Prior to Robert Hossein’s more traditional spaghetti western Cemetery Without Crosses, he directed the grim The Taste of Violence. Predating the spaghetti western boom and, of course, primarily French, Hossein’s 1961 noir-infused western finds the director also acting as the protagonist Perez, a revolutionary in unnamed territory in Central America fighting under the the leadership of General Guzman to overthrow a presumably fascist government. His duty is to chaperone the kidnapped daughter of the president, Maria (Giovanna Ralli), back to General Guzman with the help of a couple fellow rebels; and along the way, the trio face hostile citizens, soldiers, and even internal dissension.
The first thing that viewers will likely notice is the particularly dour direction Hossein brings to The Taste of Violence. That goes for both the storyline as well as the characters’ demeanors; Hossein specifically brings a heavy weight to Perez, consistently refusing to add any sort of levity or humor to the proceedings. Even the brief attempts at jokes from the characters are generally more sarcastic than comedic, alluding to the overall anxiety of their job and the obvious import of the rebellion.
This drapes The Taste of Violence in a pall filled with tension. While the screenplay (a jointly-credited effort between Hossein, Louis Martin, Claude Desailly, and Walter Ulbrich, along with additional dialogue from Jules Roy) is heavy on the talking and relatively light on the referenced violence of the title, there’s a lot of work done by Hossein to generate a pervading sense of suspicion. A bounty placed on returning Maria unharmed means that the three men are constantly on the lookout for citizens trying to get a piece of the money, while Perez also needs to worry about his own men turning on him – Chamaco (Mario Adorf) because he believes he can get rich individually, and Chico (Hans H. Neubert) due to incidentally falling in love with the admittedly alluring Maria.
The internal mutiny is where The Taste of Violence really shines, though. Hossein refrains from giving much background about the rebellion; there’s no cause, no indication of reasoning, and few stakes made apparent to the viewer. Instead, it offers up a pretty general idea about freedom that Perez and Chamaco interpret differently. Perez believes in withholding his own personal benefit for the good of the overall rebellion, while Chamaco is only concerned with his own best interests. The success of the rebellion becomes Perez’s driving motive, even when it means both of his fellow rebels die in the process, one at his own hands.
The Taste of Violence offers up none of the major elements of what many consider a spaghetti western. There aren’t shootouts or close-up standoffs, no saloons or mysterious strangers (besides the fact that nearly everyone feels like a stranger here). But what it does manage is a study of men and their pride, as well as what it takes for a rebellion to succeed – or in this case, fail. The film ends with a haunting moment, where Perez is informed that the rebellion has been quelled, making all of his exploits worth nothing. It’s a downbeat note to an already somber film, but one of the most compelling reasons to recommend The Taste of Violence to any fans of western genre cinema.
Blu-ray
Radiance Films has released The Taste of Violence in the Wicked Games: Three Films by Robert Hossein boxset, with a 2K restoration of the film performed by Gaumont. The transfer looks excellent, consistent with the other films in this boxset. Film grain is medium-bodied and resolves nicely even in the film’s relatively few dark scenes; those particular moments really shine, though, especially a tense showdown moment with Maria holding a gun on Perez and Chamaco. The film’s cinematography by Jaques Robin is wonderful, highlighting the landscapes with wide shots of surrounding areas (which are most likely what was then Yugoslavia). Overall a very strong transfer for a pretty film.
Audio is an LPCM 1.0 French track that sounds great with prominent dialogue and voluminous soundtrack. English subtitles are included and defaulted on to accompany the film.
Like the other films in this boxset, film critic Tim Lucas provides an audio commentary which dives into all kinds of history and filmography notes, expertly scripted as has been the case for all three movies; he comments on the storyline itself, as well as how the film fits into Hossein’s continual obsession of the same themes throughout his filmography. A new interview with director/western expert Alex Cox; in this short featurette, he documents Hossein’s background and filmography in addition to comparing The Taste of Violence to Hossein’s later spaghetti western Cemetery Without Crosses. Another new interview with author C. Courtney Joyner spends nearly a half hour documenting the Zapata western sub-genre and how The Taste of Violence fits into that criteria, even predicting the later trope; Joyner expounds much more on classic Zapata westerns than just this film, and it’s a wealth of knowledge. A trailer is also included.
Extra Features
- 2K restoration by Gaumont
- Original uncompressed mono audio
- NEW Audio commentary on each film by critic and author Tim Lucas
- NEW The Taste of Violence appreciation by filmmaker and Western authority Alex Cox (1080p; 7:24)
- NEW Interview with author C. Courtney Joyner on The Taste of Violence and the Zapata Western subgenre (1080p; 26:24)
- Trailer (1080p; 2:54)
Verdict
The Taste of Violence is an excellent western predating the spaghetti western explosion, and this Robert Hossein boxset seems to have saved the best for last. A great-looking transfer and a solid set of extras makes this an excellent disc in the set.
