Silverado

Annotation for KRRR! 2022 by Marek Šimončič

The Western was one of the most popular genres in American cinema until the seventies, but after that, there was little interest in it, with a few exceptions. Those were, for example, Clint Eastwood's films - or Silverado (1985), the third film of screenwriter, director and producer Lawrence Kasdan (who wrote the first Indiana Jones and the fifth and sixth episodes of Star Wars). Silverado is about a group of heroes who face classic western themes and problems. It returns here to the traditions of the western as an action genre, where actions lead to other actions, but at the same time it also offers outlets in the narrative, as was the case, for example, in the so-called spaghetti westerns. It offers everything, a beautiful environment, a group of gunmen, a corrupt sheriff, settlers in trouble, lassoing people, of course a lot of shootouts and there is also a duel in the middle of the street in the town.

There are four heroes of the story: Paden (Kevin Kline), who is looking for a change from his current lifestyle, Emmett (Scott Glenn) with his noisy and crazy brother Jake (Kevin Costner), and Mal (Danny Glover), who is discriminated against because of his skin color. In the first part of the film, they gradually meet and begin to travel together, because their path is the same. But each of them has its own goals, which is why they eventually diverge, and with them the narrative, which always follows one hero in separate lines. However, due to various events, the lines will cross again and our heroes will have to come together again - but in addition to them, we will also find a number of other characters in the film who also help to maintain the classic action and tension of the western.

From a stylistic point of view, the movements of the camera and work with detail and vice versa are important for Silverado. Camera movements and large ensembles, for example, highlight the grand western compositions and mise-en-scène of the New Mexico setting near Santa Fe. But they are not the only reasons why viewers will enjoy this film in 70mm format. It was precisely the music and sound that the critics of the time highly praised the film and for which it was also nominated for an Oscar in 1986. After all, it is the exciting opening scene in which the big ensembles and the soundtrack convince us that it will be an epic western adventure.