On December 17th several classes (advanced and basic course) went to the cinema to watch “Horizon – An American Saga” produced by Kevin Costner. Emily M. wrote this impressive review:
Horizon movie review
Kevin Costners first instalment in the American saga perfectly portrays his preceding knowledge on
the western genre and provides an emotional multifaceted insight into American history.
The opening of the movie plays into the traditional approach to western movies of making Native
Americans out to be the bad guys. In Horizon this happens by including an extensive set of scenes
depicting Apaches brutally killing settlers and destroying their homes. The viewer gets pushed into
empathizing with the settlers as they are shown in their despair and innocence. In contrast the
Apache are received negatively because of their cruelty and because opposed to the settlers we
aren’t introduced to a single indigenous character at this point. This biased dynamic of clearly
categorizing good and bad created an internal conflict between the feeling of empathy towards the
settlers and the own pre-existing knowledge of what settlers have done to Native Americans.
Fortunately, this one-sided perspective doesn’t run through the whole movie and soon after the first
set of scenes we get a more facetted insight into the complexity of the conflict between indigenous
people and European settlers. This occurs by meeting different characters who elevate the movie
with their individual and differing opinions on the conflict as well as through their distinct
backgrounds.
On the downside the vast set of characters who at times aren’t introduced properly and the different
locations the viewer is placed create a confusion. It’s also difficult to identify the characters that will
be important in the further development of the story. The number of different storylines just adds to
the dilemma for the viewer and I wouldn’t be surprised if one forgot who a character was or had
difficulties telling them apart. Since it’s the first instalment in a saga characters fates are unknown
and the storylines couldn’t be less vacant. Common character personas like the witty elderly woman
with a sharp tongue, the spoiled rich young lady or the rogue like annoying younger brother made
the viewer feel a bit less detached from the story as you felt like you knew these characters already.
Adding to the confusion is the lack of context throughout the movie. At times the viewer might feel
lost as the movie highly relies on the actions or choices characters make. It encourages the viewer to
interpret the visuals and build context around them on their own instead of using dialogue to deliver
the message. So much so that opposed to that being a positive aspect it turns into the viewer being
overwhelmed and desperate for guidance. The lack of a common thread makes the scenes feel
randomly strung together at times.
In contrast there are the scenes in which we do get a dialogue. They stand out positively as they
weave a red lining into the movie and take the viewer by the hand to explain them the vison of the
story as well as contextualize the beautifully implemented visuals. They give more depth and
meaning to the film. There are two scenes in particular that stand out. It is important to note that
they are both almost solely monologs that even contrast each other.
In the first one the leader of the Apache Tribe sheds light on their inner conflicts and brings depth to
the Native Americans that are portrayed. It’s the first time we hear the indigenous side of the conflict
and the conflict itself as well as its reasons are explained.
The American saga In the second scene the chief of the settlement explains the conflict again from his
point of view. It’s a great scene in which the complexity and the extend of the problem are made
clear. Important to emphasise is that in both scenes the characters show empathy or at least
understanding towards the other side and seem to have a sense of wisdom and rationality towards
the topic.
Through means like perfectly placed music, mesmerizing shots of the American landscape and
appropriately used humorous scenes the emotional and historically heavy topics get regularly broken
up.