Seraphim Falls takes place in the 1800s, and like other producers of movies that transported viewers to hundreds of years in the past, they had to pick filming locations that could believably pull off old-time settings. The 2007 revisionist Western movie, directed by David Von Ancken and written by Von Ancken and Abby Everett Jaques, revolves around a Confederate colonel hunting down a Union soldier in an attempt to kill him. The film captures the essence of the West in the 1800s, shortly following the American Civil War, and the cast and crew pulled this off by traveling to Western locations.
The cast and crew of Seraphim Falls went to a handful of locations in the western states to film numerous scenes. Principal photography began on October 17, 2005, and lasted 48 days while the stars and production team worked hard to bring Von Ancken’s vision for a Civil War movie to life. The cast of the film includes:
- Liam Neeson as Colonel Morsman Carver
- Pierce Brosnan as Gideon
- Michael Wincott as Hayes
- Xander Berkeley as McKenzy
- Ed Lauter as Parsons
- Tom Noonan as Minister Abraham
- Kevin J. O’Connor as Henry
- John Robinson as Kid
- Anjelica Huston as Madame Louise
McKenzie River, Oregon
Location of the opening scene
The opening scene of Seraphim Falls sets the tone for the rest of the movie, and, according to The Direct, the cast and crew filmed it along the McKenzie River in Oregon. The scene features Liam Neeson’s Colonel Morsman Carver’s gang of bounty hunters — Pope, Hayes, Parsons, and the Kid — finding Pierce Brosnan’s Gideon camping in the Ruby Mountains in Nevada in 1868. They shoot Gideon in the arm, but he escapes (after taking a treacherous fall down the snowy mountain).
This beginning portion of the movie, including Gideon’s desperate escape from the men trying to kill him, was captured in Oregon. Portions of these scenes feature glimpses at the Sahalie Falls and Koosah Falls along the McKenzie River. Presumably, it was easier and cheaper for the cast and crew to film the opening sequences in the northwestern state rather than in Nevada, where they were supposed to take place.
Taos, New Mexico
Location of the scene where Gideon attempts to steal a horse
The opening scene was filmed in Oregon, but the cast and crew seemingly spent most of their time working on Seraphim Falls in New Mexico. Shortly following the beginning sequences, Pierce Brosnan’s Gideon finds a cabin, and he tries to steal the owners’ horse but is caught by a woman — Charlotte, played by Shannon Zeller. Charlotte takes pity on Gideon and welcomes him into her home, where she tends to his wounds. Even though this scene occurs not long after the one filmed in Oregon, it was actually captured in Taos, New Mexico.
9 American Civil War Movies With Glaring Historical Inaccuracies
Civil War movies shed light on an important time in American history, but most are inaccurate in some way – and several feature major inaccuracies.
Lordsburg, New Mexico
Additional scenes filmed in Lordsburg
Many sources report that the production team of the 2007 revisionist Western movie filmed additional scenes in Lordsburg, New Mexico, located more than 400 miles south of Taos. The exact sequences captured in the city are unknown. But numerous moments in the film were likely shot on location in Lordsburg, which was also the setting for other Western movies, including the iconic last scene in Stagecoach. So, it only made sense that Seraphim Falls‘ producers picked Lordsburg for one of their filming locations for the Liam Neeson movie.
