The Great Horizon as Photographed by Cale Glendening

Kevin Costner’s latest project, Horizon: An American Saga, is a sweeping epic that pays homage to the Western genre with a depth reminiscent of John Ford’s lasting influence. Costner has firmly established himself as a modern “Defender of the Western,” with six Western films, each resonating strongly with audiences and critics alike. His success in the genre stems from his unique ability to blend the timeless allure of classic Westerns with a fresh, human perspective that speaks to contemporary viewers. Since cinema’s early days, with Edwin S. Porter’s The Great Train Robbery in 1903, the American West has held a mythical place on screen, capturing the imaginations of those who long for a simpler, wilder time.

The Great Horizon: A Photographic Tribute to Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga

The Great Horizon, a beautifully photographed coffee table book by Cale Glendening, serves as a captivating visual tribute to Horizon: An American Saga and the enduring spirit of the American West. Glendening first crossed paths with Kevin Costner in 2012 on the set of Black or White, igniting a creative partnership that would later lead to this remarkable collection of images. Since the early drafts of the script emerged in 2015, Horizon has evolved, with Costner’s deep admiration for black-and-white photography shaping its distinctive visual style. The resulting images reflect the raw authenticity and rugged beauty of the era, capturing its essence with striking clarity.

Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga—A Modern Western Epic

Horizon: An American Saga has evolved into a profoundly personal journey for Kevin Costner—a passion project through which he seeks to craft the definitive Western of our time. Costner’s vision adds a raw, authentic edge, embracing realism often missing from earlier Western portrayals. Stripped of the glossy allure of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Horizon leans instead on rugged landscapes, immersive storytelling, and characters who feel rooted in the spirit of the American frontier.

With the advantage of modern filmmaking techniques, Costner is determined to deliver a cinematic experience that balances grand, sweeping vistas with intimate, character-driven moments. Each scene is set against the awe-inspiring backdrops of North America, capturing the beauty, danger, and vastness of the untamed land that defined an era. For Costner, this film is much more than just another Western; it’s a tribute to a genre that has shaped American cinema, reimagined to resonate with today’s audiences, and celebrated on a scale as expansive as the frontier itself.

Glendening’s photographs possess a near-documentary realism, drawing viewers into the harsh, unforgiving reality of frontier life. Rather than simply capturing actors on a film set, the images evoke a sense of time travel, transporting us back to the rugged world of the American West. Each figure in these photos feels like an authentic relic of history, not merely an actor in costume but a person rooted in another era.

Will Paton, for example, embodies his character with such conviction that he appears as though he has truly stepped out of the past. His period attire, worn with a natural grace, lends him an elegance and gravitas that feel timeless, as if history itself has reached forward to inhabit his role. Each actor seems deeply intertwined with the landscape, becoming part of the dusty, sun-soaked environment that surrounds them. The grit and dust don’t merely coat the actors; they permeate the entire frame, lending an undeniable weight and authenticity to every shot.

These images transcend typical behind-the-scenes photos, capturing history as a living, breathing entity. They depict not only the people who shaped the West but also the fierce land that tested their resilience and courage. The result is a portrait of the past, rich with texture and depth, that brings the viewer face-to-face with the mythic yet tangible essence of the American frontier.

This isn’t just a book of behind-the-scenes photographs. It’s a living record, capturing history as it unfolds, allowing the actors to truly inhabit the past in a world that feels fully three-dimensional. The men and women portrayed here represent the pillars of an era, embodying the forces that shaped the coming of the 20th century. It’s a narrative where the cultures of East and West converge, creating a unified whole within these timeless images.

Costner’s vision goes beyond traditional Western themes to examine the profound, often painful, impacts of expansion. He portrays the courage, resilience, and conflicts that defined the era, as pioneers, settlers, and indigenous people faced off against one another and the unforgiving wilderness. The film captures the deeply personal motivations that drew people to the frontier, whether in search of land, freedom, or a new beginning, as well as the environmental and cultural costs that accompanied these dreams.

The film is a sweeping tribute to those who shaped this rugged land: the pioneers, cowboys, Native American tribes, and cavalry, all of whom braved perilous landscapes and paved new trails through wilderness and adversity. With an unflinching look at the hardships and courage required to survive, Horizon honors the resilience and resolve of those who carved out lives amid the vast unknown, blending their stories into an epic that celebrates both the grandeur of nature and the human spirit’s unyielding strength.

Horizon pushes the boundaries of narrative structure with its complex, layered plot that unfolds through flashbacks and nonlinear sequences. This innovative approach keeps the audience captivated, drawing them deeper into the mystery and drama that persist until the very last scene. Visually, the film is breathtaking; each shot captures the natural world’s beauty with a poetic, almost reverential touch. From the towering mountains to the stillness of untouched forests, these landscapes serve as more than mere scenery—they echo the inner struggles and transformations of the protagonist, mirroring the unforgiving yet awe-inspiring spirit of the American frontier.

In Horizon: An American Saga Costner captures that mythical landscape where settlers, Native Americans, and cowboys are united by a shared struggle against the untamed wilderness. The West was both playground and battlefield, where nature and humanity collided in a relentless fight toward progress. As the railroads carved through the deserts and plains, they marked the beginning of a new era, forever transforming the landscape. Costner’s passion project is a tribute to this epic journey—a testament to the hardships of those who braved the untamed lands, facing the elements, indigenous resistance, and the unyielding frontier.

Curated from an extensive collection of images taken throughout the filming of Horizon, this stunning volume presents a series of raw, emotive portraits of the cast between takes, alongside breathtaking shots of the Utah landscape. With sweeping vistas and close-up character studies, these photographs capture both the grandeur and intimacy of Horizon, celebrating the complicated legacy of the American West—a land where ambition, hardship, and tragedy often walked hand in hand.

The Great Horizon invites you to lose yourself in its pages, each image a window into the past that makes you feel like you’re standing on the dusty plains. While the film itself is a passion project of cinematic storytelling, the photographs are a work of art in their own right, a breathtaking tribute to the spirit and complexity of the American West.

Cale Glendening is a director and writer who has spent the last decade traveling the world, filming on five continents in more than forty countries. His short film, Why You Don’t Send Nudes, premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Nashville Film Festival. Cale currently directs a feature series for Kevin Costner’s opus, Horizon: An American Saga, and has episodic projects in both scripted and unscripted series.

EXCLUSIVE MATERIAL: Features never-before-seen portraits of cast members in character and behind the scenes including Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Luke Wilson, Abbey Lee, Sam Worthington, Isabelle Fuhrmann, Tatanka Means, Jamie Campbell Bower, Jena Malone, Michael Rooker, Danny Houston, Owen Crow Shoe, Giovanni Ribisi, Tom Payne, Will Patton, and Ella Hunt.