Silent Tongue (1993) User Reviews (24)

Could be better

[Emerenciano · 6/10 · 1 December 2002]

Although it's rated as "western" and the story happens during "bang bang times", "Silent Tongue" is much of a supernatural drama than anything else.

It was kind of sad watching it just a few days after Richard Harris' death. It's also sad seeing River Phoenix in such good phase of his career considering that now his is (unfortunately) dead. We will always miss Harris and Phoenix.

The film itself is not so great. The plot is interesting and I really like the cast, but the movie is a little slow. We always expect something explosive to happen, but nothing really does.

The symbolism is nice. There are quite a lot of them in the movie. It's just a matter of paying close attention and let your mind work on them.

My rate 6/10

Strange and Not Pretty

[QueenMag · 5/10 · 5 November 1999]

Silent Tongue is a western about a disturbed young man (River Phoenix) who grows increasingly distraught over the death of his white/Amer. Indian wife. His father (Richard Harris) attempts to purchase the dead woman's sister, with the hope that she will be a consolation to his son.

What a peculiar movie! I can't say I liked it because there was nothing enjoyable about it ... on the other hand, I didn't hate it because it had some redeeming qualities. For example, Richard Harris (whom you may, perhaps, remember as English Bob in 'Unforgiven') was quite excellent, and director Shepard certainly had some vision for this picture; however, I can't say with any certainty what that vision was.

The film struck me as being about the desperation of grief and rage, and how both manifest themselves when they are not addressed or dealt with. The main characters all want to reverse something that has happened, yet the past cannot be changed. The wrongs they perceive were done against them can never be righted. What can they do with their pain except suffer it? They communicate not so much in words as in hurtful behaviors.

The film is not pretty to look at: the landscape is dry and yellow; the characters are begrimed and weary. The things they do and ultimately say are just ... ugly. It's an ugly, disheartening picture in which boorish people are motivated by the simplest of emotions to do base things because they cannot cope with reality.

Shakespeare On The Great Plains

[Lary9 · 6/10 · 28 June 2011]

To call this quirky, brooding film a western is a failure of imagination since it is nothing less than a classical tragedy, a sort of Hamlet set in the American west circa 1875. "Silent Tongue" is a Sam Sheppard film with a stout cast and ambitious themes. It is helped toward that end by the venerable talents of Alan Bates as a drunken Irish thespian and snake oil salesman (what a great archetype) along with Richard Harris as the desperate father of a young man lost in madness from grieving the death of his Indian wife. It does not hurt that the screenplay's characters sometimes speak with the cadence and tone of formal 17th Century English mixed with a touch of cowboy colloquy. It helps even more that there are murderous ghosts and allusions to suicide. After about 30 minutes of trying to get a peg to hang my movie genre hat on, I was left with a question. "WTF is going on here?" That is why eventually I gave up and accepted it for what it was--a Shakespearian western. Aside from that, its a slow stroll with lots of dramatic flourishes and an unexpected touch of Grand Guignol. Dermott Mulroney and River Phoenix are evident in support. Native American actress Sheila Tousey is absolutely terrific. Watch it but in the right mood.

Compelling for Phoenix Fans

[me43 · 4 November 2003]

River Phoenix was a part of our 2003 All Soul's remembrances, and I'm shocked to find that a decade after his death, he is practically forgotten. Video clerks stared blankly at the mention of his name. (National video store clerks!! Two different chains!) I only located a few of his ensemble films at the major video rental outlets. "Silent Tongue" was among the meager offerings at a grocery store. Others I can't find at all.

If "The Thing Called Love" is your only experience of the "adult" River Phoenix, you might not recognize him in "Silent Tongue". He hardly looks the same. This is the film which finally gave us "River Phoenix; the man", and in it, he plays Richard Harris' addle pated son. Sadly his screen time was all too brief. Perhaps he knew his soul was about to be called home, for he finally broke through all the artifice and became the consummate actor we so often heard he was supposed to be, but seldom saw.

The film is compelling most often when River is on the screen. Gone is the boyish actions which hardly fit his far-seeing eyes. Gone is the dual self-importance and shyness which often felt false. Here we see a man truly possessed and lost; damned by his own makings. Burdened with something we can't quite understand. It rings of truth. Ugly and brutal, but truth nonetheless, as we were to learn that Halloween morning in 1993.

Richard Harris is also excellent as Prescott Roe. His love for his addled son is evident, and the character is both touching and pathetic in trying to protect him. Harris always managed to elevate his fellow actors by a rung or two, but there is nothing he could do to elevate those parts he did not appear in. I find it interesting that he twice played a father to a Phoenix boy son. Father to two wounded men, if only in the land of make-believe. There is a certain symmetry to it. I wonder how the real man thought about it.

The Mulroney part is unconvincing for the most part, but it is not the actor's fault. Sheila Tousey is interesting as the ghost and Jeri Arredondo is lovely to look at. I wish both ladies appeared in more films. The scene with Tantoo Cardinal is a waste of her talent and makes little sense to the whole. Since when did a rapist rear their own products to adulthood?

Watch the film to see River Phoenix as a man and to finally see his promise fulfilled. It would have been nice if the vehicle were a better one. Although it is flawed, it is worth the watch, if only to get a glimpse of what he would have brought to "Interview with a Vampire" and other roles. With the successes enjoyed by Keanu and Depp so much in evidence, it is hard not to be a little bit bitter, and bemoan the whys. Forgiveness is harder to come by, though the anger has started to dim. This film can go a long way to explain it all to those who are too young to remember who River Phoenix was.

Pretentious. Repellent. Boring. Ugly. Waaaaay too dramatic....

[sexorcist6969 · 1/10 · 6 May 2004]

For me, this was an exercise in torture. I found it to be pretentious. Waaaaaaay over the top dramatically. Repulsive to look at. Bad acting. Bad dialogue. Almost as bad as Buried Child. I was reminded of The Emperor's New Clothes. People really do like to think of themselves as sophisticated, don't they...... A root canal would have been less painful. Oh, I particularly enjoyed the use of fingernails. Made me crave a manicure.

Unfortunately an abysmal western

[boatierra · 2/10 · 4 March 2005]

While renting this film, I had high viewing hopes, seeing who was in the cast, and the fact that it was River Phoenix's last performance. After watching about an hours worth, my hopes were dashed. The story itself is attention-grabbing, but the presentation is way too drawn out. The film never quite gets up to speed.

My father, who watched this with me, is a big fan of westerns, and even he did not enjoy this film. Although, I do have to say, this film is a couple steps up from Pursuit (an even more abysmal western, which I have unfortunately watched).

The ONLY reason I rated this film a 2 instead of a 1, is because you get to see Bill Irwin, a young Dermont Mulroney, some good trick riding, and, of course, River's final performance. Without those, if I could have, I would have rated this film a .5.

Pass out the Bicarbonate

[dkhoover · 1/10 · 16 October 2003]

A more sickening, film, with no plot, continuity, or even good acting I have never seen. It drags on and on. The premise of it is lost on any intelligent individual. If you have a need for electricity to flow through your TV set, then catch it when it shows. I do not know if you could even find it in a Video store, but if you do, you would have done better to give the money spent to rent it to the pan-handler outside. If you want Richard Harris, then watch a Man Called Horse. As far as River Phoenix is concerned, cannot see the fascination viewers have for him.

Worth a try

[juliomontoya2000 · 7/10 · 30 December 2000]

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.

Two Irishmen out west with their kids

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 13 July 2019]

Silent Tongue is one strange western, a bit too strange I think for many. It concerns a pair of Irish emigres to the west. Horse trader Richard Harris and his son River Phoenix and Alan Bates and his son Dermot Mulroney. Bates also has two daughters from a Kiowa woman, Sheila Tousey and Tantoo Cardinal and Bates is a medicine show proprietor.

A year back Harris purchased Cardinal as a bride for Phoenix for some horses he broke Among Kiowas that is SOP but as this is a racial thing we're supposed to be outraged. Anyway Cardinal has died in childbirth and Phoenix has gone bonkers refusing to bury her or burn her on a pyre in the Kiowa custom.

Harris purchases Tousey now in the hope she can snap River back to reality. But Mulroney who has a more than brotherly interest in his half sisters sets out after Harris with Bates in tow. And Cardinal now a spirit is busy wreaking havoc on all because she can't pass over.

It all gets kind of weird, not exactly traditional western fare. Best in the film is Bates who has a great part as a thoroughly dissolute character in the west. This was River Phoenix's last released film, I wish his swan song had been My Own Private Idaho.

Definitely not for everyone's tastes.

A very 'Haunting' film. ...

[randawg72 · 7/10 · 16 August 2006]

I originally tracked down a copy of this film because it was River's last movie. I'm also a Richard Harris fan.

Not surprisingly, I liked it. Great performances by Richard Harris (the father), Alan Bates (the medicine show owner), and of course River Phoenix. The film has a unique and eerie look and feel that's unlike any others I've seen.

River's role as the grieving young widower is interesting to watch. Especially since he plays a disoriented, hallucinating character which seems to mirror his real life at the time battling drug addiction and other demons. He even looks high during some scenes (Of course he was a great actor).

Granted this movie is not for everyone. The friends & family I've shown it to liked it. I recommend it to any River Phoenix fan and to anyone who enjoys the escape to a different time and place that a good movie like this provides.

~Randawg.

Horror after horror for this film. River's death, then Harris'.

[preciosabelinda · 8/10 · 2 November 2015]

I live in Roswell & I supplied MANY props for the movie, animal bones. I was known as the Bone Lady. We all hung at the Roswell Inn, River in the bar with straws hanging out of his nose, Richard Harris coming into the lobby in an English night shirt ( scrooge type ), Sam Shepard being rude while fondling a blonde .. not Jessica Lange. Most on the film were wonderful. John "Scully" Sullivan, artistic director (Lonesome Dove), the little actors, they all came to my house for a homemade meal. Richard Harris had a heart attack while filming here also! Was very hot out there for them. My "bones" ended up as the Buffalo Graveyard AND the burial tree. Have the coyote skull Richard signed for me. R.I.P.

Ms. Tousey's ghost character rocks in this Native mystery/suspense!!

[LaxFan94 · 7/10 · 26 October 2010]

I love how Ms. Tousey's character as the ghost and how she haunted the others was real cool. It was also interesting how Mr. Roe (Richard Harris) wanted to save his son from insanity. But you can't blame his son for being so loyal to his wife that even after death, he still remained by her side. That's when the ghost came into the picture and also into the reality of the others' minds! The Plains Indian tradition was to place a deceased body up above the ground on a scaffold rather than burying it underground. At least they got that correct. But Ms. Tousey's ghost wanted her own body to be burned so that her spirit can be free and in peace. Of course in real life that would not have happened but I also understand why she wanted herself to be cleansed in flames. Fortunately Mr. Roe himself cleared his son's insanity in the end by throwing the remnants of his son's deceased wife. This may seem weird to some but I think Ms. Tousey's ghost character was truly dominant in the sense that she woman-handled and terrorized the white men who ruined her sister's life "buying" her in exchange for the 4 horses and gold!! Unfortunately the ghost even gave her own sister hell for allowing herself to be "bought" by the foolish white man Harris who only cared about saving his son without considering the consequences!

ANYWAYS... still a good film nonetheless and I recommend it for anyone interested in these kinds of films.

Underwhelming (and silly) Western, though Phoenix is terrific

[rick_7 · 27 June 2003]

This much maligned and very strange Western is ambitious and interesting in places, but also pretentious, convoluted, silly and frequently boring. Shepard's direction is reasonable, and the main theme effective, but the ghost scenes are accompanied by a poor, pounding score and increasingly daft camera-work. The acting is similarly inconsistent: Mulroney is dire in a well-written minor role, and Bates overacts dreadfully, but Harris is fairly good and Phoenix unforgettable (if underused) in his final role. His first scene is particularly potent and moving. Indeed, whenever River is on screen the movie comes to life: his eccentric turn partly compensating for the long periods of poorly scripted shouting.

Despite some striking imagery, unusual subject matter and unwanted status as River's swansong, the film's expected cult status hasn't materialised, perhaps because it is plot less and pointless. Filmed for French TV in 1992, but not released until 1994, it grossed just $61,274 in the US. For a better, similarly offbeat modern take on the Western, try Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man. Silent Tongue is for Phoenix completists like myself only.

River and Richard were amazing.

[Lazaka · 7/10 · 30 April 2016]

There was something about this movie that was haunting. It could be that both Richard Harris and River Phoenix were gone and they were two of my favorite actors, it could be that they were both so good in it and made the best of a film that really didn't have much climax to some characters. Having said that, what I did was just ignore the other storyline and paid attention to the Talbot's and it became real, a real haunting story and it made sense. She needed to be burned and her body to be let go in order for her to be free. She would haunt and torment them until it was done. She wasn't angry at any of them and I believe she even loved him, since both sisters hated the father, but her spirit was angry for not letting her move on. The actress who played Awbonnie was also fantastic. I enjoyed most of this movie and some of it was riveting, however, some of it fell flat. I agree on Dermott's part and acting, what a travesty that was. I'm surprised he was such a bad actor back then.

Reading some of the other reviews, I have to say the first one threw me for a loop. People never heard of River Phoenix? Shame on them. I know a lot of people tend to forget about him due to his mother not wanting to do films about him, talk about him, or letting them release a lot of footage and stuff unless she gets paid, but that's downright heartbreaking that someone wouldn't know who River Phoenix is. He was the premier actor of my time. He was the one you watched for, not Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise, but River Phoenix. You waited to see when his next movie was coming out, who he was working with, what his next project was, what interview you could scour up. He was our James Dean. RIP River Phoenix, I would never forget you.

Terrific Euro-Western

[JohnSeal · 8/10 · 28 October 2000]

Silent Tongue looks and feels like a great lost 60s spaghetti oater crossed with a Japanese ghost story. Richard Harris is excellent (and restrained!) as the father of River Phoenix, who is haunted by the less than ethereal remains of his late wife, a half breed purchased from traveling huckster Alan Bates (over-the-top but enjoyable!). Give playwright Sam Shepard his props for some outstanding direction: this man understands how to frame a shot better than 90% of the Hollywood hacks making big budget crapola. Strongly recommended.

Good, thoughtful movie

[tringwood · 8/10 · 10 March 2002]

I find it rather odd that anybody who loves movies would find this movie slow or dull. The characters are wonderful. Complex characters, each contains both virtues and self serving vices; each at times you feel pity for what has happen to them, yet feel pity for what they have done. There is no end, for what the father has done in the name of his son can never have closure. Mixed with top notch acting, a gripping musical score, perfect sound and wonderful cinematography by under rated Jack Conroy this movie works as a feast for the not just the mind but the eyes and ears as well. Hardly a second passed by where I was not entranced by the spirt of this film. Slow to those fail to understand the each moment in time begins a anew, for each moment is this movie changes a character and in turns changes the story. Perhaps a few scenes went on a few seconds too long, and one can find faults here and there regarding all but the greatest works, but in this movie the faults are mainly hidden by the strengths and story which should leave you thinking about the human heart for some time to come.

Phenomenal ghost story. Very theatrical in tone.

[awalter1 · 9/10 · 19 May 2001]

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.

A great movie

[liderc · 10/10 · 28 October 2001]

This movie is great. Great actors (watch out for Tantoo Cardinal!), great script, photography and *great* score!! If you enjoy slow, atmospheric films like "Picnic at Hanging Rock", you will like this one, too! A soundtrack album and a DVD release would be really appreciated, not only by River Phoenix fans!

Sam Shepard

[yusufpiskin · 9/10 · 1 September 2021]

Director and screenwriter Sam Shepard, Starring River Phoenix, Richard Harris, Alan Bates, Dermot Mulroney... The movie, which was completed with a budget of 80 thousand dollars, grossed 63 thousand dollars. Here is the importance people give to art and artist.

The movie is a forgotten masterpiece. Everyone who loves movies should watch it.

Good film, but not for everyone.

[dethimages · 9/10 · 13 August 2003]

This is a well written movie with fantastic performances by basically the whole cast. Is it a little boring? YES... but it is still a strong film. May not be for those who like a lot of action, or like things to make sense all the time. It's an aquired taste, and is not a good party movie, but I will always respect it as a very good film.

On Voyeurism

[d_carlotaj · 10/10 · 3 March 2020]

"Silent Tongue," (1993). Starring Alan Bates, Richard Harris, and River Phoenix. Directed and written by Sam Shepard. This film fits quite nicely into the Western/Horror genre. The setting is in the West during the 1880s, and while the plot is fairly straight forward and easy to follow, the subtext is a bit more subtle and uses horror scenes to exemptlify the theme. And it is the subtext which reveals the writer's voice and his theme, which is voyeurism. Shepard uses the freak show setting as a backdrop against which to display the theme, for obvious reasons. Scandalizing the viewer and satiating his perverse appetites is the Voyeur/exhibitionist paradigm. The scene in which the Freak Show character who is shaving lays bare the enlacement of "the burning fever of the prairie" and "the burning fever of yearning, "while several youngsters standing nearby are scandalized. The counterpart scene is the scene in which the young Mulroney character is forced to watch his father rape a Native American woman, Silent Tongue. Both scenes result in a horrific experience that mirrors the impact of voyeurism on the viewer. The viewer's burning fever of voyeurism is implied as well as "the burning yearning" of one addicted to films. The ghost of the Native American symbolizes the effect of perpetuating a reliance on an insatiable voyeuristic addiction. I wonder when in his career Shepard became aware that he was a party to pimping the audience... as an actor or other film industry worker. It obviously affected him. I wonder if his inspiration was a Diana Ross song, Baby Love. He was old enough to have remembered it. This is a wonderful film. I give it 5 of 5 stars. Enjoy!

what a stupid film!!

[timmauk · 17 January 2001]

A friend told me this was a must see because I was a River Phoenix fan. Yuuucccckkkkk!! What a stupid film!! It really made no sense at all.

He loses his love (a beautiful Indian girl) and instead of burying her, he keeps her and stays with her body. Through baking heat of the sun, through rainstorms, day, night, day, night, day, night,.....GROSS! He doesn't say a word through it all. No real emotion. FINALLY at the end of the film, an Indian spirit persuades him to let her go. This is a horrible last role for him to have. Also, I can't believe that Sam Shepard actually wanted this to be his directing debut! All I can say is what a waste of talent in this load of c**p.

Stay far away from this one!!

Brooding western ghost story

[elbato-03112 · 8/10 · 13 January 2024]

The main story is simple. A man (River Phoenix) is mad with grief over the passing of his wife. His madness leads him to cling to her desiccated body. His father (Richard Harris) who arranged the marriage and purchased the wife now plots to kidnap the deceased wife's sister to try and break the spell that his son is under. And then things get supernatural.

But there is a lot of backstory here as well: the traveling carnival show that sells the worthless alcoholic patent medicine is home to the man who fathered the two sisters by raping their mother, Silent Tongue (brilliantly played by Tantoo Cardinal). The younger sister is part of the show's entertainment, riding her horse and doing tricks for the audience. But the tour de force here is Sheila Tousey as the unquiet ghost of the dead wife Aubonnie, who reveals much in her conversations with her husband (Phoenix). The final denouement where the father throws the body of the dead wife into the fire, and she radiantly emerges, at peace, before disappearing, is powerful. And the patent medicine father finally faces his sins as he's captured by Silent Tongue's people; she watches at a distance as they take him away. The traveling show regroups and continues down the road, along with everyone else in the film.

It's a slow paced movie, but it's more likely that life out in the remote and rural west was slow paced, and nothing like the constant action in modern westerns. Beautifully shot in New Mexico, the broad landscapes and big skies add to the feeling and depth of the film. If you like your western tales on the slow, brooding, and thoughtful side, this is worth your time.

A broken hearted man..

[Stipey-2 · 29 March 1999]

This movie is about a man who neither speaks nor eats because his one-and-only love - his wife, died during childbirth. And now he is on the edge of insanity... It´s a powerful and moving film about love and freedom!!