Reel Injun - 5061

The era of westward expansion was drawing to a close in the 1890s, about the same period that movies were invented and beginning to attract a mass audience. Since that time, Native Americans have been featured in nearly 4000 films in which they've been both glorified and demonized but rarely depicted as fully rounded human beings. This documentary, directed by Cree filmmaker Diamond, embarks on a cross-country tour of discovery demonstrating how Hollywood has shaped and distorted the image of Native Americans, even to the point of acceptance by Indians themselves. In the silent era, Indians took advantage of the new medium and exotic possibilities to star, direct, or otherwise participate in the making of early films. The seminal John Ford epic "Stagecoach" (1939) is identified as the iconic film that fixed the Indians' savage warrior image in moviegoers' minds. Diamond visits reservations and talks with Natives who knew and worked with Ford and John Wayne. Other figures featured or interviewed include actors Adam Beach ("Flags of Our Fathers"), Wes Studi ("Last of the Mohicans, Dances with Wolves"), the late Chief Dan George ("Little Big Man, The Outlaw Josey Wales"), and Iron Eyes Cody, who was actually an immigrant from Sicily, Italy. The 1970s ushered in the period of the "groovy Indian," in which Indian activists asserted their heritage at uprisings on Alcatraz Island and the Pine Ridge reservation. In more recent years, filmgoers have seen the birth of a genuine Native American cinema, which depicts the culture from the inside, showing Indians with both humanity and humor. VERDICT Though timely and important, this documentary is ultimately marred by digressions and a general lack of organization, marking it an optional purchase for public and academic libraries.--Stephen Rees, formerly with Levittown Lib., PA Copyright 2012 Reed Business Information.
ASIN: B005J7K9BO
VSKU: DBV.B005J7K9BO.A
Condition: Acceptable
Author/Artist:Sacheen Little Feather|Wes Studi|Charlie Hill|Adam Beach|Sacheen Littlefeather|Russell Means|Chris Eyre|John Trudell|Robbie Robertson|Clint Eastwood|Graham Greene|Jim Jarmusch|Neil Diamond|Catherine Bainbridge|Jeremy Simmons|Jeremiah Hayes|Christina Fon|Linda Ludwick|Adam Symansky
Binding: Dvd