Silent Tongue poster & wallpaper

Alan Bates, Bill Irwin, David Shiner

Playwright Sam Shepard wrote and directed this bizarre combination of western film revisionism and Greek tragedy. Silent Tongue (Tantoo Cardinal) is a mute Kiowa who is raped by Eamon McCree (Alan Bat...( read more  read more... )es), the owner of the Kickapoo Traveling Medicine Show. Eamon attempts to make up for his crime by marrying her, hoping for forgiveness. Instead, Silent Tongue enacts a bitter retribution through her two daughters, Awbonnie (Sheila Tousey) and Velada (Jeri Arredondo). Awbonnie, as the film begins, has already died, but her grieving husband Talbot (River Phoenix) refuses to let her go, dragging around her corpse. To assuage Talbot, his father Prescott (Richard Harris) sets out to purchase Velada from Eamon, thinking that only Awbonnie's sister can replace her in Talbot's eyes. But Velada's half-brother Reeves (Dermot Mulroney) protests the attempted transaction. As a result, Prescott kidnaps Velada and flees, with not only Reeves and Eamon chasing him, but also Awbonnie's ghost.

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45% liked it

185 ratings

PG-13, 101 min.

Directed by: Sam Shepard

Release Date: February 1, 1994

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DVD Release Date: May 3, 2005

Stats: 46 reviews

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River Phoenix as Talbot Roe in ''Silent Tongue''
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Flixster Reviews (46)

  • ileo
    December 12, 2007
    ileo
    Great film!!
  • KittiePirate
    October 25, 2009
    KittiePirate
    this movie was very strange indeed, and at some points i was unsure what was acctaully happening but it was a very convincing performance and an amazing last performance by river phoenix, but this movie should not determine who he is.
  • volleyballchicksrule
    April 28, 2009
    volleyballchicksrule
    The ending wasn't the greatest and I didn't understand how her face on her body was so pretty but the spirits face wasn't.
  • tanya98
    April 2, 2009
    tanya98
    Didn't get it. Bizarre is right...
  • Cheyenne1811
    October 13, 2008
    Cheyenne1811
    one of my all time favorite movies. Sheila Tousey is amazing in this film!
  • dareleneconsultant
    March 7, 2008
    dareleneconsultant
    Love westerns and loved Dermot
  • Riverfan93
    February 29, 2008
    Riverfan93
    Liked it but, River had kinda a short part.
  • zeeflee
    December 18, 2007
    zeeflee
    Shakespearean attempt at a western but no...no.
  • photochicka
    September 28, 2007
    photochicka
    So boring i couldnt make it through. even if it was river phoenix's last movie
  • river2394
    July 24, 2007
    river2394
    anythink wif River Phoenix in is gd.

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