Horizon, an american saga, Part One

It was one of the emotional moments of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival: Kevin Costner's tears after the screening of the first part of Horizon, an american saga. The director-actor invested $50 million of his personal fortune to finance this story that he has been carrying out for years. The western is his favorite genre. In 1990, his first film Dances with Wolves tells the story of a Civil War officer, transferred to an abandoned fort near a Sioux village, who discovers the values ​​and virtues of this people. This humanist epic enjoyed immense success and won 7 Oscars.

Horizon, an American saga includes three films, perhaps more depending on the movies'box office. Kevin Costner writes the scripts as he goes along. In France, the first part hits the screens on July 3, the second is scheduled for September 11. The third part is currently being filmed. The story traces the conquest of the West, over a period of 15 years, before and after the Civil War.

Horizon part 1 is a spectacular film to watch on the big screen, to immerse yourself in its landscapes of mountains, plains and desert. The historical reconstruction is great, as are the costumes, the makeup, the hairstyle. The image is gorgeous.

This saga tells the stories of many many characters: a convoy of pioneers towards the promised land, named Horizon, a mother hunted by her in-laws, a group of officers, a group of survivors of a massacre committed by the Indians. These Indians are torn apart by the attitude to adopt towards the whites. No Manichaeism in this saga, but an alternation of points of view. All the characters are confronted with the violence of this conquest of territories.

Kevin Costner plays an old, mute cowboy who goes to save a prostitute (Jean Malone) and an orphan. His film includes many female roles, notably Sienna Miller as a courageous mother. The casting is convincing.
However, this first part resembles a long three-hour exposition, without any real development of the story or the characters. Kevin Costner takes his time. It intertwines certain stories. The few action scenes are successful. He makes a very classic film in its form. The question then arises of a three-hour film whose genre requires the big screen, but whose plot, the large number of characters, relate to the series, just like the end of the film which is a montage of scenes to come. of the next episode.

But seeing a director invest his personal fortune to make his dream come true is so rare that we can only salute this strong cinematic gesture. Hats off to the artist!

Horizon, an american saga, Part One
Directed by Kevin Costner
Produced by Kevin Costner
Written by Kevin Costner, Jon S. Baird      
Starring Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jean Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Tim Guinee  
Music by John Debney
Cinematography  by J. Michael Muro
Edited by Miklos Wright
Production companies : New Line Cinema, Territory Pictures
Distributed by Metropolitan (France), Warner Bros (USA)
Release date :  June 28, 2024 (USA),  July 3,2024 (France)
Running time : 181 minutes 

Seen May 19, 2024 at the Cannes Festival and Convention Centre

Sabine's Mark:

Kevin Costner's Horizon, an american saga, Part One is a grand attempt to revive the western genre, but despite its ambitious scope and striking images, the film fails on almost every front. Presented at the Cannes Film Festival, this first of a four-part series aims to explore the American West in the 1860s, looking at the impact of the Civil War and westward expansion on settlers and Native American communities. However, the film's disjointed narrative, problematic depiction of Native Americans and over-reliance on Western stylistic devices make for a disappointing experience that struggles to justify its epic ambitions.

From the outset, Horizon, an american saga, Part One attempts to capture the mythical grandeur of the American West, a theme that has long fascinated Kevin Costner. Kevin Costner, who directs, co-writes and stars in the film, introduces his character, Hayes Ellison, almost an hour into the film. While Kevin Costner's performance is acceptable, his character is little more than a standard western hero - stoic, rugged and morally upright. Hayes Ellison has no depth, and the character resembles a superficial echo of the many Western protagonists who came before him.

The film opens with a brutal Apache raid on a settlement in the San Pedro Valley, where Sienna Miller's character, Frances Kittredge, barely survives with her daughter Lizzie (Georgia MacPhail). This sequence, intended to be shocking and intense, is instead deeply disturbing in its depiction of Native Americans as violent, faceless aggressors. Although the film attempts to offer a more nuanced vision of the Apache later on, these efforts are too little, too late. The damage is done from the outset, and the film's portrayal of indigenous peoples seems outdated and insensitive.

Visually, Horizon, an american saga, Part One is undeniably striking, thanks to the work of cinematographer J. Michael Muro in capturing the vast landscapes of the American frontier. The landscapes are magnificent, but they're not enough to carry a film that's otherwise a muddled mess. John Debney's music, while grandiose, often seems heavy-handed, reinforcing the film's tendency to wallow in nostalgia rather than offering anything new or exciting.

The narrative structure is perhaps the film's greatest weakness. Horizon, an american saga, Part One is packed with subplots and characters, each with their own story, but the episodic nature of the film and the frequent changes of direction make it difficult for the audience to become fully invested in any of these plots. The pace is sluggish, and long stretches of the film feel like filler rather than integral parts of the story. By the end of the film, there's no real resolution, leaving viewers frustrated rather than eager to discover the next chapter.

Performances are mixed. Sienna Miller delivers a decent performance as Frances Kittredge, but her character is relegated to the role of grieving widow and potential love interest for Sam Worthington's First Lieutenant Trent Gephardt. Sam Worthington does what he can with the material, but their romance is contrived and lacks emotional weight. Danny Huston, as Colonel Houghton, and Michael Rooker, as Sergeant-Major Riordan, are solid in their roles, but like many of the film's characters, they have little to do other than serve as plot elements.

One of the biggest problems with Horizon, an american saga, Part One is the treatment of the Native American characters. While Costner is accustomed to addressing Native American issues in his films, Horizon, an american saga, Part One fails to give a balanced, respectful portrayal. The Apaches, led by Pionsenay (played by Owen Crow Shoe) and Taklishim (played by Tatanka Means), are initially presented as one-dimensional villains. The film only briefly touches on their motivations, but these moments are overshadowed by early depictions of violence, making it difficult to see them as anything other than obstacles to the white settlers.

The film's structure exacerbates its other problems. With its multiple plots that rarely intersect in any meaningful way, Horizon, an american saga, Part One feels more like a collection of loosely connected vignettes than a coherent narrative. This lack of focus gives the film a sense of aimlessness, and the frequent changes between subplots only add to the confusion. The film ends with a montage of scenes from the next chapter, which feels more like a desperate attempt to maintain audience interest than a satisfying conclusion.

Kevin Costner's direction is uninspired. Horizon, an american saga, Part One is full of western clichés that have been used over and over again: the noble cowboy, the damsel in distress, the epic shootout. However, these elements are not treated with the freshness needed to resonate with contemporary audiences. The dialogue, co-written by Costner and Jon Baird, is often flat and lacks the liveliness and wit that might have enhanced the film.

Overall, Horizon, an american saga, Part One is a visually impressive but narratively flawed film that fails to live up to its epic ambitions. Kevin Costner's love of the Western genre is obvious, but the film's reliance on tired tropes, its disjointed structure and its problematic depiction of Native Americans make it a disappointing entry in his filmography. While there are moments of potential, particularly in the depiction of the American landscape, these are overshadowed by the film's many flaws. As the first chapter of a larger saga, Horizon, an american saga, Part One sets the scene for what could be an epic journey, but leaves little hope that future installments will offer anything more satisfying.

Horizon, an american saga, Part One
Directed by Kevin Costner
Produced by Kevin Costner
Written by Kevin Costner, Jon S. Baird      
Starring Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jean Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Tim Guinee  
Music by John Debney
Cinematography by J. Michael Muro
Edited by Miklos Wright
Production companies : New Line Cinema, Territory Pictures
Distributed by Metropolitan (France), Warner Bros (USA)
Release date :  June 28, 2024 (USA),  July 3,2024 (France)
Running time : 181 minutes 

Seen on July 9, 2024 at Gaumont Disney Village, Room 16 seat A18

Mulder's Mark: