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Buffalo
Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson
(1976)
 
This lesser known Altman film contains many of
the same elements as his hits with unique twists. Buffalo
Bill and the Indians depicts famous frontier showman William
F. Cody's efforts to improve his show by hiring the most famous
Native American celebrity of the era: Sioux Chief Sitting Bull.
As with any Altman film, the plot isn't as simple as all that.
The movie is more than a comedy about the old west, but rather
a commentary on the Western film genre as a whole.
The film begins with an obviously false western
action sequence, which Altman quickly reveals to be part of
Wild Bill's dramatic recreation. The film is completely aware
of the falseness inherent in any Western movie, and the revisionist
history Hollywood proliferates, and uses this as the fodder
for the comment the movie makes. In another early scene, Bill
casts two white men as Mexicans, telling them that he used to
play the roles of "coloreds" when he had to, and Indians
when called for, because there were only white actors in the
troupe. Obviously Hollywood is guilty of the same casting in
many of its productions throughout the Western genre's heyday
in the 1950's and 60's. Altman furthers the parallels in how
he portrays Bill's show itself. The Wild West Show is essentially
the first Western movie, and serves as a microcosm of the exploitative
entertainment industry to follow. While Bill pontificates about
his goal of preserving the west, he is actually the first to
revise it for dramatic effect, and to provide the audience with
the story they want. Hence, he is unwilling to allow Sitting
Bull to portray a massacre committed against his people by the
White Man, and instead tries to paint the Chief as a bloodthirsty
warrior, destroying Custer and his men.
Paul Newman provides an effective Wild Bill, with
his gruff demeanor and diva-like tendencies. The supporting
cast, including a young Harvey Keitel, and Joel Gray are all
notable as well. The true stars of the film, though, are the
Native American actors, namely Sitting Bull portrayer Frank
Kaquitts and his spokesman Will Sampson (better known for his
role as Chief Bromden in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.)
Sitting Bull is subtly acted as the silent wise man, effectively
working as a counterweight to Newman's vivacious Will Bill.
William Halsey, who is at first mistaken for being Sitting Bull
due to his size and menacing demeanor, plays up many stereotypes
of the "red man" and in the end, makes his own commentary
on the modern Western film, which employs actual Native Americans
to perform inaccurate Indians of the past, thus forcing them
to revise their own history through a white man's lens.
Though Buffalo Bill and the Indians may
not be one of Altman's best works, it stands as a compliment
to his better known Western McCabe & Mrs. Miller.
Even with a story as straightforward as the film seems, Altman
skillfully utilizes it to comment on history and the genre
and industry in which he so often worked. For fans of the
director, this is a must see, and anyone interested in the
Western genre should take special note of the "history
lesson" Sitting
Bull provides.
-Mark Moreland
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All contents ©
2004-2009 Thoughtsonfilm.com |
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Director:
Robert
Altman
Writer: Arthur
L. Kopi, Robert Altman & Alan Rudolph
Starring: Paul
Newman, Joel Grey, Kevin McCarthy,Harvey Keitel, Geraldine Chaplin,
Frank Kaquitts, Will Sampson, Burt Lancaster, Shelley Duvall
Distributor: United
Artists
Runtime: 123
min
Rating: PG
Release Date: June
24, 1976
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