Seraphim Falls

Seraphim Falls
File:Seraphim falls.jpg Promotional poster for Seraphim Falls
Directed by	David Von Ancken
Produced by	Bruce Davey David Flynn John Limotte Stan Wlodkowski
Written by	David Von Ancken Abby Everett Jaques
Starring	Pierce Brosnan Liam Neeson Xander Berkeley Tom Noonan Kevin J. O'Connor and Anjelica Huston
Music by	Harry Gregson-Williams
Cinematography	John Toll
Editing by	Conrad Buff
Distributed by	Icon Productions
Release date(s)	January 26, 2007
Running time	115 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Seraphim Falls is a 2007 American western film starring Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan. It was written by David Von Ancken and Abby Everett Jaques and directed by Von Ancken himself, in his first feature film. The film was released for limited screenings on January 26, 2007.

Plot

The film is set after the end of the American Civil War. Gideon (Pierce Brosnan) is hiding in the Oregon Cascades. He is shot but escapes from his pursuers. Colonel Morsman Carver (Liam Neeson), a Confederate officer, has hired several mountain men to trap Gideon so that Carver can avenge a terrible wrong committed against him.

From the snowy peaks the story descends into the savannas—full of rapacious traders, vicious railway foremen and overly-welcoming missionaries. Finally the film moves into the desert where the two men challenge each other in the face of Mother Nature at her harshest with surreal visitations (from Louise C. Fair) to guide them to their final confrontation.

Interpretation

Seraphim Falls tells the story of the paralyzing effects that revenge can inflict upon an individual as the perceived villain, Carver, relentlessly hunts down the seemingly innocent Gideon. Throughout the course of the film heroic definitions are turned on their heads as the viewer discovers that Gideon is responsible for the death of Carver’s wife and kids. Carver’s wife and kids were accidental casualties of the Civil War; but had they not been killed, Carver would have continued living in the paradisiacal southern farm as he would have never had any reason to begin his quest for revenge. While the film highlights Carver’s unremitting anger for what Gideon had done, and accentuates Gideon’s clever deception and continuous escape from Carver, the narrative ultimately reiterates the important, calming influence a good wife and family can have over a man.

Cast

• Liam Neeson as Carver: Like Brosnan, Neeson described being "kind of steeped in that western mythology growing up in Ireland." He likened his character, Carver, to Captain Ahab in Moby-Dick, "he's [Carver] totally governed by this idea of revenge where he’s practically lost his humanity."
• Pierce Brosnan as Gideon: The role was originally to be played by Richard Gere but after he dropped out, Pierce Brosnan replaced him. Brosnan spoke of his love of Western films during production and promotion of Seraphim Falls, which had stemmed from watching them as a child.
• Michael Wincott as Hayes
• Xander Berkely as McKenzy: A railway foreman.
• Ed Lauter as Parsons
• Tom Noonan as Minister Abraham
• Kevin J. O'Connor as Henry
• John Robinson as Kid
• Anjelica Huston as Madame Louise: Huston first joined the cast in November 2005. She appears as a vanishing con artist, who figures in the end of the film. If one watches closely as her wagon rolls away, one sees her name upon the back as Louise C. Fair - Lucifer.
• Angie Harmon as Rose
• Robert Baker as Pope
• Wes Studi as Charon
• Jimmi Simpson as Big Brother
• James Jordan as Little Brother
• Nate Mooney as Cousin Bill

Production

David Von Ancken first researched the script for six months before joining Abby Everett Jaques to create the screenplay. The film was originally announced at the Cannes Film Festival with Liam Neeson and Richard Gere in the lead roles. Gere dropped out in August 2005 and was soon replaced by Pierce Brosnan. Shooting on Seraphim Falls started on October 17, 2005 and actress Anjelica Huston later joined the cast the following November. The film was filmed on location for 48 days, primarily in New Mexico; some of the opening scenes were filmed along the McKenzie River in Oregon.

The soundtrack, composed by Harry Gregson-Williams, was produced at Bastyr University's chapel in Kenmore, Washington. Gregson-Williams wrote the music in three or four weeks, describing it as "very atmospheric". Oscar-winning cinematographer John Toll was responsible for cinematography work on the film. Toll later noted it was a "great opportunity to work with a director who was interested in visual storytelling."

Reception

The film gained average reviews with several praising both Brosnan and Neeson's acting. Kevin Crust of the Los Angeles Times noted that the two "make fine adversaries"; however, Michael Rechtshaffen of the New York Times thought that they were "hard-pressed to inject some much-needed vitality into their sparse lines."

On film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Seraphim Falls has a 54 percent rating from 80 reviews, - indicating a 'rotten' status - while it has a Metacritic score of 62 percent based on 21 reviews - indicating 'generally favorable reviews'.

External links

• Official website
• Seraphim Falls at the Internet Movie Database
• Seraphim Falls at Allmovie
• Seraphim Falls at Rotten Tomatoes

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