'States of Shock, Far North, and Silent Tongue' by Sam Shepard.

States of shock: A vaudeville nightmare' was first presented by The American Place Theatre in New York City
on April 30, 1991. The cast was as follows:
COLONEL John Malkovich
STUBBS Michael Wincott
GLORY BEE Erica Gimpel
WHITE MAN Steve Nelson
WHITE WOMAN Isa Thomas

This is the only play, the two other titles are screenplays.
The colonel - dressed in a strange ensemble of military uniforms - enters a diner in the company of a young man who could be a relative or a subordinate. The two other customers are a married couple in their sixties. Every time the waitress passes by, they complain that they have to wait so long for what they ordered. The man says they should leave this place but they stay.

The way the 'colonel' is dressed is a symbol for the story of this play. It's build up in different layers as there
are different characters each with their own problems. In the end they all try to make the best of it. The problem between the colonel and Stubbs is intricate and in the beginning a little confusing. It's a father trying to understand his son.

'Far North' a film starring Jessica Lange. (1992)

Reading a screenplay can be a little tedious because indications for the camera and crane movements are on every page. But then again screenplays are not written for the public but for cast and crew.

The main character of this movie is a horse (yes, a real horse.) Bertram, the owner, lies in the hospital and swears that he will kill the horse. What happened? Bertram, a farmer, was seated in a buckboard drawn by Mel. Suddenly the horse breaks into a gallop. The buckboard flips over completely when it hits a ditch. this has unpleasant consequences for Bertram. His daughter Kate (J.Lange) visits him in the hospital. He asks Kate to promise she will shoot Mel. But it won't be that easy. Kate never shot anything and she thinks about a way to break her promise to her father.

In this intricate story - it's not so simple as it looks - comedy and tragedy alternate.

'Silent Tongue' starring Alan Bates, Richard Harris and River Phoenix (1992).

The story is set in 1873 in New Mexico Territory.
It's about a medicine show and the dark legends of the native Indians. A vast, primitive prairie landscape of
harsh, flat isolation. Nothing moves but the wind and the buffalo grass.