Silent Tongue Movie Review 1992

Weird western finds the crazed Talbot Roe (Phoenix) alone in the wilderness, guarding the tree that is the burial place of his half-breed wife Awbonnie (Tousey). Roe's father (Harris) bought his son's bride from her greedy and abusive father McCree (Bates). In an effort to return Talbot to some semblance of normality, Roe offers to buy McCree's other daughter (Arredondo) for his son. But Talbot is haunted by his wife's angry ghost, who wants her spirit set free by ritual burning, and McCree himself fears the vengeance of his one-time Indian wife Silent Tongue (Cardinal). Messy, over-the-top plot with some poignant performances, especially Phoenix's.

Distribution

CinemaNow, 4553 Glencoe Ave., Ste. 200, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292, URL: http://www.cinemanow.com, Remarks: Formerly known as Lions Gate Home Entertainment

Available on VHS
Running time 101 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Westerns, Ghosts, Ghouls, & Goblins, Native America, Family Ties, Marriage, Tragedy

Screenplay

Sam Shepard

Cast

River Phoenix, Sheila Tousey, Richard Harris, Alan Bates, Jeri Arredondo, Dermot Mulroney, Tantoo Cardinal

Cinematography

Jack Conroy

Director

Sam Shepard

Music

Patrick O'Hearn

Other

Bill Irwin, David Shiner

Producer

Carolyn Pfeiffer, Ludi Boeken, Trimark Pictures