Silent Tongue (1994)

Director:

Sam Shepard

Writer:

Sam Shepard (writer)

Release Date:

1 February 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

Justice can never be silenced.

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Corpse | Kidnapping | Medicine Show | Rape | Widower

Cast

Richard Harris	...	Prescott Roe
Sheila Tousey	...	Awbonnie / Ghost
Alan Bates	...	Eamon McCree
River Phoenix	...	Talbot Roe
Dermot Mulroney	...	Reeves McCree
Jeri Arredondo	...	Velada McCree
Tantoo Cardinal	...	Silent Tongue
Bill Irwin	...	Comic
David Shiner	...	Straight Man
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
Joseph S. Griffo	...	Little Person Acrobat #2 (as Joseph Griffo)
Billy Beck	...	Petrified Man
Philip Attmore	...	Boy Tap Dancer (as Phillip Attmore)
Al Lujan	...	Kiowa Drummer
Devino Tricoche	...	Fire-Eater
April Tatro	...	Contortionist
Tim Carroll	...	Stage Coach Driver
Nicholas Ortiz y Pino	...	Young Reeves
Robert Harnsberger	...	Buffalo Hunter
Fred Maio	...	Owner
David E. Wynne	...	Easterner
Sky Fabin	...	Easterner
Leslie Fleming-Mitchell	...	Easterner (as Leslie Flemming)
Jill Scott Momaday	...	Prostitute (as Jill Momaday)
Lynn Davies	...	Prairie Girl (as Lynn Davis)
Timothy Scott	...	The Lone Man (as Tim Scott)

Directed by
Sam Shepard

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sam Shepard		writer

Produced by
Ludi Boeken	....	producer
Carolyn Pfeiffer	....	producer
Gene Rosow	....	executive producer (as Eugene Rosow)
Catherine Scheinman	....	associate producer
Bill Yahraus	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Patrick O'Hearn

Cinematography by
Jack Conroy

Film Editing by
Bill Yahraus

Production Design by
Cary White

Art Direction by
John Frick
Michael J. Sullivan		(as Michael Sullivan)

Set Decoration by
Barbara Haberecht

Costume Design by
James Echerd
Van Broughton Ramsey

Makeup Department
Patricia Androff	....	assistant makeup artist
David Atherton	....	makeup artist
Jeffrey S. Farley	....	special makeup effects artist
Jeaneen Muckerman	....	assistant hair stylist
Joani Yarbrough	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Michael Bennett	....	unit production manager
Michael J. Harker	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Matthew J. Clark	....	assistant director
Patricia Frazier	....	second second assistant director
Robert Lorenz	....	second assistant director
Bill Yahraus	....	second unit director

Art Department
Kim Aeby	....	scenic artist
David Best	....	construction foreman
Robin Blagg	....	carpenter
Holly Gent Palmo	....	swing gang (as Holly Gent)
Stanford Gilbert	....	assistant property master
Shane Patrick	....	on-set dresser
Cheri Paul	....	property master
Jeff Schwan	....	lead man
Joe Self	....	swing gang
Ed Vega	....	head scenic
Mark Wallace	....	property maker
Christopher Windisch	....	carpenter (as Christopher David Windisch)
Ben Zeller	....	construction coordinator
Carl Zeller	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Albert Aquino	....	boom operator (as Alberto Aquino)
Duncan Burns	....	sound editor
Rubén Domingo	....	sound assistant (as Reuben Domingo)
John Edwards-Younger	....	sound editor
Gary Gegan	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jerelyn J. Harding	....	sound editor
Mark Harris	....	sound recordist
Gary A. Hecker	....	foley artist (as Gary Hecker)
Matthew Iadarola	....	supervising re-recording mixer
Tim Song Jones	....	sound transferer
John A. Larsen	....	supervising sound editor
Dan O'Connell	....	foley artist
Lauren Palmer	....	sound editor
Rodger Pardee	....	sound editor
Rodger Pardee	....	sound effects editor
Charleen Richards	....	adr mixer
Randy Singer	....	foley mixer
Greg Steele	....	adr recordist
John Joseph Thomas	....	sound editor
Susumu Tokunow	....	production sound mixer
Nancy Tracy	....	sound apprentice
R. Dale Tsosie	....	cable person

Special Effects by
Wayne Elliott	....	special effects assistant
Tom Knott	....	special effects assistant
John K. Stirber	....	special effects

Stunts
Micki Dahn Akard	....	stunts
James 'Scotty' Augare	....	stunts
Pat Judge Hall	....	stunts
Allan R.J. Joseph	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Alvin William 'Dutch' Lunak	....	stunt coordinator (as Dutch Lunak)
Alvin William 'Dutch' Lunak	....	stunts
Shelly Bird Matthews	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Roberto 'Tito' Blasini	....	second assistant camera
Chris Browne	....	electrician
Nick Cline	....	best boy
Thomas Crawford	....	grip
Milo Durben	....	dolly grip
Harland Espeset	....	grip
Gary Farr	....	still photographer
Bob Gorelick	....	steadicam operator
Jeffrey Greeley	....	second assistant camera (as Jeffrey P. Greeley)
Vilma Gregoropoulos	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Paul Grindrod	....	grip
Chris Hayes	....	camera operator
Richard Mall	....	key grip
Matthew Thomas Moles	....	grip (as Matthew T. Moles)
Richard Mosier	....	first assistant camera
Stephen Mullen	....	gaffer: second unit
Dale Myrand	....	first assistant camera
Paul Paguyo	....	grip
Stefanie Rosen	....	second assistant camera
Daniel L. Turrett	....	camera operator
Michael Warren	....	grip
Rick A. West	....	gaffer
Heather Page	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Sally Jackson	....	location casting
Elizabeth Shull	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rochelle Best	....	wardrobe assistant (as Rochelle Amrein)
Taneia Lednicky	....	wardrobe supervisor
Janet Powell	....	on-set costumer (as Janet L. Powell)
Cathy Smith	....	costumer: Native Americans

Editorial Department
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Lee Fonvielle	....	assistant editor
David Orr	....	color timer
Martha Rubin	....	assistant editor (as Marty Rubin)

Transportation Department
Jimmy Jones	....	transportation coordinator
Randy Peters	....	driver

Other crew
Rachel Aberly	....	unit publicist
Carrie Barton	....	production assistant
Céline Bertrand	....	production accountant: Paris
Gail Compeau	....	assistant production accountant
Gina Fortunato	....	production coordinator
Leigh French	....	adr group coordinator
Kristofer Lindquist	....	production assistant
Susan P. McCarthy	....	assistant production coordinator
Tal Meirson	....	production accountant
David O'Shaugnessy	....	assistant production coordinator
Jacobus Rose	....	production executive
David K. Sanchèz	....	production assistant
Barbara Simpson	....	location manager
John V. Stuckmeyer	....	completion executive
Adam C. Taylor	....	production assistant
Jason S. Turner	....	production assistant
Barbara Tuss	....	script supervisor
Stephanie Zessos	....	assistant: Mr. Shepard

Production Companies

• Belbo Films
• Canal+
• Mire

Distributors

• Capital Filmes (Brazil) (video)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• SF Video (1996) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Sogepaq Distribución (Spain)
• Trimark Pictures (1994) (USA)

Also Known As:

Gardien des esprits, Le (France)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

France | Netherlands | UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Spain:13 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Chaves County, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Belbo Films

Trivia:

The final film that features River Phoenix (he died one year earlier from heart problems due to drug abuse).

Quotes:

Reeves McCree: It shames me to be the son of a pig.
Eamon McCree: You'll grow out of it. Just thank your stars you weren't born a half-breed like your demon sisters.

Soundtrack:

Old Jawbone

Phenomenal ghost story. Very theatrical in tone.

Sam Shepard, the writer/director of "Silent Tongue," is one of the big names in contemporary American theatre. So it comes as no surprise that his two feature films (also, "Far North") have a distinctly theatrical tone. General audiences may not have a taste for his style, but Shepard's films richly reward multiple viewings for the open-minded.

"Silent Tongue" is a ghost story which uncovers a disturbing sickness at the heart of the Old West. River Phoenix becomes mentally unhinged when his Native American bride dies in childbirth. This sends his father, Richard Harris, on a journey to try and find another woman for his son. Exhibiting tragically limited imagination, the father returns to the traveling circus where he traded horses for the first woman, and he attempt a second bargain for the woman's sister. In the end, the sister must confront the dead woman's ghost, and we learn the dark secret of their past.

Phoenix is eerily convincing as the mad Talbot Roe, and Richard Harris is uncharacteristic low-key as the world-weary Prescott Roe. Dermot Mulroney, unable to make his character's diction convincing, is perhaps the film's only casting error.