Simply A Masterpiece

Powerful

Excellent but underrated film

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

This movie is a powerful testimony to the endurance and spiritual life of the Plains Indians, of a time gone forever. When I first saw it in 1970, I was impressed with the production, but after seeing it again more than 40 years later, I was far more moved. I am rarely ever brought to tears by a movie, but this movie touched me so deeply that it was a bona fide spiritual experience, and even more powerfully moving. It also serves as a testimony of how the Indians lived, their culture, and how they practiced their own form of spirituality. I think this movie is a "must see" for anyone wanting to experience what life might have been like in those long-past times. I found myself grieving along with the people of the tribe after the attack and tragic deaths of many of the tribes people.

If you've ever seen the movie, the image will stay with you forever. The ritual of piercing the flesh with eagle talons and skewering it with a blade to hoist one's body into the air is pretty gruesome to contemplate, much less actually having it done. I'm not all that squeamish but I have to admit I had some trouble with the idea of the 'vow to the sun' ceremony. Oddly, this film is the only instance I've ever come across it, so I'd have to do some research to learn more about it.Where the film broke new ground back in 1970 was it's revisionist treatment of Indian life and culture. Similar to "Little Big Man" which came out the same year, the picture offered a unique perspective on individuals rather than broad generalizations of Indian tribal life. Actually, "Little Big Man" went even further than this picture with it's treatment of a gay Indian named Little Horse, and the concept of a contrary Younger Bear who did everything backwards. The character Batise (Jean Gascon) performs that function here, though he's only part Indian by birth, and uses the ruse that he's a bit crazy to keep his Sioux hosts from putting him to work. I think the most surprising concept though was the idea that Thorn Rose (Lina Marin) left her husband Yellow Hand (Manu Tupou) for rival Black Eagle (Eddie Little Sky) within the same tribe. You just don't consider Indian cultures to be subject to the same kind of human frailties that the white man has. At least I never gave it a second thought.There was however a situation that didn't ring very authentic to me. In the scene where Running Deer (Corinna Tsopei) gets ready to make love to Richard Harris's character following the sun ceremony, a close-up of her hands show them to be perfectly manicured with a sheen of nail polish. So much for that bit of historical accuracy.One thing about American Indians that's always fascinated me is the names they have that usually describe some aspect of their character, and this one had it's share with the ones already mentioned, along with Buffalo Cow Head (Dame Judith Anderson) and Striking Bear (Terry Leonard). However if you stick around for the end credits, you'll catch the names of a host of Rosebud Sioux tribesmen who appeared uncredited in the film, among them Richard Fool Bull, Bruce Pretty Bird, Ross Kills Enemy, and my personal favorite - James Never Miss A Shot.

I have not seen this movie since it first came out in the 70s and just caught it again on TV yesterday (with the first sequel right after it). After all these years it still holds up well. Many have compared Dances with Wolves to this movie for good reason, even Richard Harris himself accused Kevin Costner of blatantly using scenes from it for his lengthy blockbuster epic. I dare say that the depiction of the Sioux way of life was even more realistic in A Man Called Horse than it is in the more romanticized Dances With Wolves. While some of the earlier westerns using so called "hollywood indians" have no doubt great entertainment value I do welcome movies that don't portray the native Americans as barbaric savages. Using native American actors speaking their native tongue instead of painted white actors wearing oh so obvious wigs and speaking in a made-up language was not common back then and A Man Called Horse was one of the earliest movies to do so, way ahead of it's time. The cinematography of the wide open prairie was breathtaking and the scenes portraying the suspension in the sun vow ritual were extremely realistic, making me wonder if Richard Harris actually did have his skin pierced. Interesting that so many young people are now trying suspension as a means of getting an adrenaline rush, although in a more modern setting using surgical steel hooks, the principal is still the same.

The year is 1825… The story begins with a British aristocrat named John Morgan who finds himself captured by Sioux warriors… At first he's mocked and treated like an animal and then he's dragged to their camp where he is given to work for an old squaw (Judith Anderson). Before too long the 'grand white gentleman' up with another captive Batise (Jean Gascon) whose family was all massacred five years ago by the Indians acts as translator for Morgan… One day after killing two Shoshone Indians from another tribe and scalping one of them, John gains trust and respect from his captives thus paving the way to be soon a warrior, then a loving husband… The film's centerpiece is the Sun Vow that Morgan must bear to prove his courage to withstand all tests of pain in order to gain the hand of Running Dear (Corinna Tsopei) sister of Chief Yellow Hand (Manu Tupou). As the English nobleman is white, he is considered weak and he'll give up in the moment of truth… There are also other truly memorable moments in the film: how the Indian virgin prepares herself for marriage—how she takes her sweat bath to be pure; and the tragic events when an Indian mother loses and has no other son or man, how she cuts off her forefinger and when winter comes she dies from the freezing cold