence that they have instigated.
Meanwhile, her innocence is stolen.
The moment of savagery is not lingered upon…just hinted upon…and that is more than enough to highlight the brutality being acted out.
Thus, in not filming the deed, much is left to the imagination of the viewer. We don’t need graphic, painful, sadistic images to tell us the tale.
Hence, ‘Cemetery’ gains a point in my book by leaving much to the imagination.
That, combined with excellent performances, is more than enough to satisfy any SW afficienado.
Don’t get me wrong, ‘Cemetery’ stands out as an SW different enough, and professionally well made enough, to be labelled as ‘outstanding’. It’s just not one of my favourites.
As a side note: The classic case of ‘too much being more than enough’ is the rape scene in ‘Once Upon a Time in America’…a scene that could have been implied, or briefly suggested - not lingered upon in a voyeuristic, sadistic glee, which - IMHO - it was.
We don’t need to linger upon atrocity, to know how obscene, violent, disgusting and vulgar it can be.
I forgot to add 'life-changing’ to the equation…that’s the the one that ultimately makes, breaks, or injures a human life, spirit, and heart…
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I think, in a sense, not showing the act itself made it even more horrific. What we imagine happening (or should I say “I”) is more terrible than what could have ever been captured on film. The not knowing and not seeing leaves the mind to conjure some very disturbing imagery.
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How very true.
Our own imaginations can often conjure up something a damn-sight more horrific than anything actually portrayed on screen.
In fact our dreams (mine anyway), can be really blimmin’ weird!
Some of the great film directors, and story-tellers, left us to our own imaginations and fantasies…not a bad way to go, in my opinion.
I’ve seen thousands of films in my lifetime; and, I have to say, the ones that cure constipation are the ones that are not filled with gore, sex, brutality, and obscenity.
The ones that do gently cure the condition are classics such as ‘The Innocents’; ‘The Haunting’; and ‘The Changeling’.
I wonder, though, if it would work with modern audiences…asking them to use their imagination… 
Anyway, probably getting off topic, so back to ‘Cemetery’ …
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yes , i would say so hes french, and a lot of french and italians working on it. no doubt. it is weird that there is no french audio you say ,out there on dvd?////////
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the German BluRay has French audio
So did the old german dvd as well.
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Do the English subtitles on the german blu ray fit the French audio track? I already have the Arrow blu ray, but want the French audio track. Is it a translation of the French track, and if not, how closely does it match the French audio?
I have both the Arrow Video and Plaion Pictures editions of the film and I can say that while the subtitles on the Plaion edition definitely translate the Italian audio, the French and Italian tracks don’t differ too much from each other translation wise. The main difference is that French audio is a little more minimal on dialogue in places, and in a couple of scenes there is dialogue where the isn’t in the Italian audio.
I did a video for my YouTube channel comparing and contrasting the editions, which I’ll link here as I did go more in depth with the audio differences. Hope this helps you out amigo.
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Thank you, that is exactly what I needed!!!
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