After the success at Cannes Film Festival comes the 4th July we our cinemas Horizon: An American Sagathe first chapter of a great film series Westerndirected, produced and performed by Kevin Costner. And after the farewell to the series Yellowstonethe legendary protagonist of Dance with wolves returns to his chosen genre to trace an epic tale of Wild Westfocused on a more raw, true and authentic image of the period Civil Warvery far from the classic dichotomy that separates good and bad in the clash between the Native Americans and the new settlers who came to America from Europe to build their New World.
Kevin Costner himself, supported by all the performers of the large cast of this ensemble western, then presented the first chapter of the saga at an international press conference. The second chapter of Horizon: An American Saga is instead expected for August 15th, while the director and protagonist himself confirmed here that the third film is already in production. But here’s how he describes the spirit of Horizon.
Kevin Costner: «I believe that films always give us the opportunity to empathize. Maybe we’re not so different after all. We may not share the same language or habits, but if we think about America, it’s not that old compared to the rest of the world. Until 400 years ago there was no news of America, and the people were doing just fine anyway. It was Europeans and people from the rest of the world who created America.”
“These people crossed the Atlantic thinking there was promise there. A land so large that they could have found everything they didn’t have in Europe. In a way it was like the to them Garden of Eden. What they didn’t realize, was that there were already people and a thriving culture there, with 15,000 years of history. These two ideas came into conflict and this is where the story of Horizon begins.”.
“When I’m shooting a story, I don’t want to stop until it’s finished. When I watch it, I try to understand what it’s about. And in this case it was really a journey. It wasn’t just the plot for a film, but for 4 films. My idea is to believe in history. In my mind the only way for it to be successful is for it to be complete. You know, it’s a bit like when at school they gave you colored pencils, each of us made a drawing and each one was different. Likewise here we have several directors”.
«I went to Cannes armed with my 7 girls, my colleagues and my daughters, mainly because women contributed to the American Western. We don’t normally identify them with this gender. But in our case, not only does the plot pass through women, but the story itself would not be possible without them.”.
Abby Leemodel, actress and interpreter of one of the most fascinating female characters of Horizonyou certainly agree with him: «The woman I play was basically forced to become a prostitute because if you weren’t married to a man, in other words if you weren’t the property of a man, you had no rights. You didn’t have freedom or the opportunity to be independent, to have dreams, but despite this my character burns with desire, vigor and passion, in a historical period where all this was not allowed.”
«I had the privilege of working with Kevin not only as a director but also as an actor, most of my scenes are with him. And the thing that I find most fascinating is how different he is in these two roles. As a director he is very passionate and has great energy. He rides around the set on horseback to give people directions. His leadership is strong, and this is very important because on a set of this size there are not only actors and extras. There are donkeys kicking, the weather may have gone crazy but he has so much energy that he knows how to keep his spirits high every day.”
«As an actor, however, he is relaxed and kind. You don’t have the feeling of shooting the scene with someone who is acting, in front of your eyes there is only a man who is communicating with you. I really find it a magnificent way of working.”
In the cast of the film, the great actors stand out among the Apaches Owen Crowshoe And Tatanka Meanswho underlines the importance for everyone Indigenous Peoples and Native Americans to see themselves represented on the big screen: «I’m grateful to Kevin for choosing us because now many roles are assigned to people who generically declare themselves to be of indigenous descent. So we lose important roles for our career. It was a blessing for me to find myself playing a Apacheworking closely with Apache people, Aurelia, our coach to learn the White Mountain dialect, because we are all Natives.”
«When we see our people represented on the big screen we want this kind of authenticity. We want to hear our language spoken correctly and not massacred. This is a source of pride for us. And I’m not just talking about the Apaches but about all Native American Indians.”
Kevin Costner: «For me, authenticity was the only way to have a good film. You can’t have a Western without Indigenous history. We brought chaos into their way of life and never recovered. I am aware of this, as well as the incredible resources of the people who have crossed the country to build a new life. But it was an unequal fight and that wasn’t fair. I certainly don’t intend to rewrite history, but the West cannot be told without involving the Natives.”
In the cast of this ensemble film we then find Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Ella Hunt, Tim Guinee, Danny Houston, Colin Cunningham, Scott Haze, Tom Payne, Michael Rooker, Will Patton, Douglas Smith, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman And Jamie Campbell Bower (the terrifying villain of Stranger Thingshere too engaged in the role of the most hateful of gods bad).
And what do you think? Are you eager to see the first chapter of Horizon: An American Saga? Let us know your opinions, as always, in the comments.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
