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Revision as of 11:12, 19 July 2007

1970 film
A Man Called Horse
File:Man called horse.jpgoriginal film poster
Directed byElliot Silverstein
Written byJack DeWitt
Dorothy M. Johnson
Produced byFrank Brill
Sandy Howard
StarringRichard Harris
Judith Anderson
CinematographyRobert Hauser
Gabriel Torres
Music byLeonard Rosenman
Lloyd One Star
Distributed byNational General Pictures
Release date28 April 1970
Running time114 min.
Country United States
LanguagesEnglish, Sioux

A Man Called Horse is a 1970 feature film starring Richard Harris and directed by Elliot Silverstein.

The film is based on a short story, "A Man Called Horse", published in 1968 in the book Indian Country by Dorothy M. Johnson. Partially spoken in Sioux, the film tells the history of an English aristocrat who is captured by a Native American tribe.

Initially enslaved and treated as a plaything by the tribe and mocked by being treated as the animal of the film title initially, he comes to respect his captors' culture and also to gain their respect. He is assisted in understanding their culture and language by an existing captive, the tribe's fool, Batiste, who had tried to escape in the past and was hamstrung behind both knees.

(At one point, later in the film, when one of the warriors takes a vow never to retreat in battle, his changing perspective is shown, as he turns angrily on the uncomprehending Batiste, telling him "Five years you've lived here, and you've learned nothing about these people - all his death is to you is a means of escape.")

Determining that his only chance of eventual freedom is to gain the respect of the tribe and join its war parties, he overcomes his repugnance and kills two warriors from another tribe, which in turn allows him to claim warrior status. In the aftermath of his victory, he proposes marriage to one of the tribal daughters with the horses as dowry, and undergoes painful initiation rites, taking the native name "Horse" as his Sioux name, and becomes a respected member of the tribe and ultimately following attack, their leader.

Two sequels to the original movie were made, both with Harris reprising his role:

Representation of cultures

The film notably treats both sides dispassionately, viewing neither from the view of the white man, nor the native American Indian tribe, but from a viewpoint encompassing both cultures; its representation of tribal practices and rituals (including the Sun Dance) is described as being based upon historical records.

Differences between the book and movie versions

  • In the book, the character Baptiste is killed in the raid in which Horse is captured, but the movie has him survive to subsequently mentor Horse in the Lakota camp.
  • Horse also tries to escape in the movie, but he does not in the book.
  • The natives in the story are the Crow, whereas in the movie, they are members of the Sioux Nation.
  • In the book, Horse is from Boston, and in the movie he is from England.

Cast

The tribal people were acted by members of the Rosebud Sioux tribe of South Dakota.


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