After the worldwide success of Sergio Leone's "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964) and "For a Few Dollars More" (1965), Robert Hossein, an honorable French actor and director which had a previous Western "The Taste of Violence" (1961) in his credits, is trying one more time his luck in the same genre. The music, signed André Hossein (father of Robert Hossein) it's a reminiscent of Ennio Morricone's music from Leone's films. Benito Stefanelli, who played in the two aforementioned films of Leone, has a role here too. The same José Canalejas, Lorenzo Robledo, Álvaro de Luna. Many other elements of Leone's movies are present in this Cemetery Without Crosses (1969) too, Michèle Mercier is dressed and even resembles Marianne Koch from A Fistful of Dollars but, however, despite the charm of the two main actors, Hossein and Mercier (they have been together also in the successful "Angélique" series), the film is a total failure. So, I'm sorry Mister Hossein, I love you very much in many other films but, this one is not spaghetti, c'est de la merde.

Made in 1969 by Robert Hossein who directed this and stars as Manuel – a gunman who has lost his will to fight. Then Michele Mercier as Maria Caine turns up and ask for his help; her husband and his friend has been hung by a gang of ranchers who are a notorious family. She wants justice – but her kind and not the sort dished out by a judge.He then gets embroiled in a kidnap plot and all bets are off as to how this is going to pan out. Now this is dedicated to Sergio Leone who also makes a cameo appearance. It is screamingly sixties in style – with the music as jarring as it is effective. It is all in English but has that seventies Italian feel for sound recording that makes it sound dubbed. The acting is so straight that it seems forced at times; but that belies the very real undercurrents of what is really going on. Things are communicated without being said and a look can convey emotions that pages written by a bard would leave unmolested. Some have commented that the pacing could have been better; but you need time to take in what is actually happening under the surface and this is the sort of film where you will spot more on subsequent viewings. It is high time someone made a release of this and much plaudits to Arrow for so doing. This is one for fans of the genre and for those who just love a good old western – not made in the West obviously, but not lacking in any way because of it – seriously recommended.

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.

***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!