Hello fellow humans. Beautiful misfits and weirdos. This is Ágoston Hajnal speaking from the wilderness of London in the United Kingdom. I am a film enthusiast with many different passions and curiosities, a Master's degree in Film Studies and another one in journalism. I call this podcast my film odyssey. It's been a while since I have put these episodes together then life took over and I was only able to finish a few of them, but here they are. Whether I will continue with this remains to be seen.
If you are listening to this right now I'm glad we have bumped into each other in this over-saturated landscape of sound. Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy.
The second episode of Agoston’s Film Odyssey is about Silverado the 1985 western directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring Kevin Kline, Danny Glover, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, and many others. The soundscapes and sound effects used here have been sourced from www.zapsplat.com. Without further ado here it goes…
Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, Silverado is a 1985 western with a classical sensibility. The opening scene is a clear homage to the hyper-naturalistic mise-en-scène of Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West, which amplified and engrossed the diegetic sounds of the environment to create tension and an operatic, near-mythical tone.
This does not last long, however. Bruce Broughton’s score unleashes bars of sweeping romanticism, camaraderie, and pg-13 intensity. The familiar image of cowboys riding on the plains has an underlying playfulness, but also a lot of heart and love for the genre. Brothers Lawrence and Mark Kasdan might just have penned one of the most uncynical horse operas in the history of the Western.
Set in the 1880s, Silverado is about a group of men banding together to save their town from a corrupt sheriff and his thugs. The storied set-up makes the film work by its immense familiarity and by giving the audience what is expected, but this Western ultimately triumphs by balancing action, humor, and excitement with intriguing interactions and subtle character development.
While the characters are drawn with quick brush strokes, they are sharp enough to make an impression, mainly due to great casting. Scott Glenn is the perfect stoic Western hero Emmett, and the role of his live-wire rascal brother Jake has splashed Kevin Costner into stardom. Their chemistry is undeniable and creates some of the film's more touching moments. Malachai, who is sadly not much more than the obligatory black gunslinger of the group is given plenty of presence and humanity by Danny Glover. The ensemble has many interesting characters and solid performances, but I feel like singling out the fascinatingly low-key and tonally ambivalent performance of Kevin Kline as the mysterious, haunted, and eccentric Paden, the only character with any real arc within the film.
In this vision of the Wild West, you ride or die by the people you choose to surround yourself with, and male friendship proves to be the highest currency. There is an unspoken knowingness in the wordless galloping, a naive sense of trust that assumes t it is possible to recognize integrity in people. The hoofs thunder looks are exchanged, and the wrongs of the world are soon to be righted.
Connections are quickly formed yet fleeting in the harsh environment, less because of shifting loyalties, but rather due to the vastness of the land and its opportunities. Instead of focusing on a realistic depiction of frontier life, the Kasdan brothers are primarily aiming for a child-like simplicity and living out their love of adventure - with plenty of shootouts, chases, saloons, and horses kicking up a dust storm on the plains.
Paden's storyline plays at times like a comedic precursor of the Revenant. He is found in his underclothes, lying in the desert, waiting to die. As he returns to the living, he is doubting his abilities and shunning any involvement. His fixity while being shot at shows him as unafraid of dying while his remote stance betrays a fear of living. His impassive body language and curious expression are of a man who often marvels at life, befuddled at its mysteries and the fact that he's even alive.
His interest in saloons, bourbon, and women is much intact, but as soon as Hannah wants more from him, he changes his mind. His ability to read people and situations quickly makes him indebted to his former boss, Cobb, a bandit back then, a crooked sheriff now. Paden's adrift, reluctant to step in, until his new friends irreversibly get into trouble.
The stakes rise with the pounding sensation of our heroes being pummelled and outsmarted before the final showdown and just like Paden, you may be surprised by how much you've grown to care about these people.
The scene where he and Stella - fantastically played by Linda Hunt - are drinking together in the empty saloon has an eerie silence far removed from the liveliness of most of the film. His ashen face registers an existential dilemma and recognition that things are not up to pure chance, but that he can choose to change his luck by taking decisive action.
The past is a burden with some heavy debts inside and the bravery required to break the pattern may seem like the stuff of legends. If life is a gamble, would you pay any price to set yourself free?
Hello, fellow humanoids! True originals. If you are still listening or just joining us now I am Ágoston Hajnal and this is my film odyssey. Please check out my website for more content. It is www.agostonsfilmodyssey.com. That is A.G.O.S.T.O.N. You can also follow me on Instagram, X, Facebook, and Tumblr, links are in the description. Thank you for coming with me on this journey and I hope to see you next time.
