Waste of time

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

I can understand the actors, all skilled second-tier people working to make a living, participating in this nonsense, but the writer/director/producer has really, truly stunk the place up. I recommend he find a decent textbook and re-read the part about high concept. Watch this as an archaeological expedition, a research exercise into truly dreadful scriptwriting. But not for serious entertainment. Lana Wood -- I'm sure God will forgive you. Charles Pierce, you managed some stunning cinematography, you hired good costume and props people, and your method of faking dead animals to keep the SPCA off your tail was remarkable, but the rest is Hollywood crap at its crappiest. There is absolutely no reason to believe in, or care about, or ...when it comes right down to it...watch any of these people. Not one of them. There's a lot more to verisimilitude than costumes and props. Apparently you were on some kind of mission to revive the noble savage myth, but all you managed to do was mock and trivialize it.

I loved this movie and would recommend it as a family picture. I disagree that this is a poor remake of the "Searchers" they are not the same at all. Some of the reviewers obviously never really watched the films. I'm a fan of Ben Johnson, Iron Eyes Cody and Jack Elam. I thought Jimmy Clem was so believable in his part of Abe Stroud, though I thought he did a little too much spitting tobacco. Paul Fix was unreconizable as himself in the part of Running Wolf, I would never have guessed it was him. Charles B. Pierce was very convincing as the demented bugler. Lana Wood was very pretty and I think tried to do a good job but she really wasn't a very good actress, at least in this part. Alex Cord was just right in his portrayal of Grayeagle. He really had to carry the scenes he did with Lana. Grayeagle says little because that was the right way to portray a warrior of the day who knew some English but saved it for when he had something to say. Small talk would have been ridiculous for Grayeagle. He used facial expressions and body language very well. Alex Cord was so graceful mounting and dismounting the Appaloosa and rode well centered, it was a pleasure to watch him ride. I always thought Ben Johnson was the best rider I had seen in movies but Alex Cord is excellent. They did a good job picking the horse for Greyeagle to ride, that appaloosa was just the type that would have been ridden in the 1800's not the quarter horse type appaloosa seen in so many movies. Greyeagle's horse looked and moved like the kind of horse a high warrior might ride. Looked like fun to ride if you didn't have to re-shoot too many scenes. I liked the attention to detail of the costumes and blanket for the Appaloosa with the buffalo pictures, meaning kills? I had lots of questions about the meaning of costume items worn by the Cheyenne and customs portrayed in the film. I wish the director could have had Standing Bear tell Beth the meaning of things that went on in the Cheyenne camp so the viewer wouldn't be left with questions about what they were watching. There were a few glaring oops in the film such as the same quilt seen in the Coulter cabin as in Abe Strouds cabin, also the fabrics and colors were all wrong for the period. Shoes on the Indian ponies, though that could be overlooked due to horses used to being shod could come up lame in the filming. I also had the feeling that the Coulter cabin and Abe Strouds cabin were one in the same just changed a little inside. The appearing and disappearing stripes on the legs of the appaloosa, kind of noticeable I think. The music was wonderful and the scenery was beautiful. One of my favorite scenes was Ben Johnson, Jack Elan and Iron Eyes Cody racing across the land shouting to each other and running full out. I think they really had a good time with that scene. Big Oops, Ida Coulter? Trapper Coulters wife was referred to as Maria by the Cheyenne who visited her. The name Ida Coulter was never mentioned. I hope this movie is available to purchase again , I think it's a classic.

It's rather Revisionist Western answer to this movie. It's as much of romance as adventure/drama/whatever, and actually I enjoyed it much more (which was't that hard, since I didn't enjoy The Searchers at all). I don't remember this movie clearly because I've only see it once and quite long tim ago, but I thought it was pretty good for 1977 a western, at least back then. Some people here compared this film to Dances With Wolves, but for me it reminded me rather more of Soldier Blue, actually (no, there was no violence against women and children, and no soldiers for that matter). It's a little flick and I don't remember no mass scenes, and this reminded me of 84 Charlie Mopic. The actor playing the titular character was probably the most persuading white-guy "Indian" I've seen... maybe because he's so heavily body-painted and hardly spoke at all? Frankly, I don't know why so low general rating just under average. I gave it strong seven, and it's a sincere rating of this movie as a whole. I'd like to see it again.

Set in 1848, Montana Territory, this film is an excellent & accurate portrayal of frontier life. Starring Ben Johnson, Iron Eyes Cody, Jack Elam, Lana Wood & Alex Cord, it shows indians and settlers as they really were. Thoroughly enjoyable for the Western Film Fan.