Laurie A
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.
randawg72
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.
liderc
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!
awalter1
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.
AD
