Western Promises: Review of Cemetery Without Crosses

Cemetery Without Crosses

Director: Robert Hossain

Stars: Robert Hossain, Michele Mercier, Guido Lollabrigida

Cemetery Without Crosses or, in its original language, Una Cuerda, Un Colt, is a 1969 spaghetti western starring leather-clad killer Manuel (director Robert Hossain) who is drawn into a kidnap/murder plot by his former lover Maria Caine (Michele Mercier). With a script co-written by horror master Dario Argento, Cemetery Without Crosses, released here on Blu-ray is a slightly clumsy affair. The film tips its hat to Sergio Leone, even thanking him in the end credits, but Hossain’s effort is a more lurid production where compared with something like Once Upon A Time in the West. Hossain is a solid director and a decent male lead here but he lacks the style and invention of Leone. Ironically, the dinner scene at the Rogers house here was actually directed by Leone himself. A French/ Italian co-production, Cemetery Without Crosses is a solidly entertaining  spaghetti western but it lacks the depth and subtlety of Leone’s work. Work a look for fans of the genre despite its limitations…

Once Upon a Time in the West — Special Collector’s Edition (2 discs) [DVD] [1969] Cemetery Without Crosses [Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD] [Region A & B]