Silent Tongue (1993)

Mad with grief after the death of his Kiowa wife, Talbot awaits death under a tree with her body beside him. She begins to haunt him because he won't burn her. His father, who bought him the wife, thinks her sister might reason with him.

Director:

Sam Shepard

Writer:

Sam Shepard

Stars:

Alan Bates, Richard Harris, River Phoenix

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alan Bates	...	Eamon McCree
Richard Harris	...	Prescott Roe
River Phoenix	...	Talbot Roe
Dermot Mulroney	...	Reeves McCree
Sheila Tousey	...	Awbonnie / Ghost
Jeri Arredondo	...	Velada McCree
Bill Irwin	...	Comic
David Shiner	...	Straight Man
Tantoo Cardinal	...	Silent Tongue
Tommy Thompson	...	Medicine Show Band Performer
Jack Herrick	...	Medicine Show Band Performer
Bland Simpson	...	Medicine Show Band Performer
Clay Buckner	...	Medicine Show Band Performer
Chris Frank	...	Medicine Show Band Performer
Arturo Gil	...	Little Person Acrobat #1

Storyline

It's 1873, Indian Territory. Talbot Roe is going mad with grief over losing his Indian wife, Awbonnie. In an effort to save him, his father, Prescott Roe, seeks to purchase the dead wife's sister, Velada, from the same traveling carnival he acquired Awbonnie. The girls' father, carnival master Eamon McCree, is willing to do business, but her step-brother, Reeves, protests, putting an end to the negotiation. Desperate, Prescott kidnaps Velada and promises her the means to be rid of her father in return for comforting Talbot out of his obsession. In Talbot's madness, he guards his wife's corpse, preventing her from passing to the beyond. As a result, Awbonnie's ghost begins haunting and cursing everyone involved in the transaction of selling her as a wife. Meanwhile, Reeves and Eamon search the prairie for Velada. Drunken Eamon several times wants to turn back and leave his daughter to her own devices, but Reeves refuses. At the site of a hunting party of Indians, Eamon panics and loses...

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Plot Keywords:

new mexico desert | new mexico | desert | silent | tongue | 

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Taglines:

Justice can never be silenced.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for ghostly terror and some violence

Details

Country:

France Netherlands UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 January 1995 (UK)

Also Known As:

Ghost Rider - Indian Magic

Filming Locations:

Chaves County, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,227, 27 February 1994, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$61,274

Company Credits

Production Co:

Belbo Films,Canal+,Mire

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Timothy Scott appeared in Lonesome Dove (1989) opposite Director Sam Shepard's ex-wife, O-Lan Jones. Shepard took over Scott's role in Streets of Laredo (1995).

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Quotes

Reeves McCree: You've got a lot of salt calling yourself a father at all.
Eamon McCree: It was forced upon me by cruel nature. I never had a say in the business. No, sir! A father is not my calling in this life.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Worst Films of 1994 (1995)

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Soundtracks

Hell Almongst the Yearlings
Traditional music arranged by the Red Clay Ramblers

User Reviews

Worth a try

Well, I agree this movie works like those very obscured movies from Europe that leaves you with more questions than answers. But that's the appeal of it. I mean, it's very strange, but you have to understand that the story revolves within a surreal context that the creators want to transmit (just to mention, a talking corpse that you could interpret that works like the conscience of all involved). If you let yourself be immersed in that context, you'll enjoy this movie. It goes beyond that just a `Western' (don't be mislead but such a qualification). Many of the weird images that the movie shows will stick with you, and that, for me, it's a plus for a movie. Please, don't ever see it if you're only in the mood to see clear-straight message movies. Any kind of mood you're in though, you can only appreciate the good job done by all the actors, specially by River Phoenix.like a reminder that he was posed for better things than some of the movies that he made. If you're a River Phoenix fan (or simply a good actor's fan) you won't help by being moved by such a convincing performance, and think of what could have been. I give the movie a 7, and that in my book means a good movie that worths a try. You must be the judge, which means, you must see it.