LouHomey From my favorite movies..

pointyfilippa The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Zach Anderson As a teacher I use Dorothy Johnson's short story (the basis for the script) as a piece of literature. I also show students most of this film, which amplifies a lot of the things that are only hinted at in Johnson's story--there is no substitute for actually seeing and hearing the chanting and drumming and dancing. In fact, simply the soundtrack, which in my estimation is about 90% drums or voice work, eschewing (until the last 20 minutes) the usual symphonic stuff, makes the film unique. The sheer intensity of the that piercing bone flute really does highlight how alien the culture and setting are to most viewers. So, as a piece of audio-visual enrichment, the movie does retain some cultural educational value, even if the entertainment aspect doesn't hold up against more modern films.We talk about the fact that the filmmakers did make an honest effort to portray what life might have been like in a Native village, from the location to the costumes, the attempts at language, the costumes, etc. It seems clear that somebody did do some background homework to try to make an authentic portrayal. It also seems clear that many actual historians (I am not) and people of Native descent, both of whose opinions I respect, find the film to be a mishmash of separate tribal practices that do not truly represent any one tribe. The love interest, Pretty Calf (called Running Deer in the film) is also obviously a European actress with manicured nails. Intentions do count for something, but well, not everything.That being said, it's certainly not any worse than the often low- budget stuff you'd find on the History Channel, though some of the effects (especially the ones involving violence) seem pretty fake and lame by the viewing standards of modern students. The Sun Vow ceremony does still hold up in the sense it gets strong reactions from students-- the make-up work and acting are such that it seems pretty realistic, much more so than any of the fight scenes.The DVD version I have includes all the things (largely nudity, and percentage-wise, mostly male nudity) that got the film an R-rating in 1970, so I do have to do a bit of fast-forwarding for my younger audience members, but there is nothing gratuitous about it, it is very tame by modern lights. The MPAA label says the R is for violence also, but there is way more, and more realistic violence in many current movies which only net a PG-13. I agree with other reviews that point out the double standards here.I would be remiss not to point out that the DVD print however is terrible, muddy and indistinct in many places, even for non-HD times. I have other DVDs of films from the era and none of them look this bad. If I hadn't worn out my VHS version I would still be using that.

intelearts A Man Called Horse remains an incredible experience. Hollywood at the end of the Sixties started to look at the Western in ways that were unthinkable just ten years before. Here, there are no cowboys only Indians and what we get is a brave attempt at a genuine understanding of the Native American life in the 1820s.With over 60% of the language in non-English without subtitles you would expect to be lost or bored - but that simply isn't the case.The tone and setting of the film make it very easy to come along with and an excellent performance by Richard Harris as the first captured and abused then wanting to fit in British nobleman makes compulsive viewing.All in all, this is truly landmark cinema - it made a huge impact when it was released - and I promise you you will be affected by it - it has a real psychological effect on the viewer.Powerful film-making and a terrific film.

Spikeopath This is the story of Lord John Morgan, an honest earthy person who is captured by the Sioux in 1825. Abused and treated as an animal he comes to adapt to his life in order to survive. Enduring torture and oppression he must earn their respect in order to be accepted as part of their tribe.The white man as part of a Sioux tribe story was given a major shot in the arm with Kevin Costner's Oscar bagger, Dances With Wolves in 1990. This picture came out some twenty years before Costner's stylish picture but the two films couldn't be further apart in terms of story telling. Here in Elliot Silverstein's picture, the scenery and scope is certainly lush, but the niceties stop there for this is a harsh, at times painful, story with realism dripping from each frame. Silverstein wanted to get as close as he could to the facts of the Sioux way of life, even bringing in a Sioux historian to oversee the production.The Sioux are painted on both sides of the canvas, on one side we are shown them to be violent, even sadistic, but Silverstein also portrays them as an intelligent race driven on by intense loyalty to their ways and culture. Richard Harris plays our main protagonist and has a clear license to act with immense verve and vigour, it's a memorable turn that lingers long after the credits roll. Hurting the film is a twee romance between Morgan and the Chiefs daughter (Judith Anderson) and Jean Gascon's fluctuating accents start to grate entering the film's last quarter. But really the plus points far outweigh the little irritants in the piece. The editing from Philip W. Anderson & Michael Kahn is like a whirling paean to hallucinations, and some scenes are from the top draw, most notably the Vow To The Sun ritual that literally is painful to watch. A Man Called Horse may well be of its time, but it's certainly a very interesting and highly intelligent film. 7/10

happipuppi13 The late great Richard Harris. (Not counting his foray into recorded pop music with MacAurther Park.) He was one the great English actors of his time. From "Camelot" where he played King Aurthur to this truly bold and gritty role as a privileged young Englishman,looking for more in his life than those "rights of inheritance". I got this movie (and it's sequel) from the library and watched both back to back.From the outset,this movie while set well over 100 years before 1970,reflected the young American point of view at that time of fighting the conventions and traditional beliefs of one's elders. Some may find that kind of idea dated but in my view there really is nothing more confining than living life as others "expect" you to and conform to the "norm".John (Harris) is unfortunately saddled with 3 typical uneducated,hard-drinking guides,who think of him as an English "dandy" and give him no respect. Going so far as to ruin his property while he's out hunting. Enter the Sioux/Yellow Hand tribe male warriors who,for seemingly no reason other than these are white men,attack and kill all but John.They fish an unclothed bathing John from the lake and (as the title implies) dub him a horse and drag him (literally)back to camp. He's taunted and harassed and made to be the work-horse of a cranky Sioux elder woman. Children even ride him during a wild party.Another man who was captured 5 years sooner and suffered even worse is the wonderful character Batiste. He speaks French, English and Siuox and behaves like he's lost his mind so the tribesmen would stop bothering him. Thus,he becomes the co-conspirator in helping "Horse" gain his freedom. John falls for the lovely Sioux girl he dubs "Little Freedom" and goes through a ritual guaranteed to make faint-hearted viewers cringe. The "Vow To The Sun",where sharp claws and hooks are attached to his chest and he's then hoisted by ropes through the open roof and spun around. This is a test in the ability to endure pain and suffering,sort of a metaphor for all the Native-Ameicans have suffered at the hands of people from other countries. John wins his bride but they still have to fight a warring rival tribe and the battle comes later. John ends up losing his closest friends and his wife and vows to be the son of the elder woman until she finally passes on. It's true a great deal of this is not factual,despite being about a real person. Hollywood has a notorious history of taking the background of other races and distorting who and what they're about. It's a little surprising here given they were trying to make a film that gives a better idea of what actual Indian tribes were like. Other than those unfortunate but hardly surprising missteps,this film "is" a classic and a great riveting story. I don't really see how one comes up "empty" after watching this film. Empty would be those ridiculous movies where Indians speak in that fake dialect dreamed up by Hollywood. "You smoke 'em peace-pipe?" Puh-lease!I give ten stars for this film because it is a great story to watch. Probably even a better one to read,since it is based on the book of the same name. Maybe I'll give that a read too. (END)