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Cover of A Man Called Horse |
The films that I'll be listing in my April postings will not necessarily be films that I'd call my favorite films, but they will be favorites in the genres I'll be naming. The A to Z genres are very specific micro genres as opposed to the broader genres like action, romance, or comedy.
When I was a kid cowboys and Indians was a popular movie genre. Then in the late 60's as the greater awareness of social issues came into play, the genre of Indian movies became more in vogue. Of course I'm not talking Bollywood here, but using the misnomer of "Indians" as the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
I became very sympathetic with the cause of the peoples of the "New World" displaced by the European invaders and avidly read books and saw every movie I could about this topic. I'm still a fan of these films though now have taken a bit more moderate position in the settlement of the Americas. But I'll save those issues for a future controversy debate--yes, related topics are already on my controversy list.
Here are a few favorite movies that focus on Indian/Indigenous American stories:
The Searchers (1956)-- Young girl kidnapped and defiled by evil Injuns. The Indians are still the bad guys in this great John Wayne film, but questions about mistreatment of the Indigenous Americans are also raised. The focus is on the white guys' search, but the story is rooted in the Native Americans.
I became very sympathetic with the cause of the peoples of the "New World" displaced by the European invaders and avidly read books and saw every movie I could about this topic. I'm still a fan of these films though now have taken a bit more moderate position in the settlement of the Americas. But I'll save those issues for a future controversy debate--yes, related topics are already on my controversy list.
Here are a few favorite movies that focus on Indian/Indigenous American stories:
The Searchers (1956)-- Young girl kidnapped and defiled by evil Injuns. The Indians are still the bad guys in this great John Wayne film, but questions about mistreatment of the Indigenous Americans are also raised. The focus is on the white guys' search, but the story is rooted in the Native Americans.
A Man Called Horse (1970) -- Not long after "someone left the cake out in the rain", Richard Harris starred in one of my favorites of this genre which also spawned two sequels. In this film an English aristocrat gets captured by Indians. Eventually as he begins to learn more about their lifestyle he gains their respect and becomes one of them. To me and my friends back then this guy was one of our heroes.
Soldier Blue (1970) -- This very upsetting film which has parallels to some of the U.S. atrocities of the Viet Nam war is based on the Sand Creek Massacre of Cheyenne and Arapahoe Indians by U.S. Army cavalry soldiers in 1864. The massacre scenes are brutal and sad and one can't help but sympathize with the Indigenous Americans. A couple of friends and I went to see this at the Parkway Drive-in Theater in Maryville, Tennessee and we angry for days after seeing it. We plotted among ourselves of what we could do against the government to get revenge for Sand Creek, protest Viet Nam, and show our general distaste for the United States government. Then we'd pass around a joint and get mellow.
Dances With Wolves (1990)-- This Academy Award winner stars Kevin Costner as another white who turns into an Indian. It's a fine movie. It's also quite long.
Apocalypto (2006) -- This is my absolute favorite of the bunch. This epic journey film directed by Mel Gibson depicts Mayan life prior to the arrival of the Europeans. It's realistically done in the Mayan language with subtitles. There is exciting action and an impressive recreation of a Mayan city and the culture. I love this film!
There are a lot of other choices in this genre--what can you add to this list? What are your favorites? Whose side are you on--cowboys or Indians?
Apocalypto (2006) -- This is my absolute favorite of the bunch. This epic journey film directed by Mel Gibson depicts Mayan life prior to the arrival of the Europeans. It's realistically done in the Mayan language with subtitles. There is exciting action and an impressive recreation of a Mayan city and the culture. I love this film!
There are a lot of other choices in this genre--what can you add to this list? What are your favorites? Whose side are you on--cowboys or Indians?
