''A Man Called Horse'' is a 1970

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

Elliot Silverstein Elliot Silverstein (born August 3, 1927) is an American film and television director. He directed the Academy Award-winning western comedy '' Cat Ballou'' (1965), and other films including '' The Happening'' (1967), '' A Man Called Horse'' (1970) ...

, produced by Sandy Howard, and written by Jack DeWitt. It is based on the

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

" A Man Called Horse" by the

writer

Dorothy M. Johnson Dorothy Marie Johnson (December 19, 1905 – November 11, 1984) was an American writer best known for her Western fiction. Biography Early life Dorothy Marie Johnson was born in McGregor, Iowa, the only daughter of Lester Eugene Johnson and Ma ...

, first published in 1950 in '' Collier's'' magazine and again in 1968 in Johnson's book ''Indian Country''. The basic story was used in a 1958 episode of the television series ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

'', titled " A Man Called Horse". The film stars

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in '' This Sporting ...

as the titular character, alongside

Judith Anderson Dame Frances Margaret Anderson, (10 February 18973 January 1992), known professionally as Judith Anderson, was an Australian actress who had a successful career in stage, film and television. A pre-eminent stage actress in her era, she won two ...

Jean Gascon Jean Gascon (December 21, 1920 – April 13, 1988) was a Canadian opera director, actor, and administrator. Career Originally bent on a career in medicine, Gascon abandoned it for the stage after considerable work with amateur groups in Mont ...

Manu Tupou Manu Tupou (January 5, 1935 – June 5, 2004) was an American-based Fijian actor, writer, director, and teacher. Early life Manu Tupou was born on Lomaloma, Lau, Fiji Islands. Education Tupou trained as an actor for 15 years in New York under Le ...

Corinna Tsopei Kyriaki "Corinna" Tsopei ( el, Κυριακή (Κορίννα) Τσοπέη; born 21 June 1944) is a Greek actress, model and beauty queen who won Miss Universe 1964. Career On 20 June 1964, Tsopei was crowned Miss Star Hellas by Miss Star Hellas ...

Dub Taylor Walter Clarence "Dub" Taylor Jr. (February 26, 1907 – October 3, 1994),Dub Taylor, 87, Actor in Westerns, The New York Times, October 5, 1994, Section B, Page 12 was an American character actor who from the 1940s into the 1990s worked extens ...

, and

James Gammon James Richard Gammon (April 20, 1940 – July 16, 2010) was an American actor, known for playing grizzled " good ol' boy" types in numerous films and television series. Gammon portrayed Lou Brown, the manager in the movies '' Major League'' and ...

. Partially spoken in Sioux, the film tells the story of an English aristocrat who is captured by the Sioux people. The film was a Mexican-American co-production filmed on location in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and the Mexican states of Durango and Sonora. It received generally positive critical reviews, and was a financial success, spawning two sequels; '' The Return of a Man Called Horse'' (1976) and ''

Triumphs of a Man Called Horse ''Triumphs of a Man Called Horse'' is a 1983 Western film directed by John Hough and written by Ken Blackwell and Carlos Aured. It is the second and final sequel to '' A Man Called Horse'' (1970), following ''The Return of a Man Called Horse ...

'' (1983).

Plot

English aristocrat John Morgan is captured, enslaved, and treated like an animal by a Native American tribe. He comes to respect his captors' culture and gain their respect. He is aided in understanding the Sioux by another captive, Batise, the tribe's half-breed fool, who had tried to escape and was hamstrung behind both knees. Determining that his only chance of freedom is to gain the respect of the tribe, he overcomes his repugnance and kills two warriors from the neighboring enemy Shoshone tribe, which allows him to claim warrior status. After his victory, he proposes marriage to one of the women with the horses taken in battle as bride-price and undergoes painful

initiation rite Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformation ...

s, taking the native name "Shunkawakan" (or "Horse") as his Sioux name. When one of the warriors takes a vow never to retreat in battle, Morgan's changing perspective is shown, as he turns angrily on the uncomprehending Batise, 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." After successfully helping to fend off an attack by the enemy tribe, he becomes a respected member of the tribe and ultimately their leader.

Cast

as John Morgan / Shunkawakan *

Dame Judith Anderson Dame Frances Margaret Anderson, (10 February 18973 January 1992), known professionally as Judith Anderson, was an Australian actress who had a successful career in stage, film and television. A pre-eminent stage actress in her era, she won two ...

as Buffalo Cow Head *

as Batise *

as Yellow Hand *

as Running Deer *

as Joe *

as Ed * William Jordan as Bent * Eddie Little Sky as Black Eagle * Lina Marín as Thorn Rose * Tamara Garina as Elk Woman * Manuel Padilla Jr. as Leaping Buck *

Iron Eyes Cody Iron Eyes Cody (born Espera Oscar de Corti, April 3, 1904 – January 4, 1999) was an American actor of Italian descent who portrayed Native Americans in Hollywood films, famously as ''Chief Iron Eyes'' in Bob Hope's '' The Paleface'' (1948) ...

as Medicine Man * Sonny Skyhawk (Sonny Roubideaux) as Yellow Hand

Production

For the crucial Native American initiation ceremony (Vow to the Sun), wherein actor Richard Harris is hung on pins in his chest, make-up artist John Chambers created a

prosthetic In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...

chest. Harris and Silverstein clashed during filming, and when Howard and Harris reunited on '' Man in the Wilderness'', Howard hired Richard Sarafian.

Sequels

Two sequels to the original movie were made, both with Harris reprising his role: * '' The Return of a Man Called Horse'' (1976) * ''

'' (1983)

Representation of cultures

The film notably treats both sides dispassionately, from the view of neither the

White man White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...

nor the American Indian nations, but encompassing both cultures, but some Indian activists criticized the film harshly. Buffy Sainte Marie said:

"Even the so-called authentic movies like ''A Man Called Horse'' — that's the whitest of movies I've ever seen."

Vine Deloria, Jr. said:

"As we learned from movies like ''A Man Called Horse'', the more 'accurate' and 'authentic' a film is said to be, the more extravagant it is likely to be in at least some aspects of its misrepresentation of Indians."

It was the first American Western to attempt to portray the Sioux as the protagonists and eulogize their culture, but fell short with Native American audiences because it still had leading White actors as the main characters for the film to appeal to White audiences.

DVD

''A Man Called Horse'' was released to DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment on April 29, 2003, as a Region 1 widescreen DVD and on May 31, 2011, as a Blu-ray disc.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Man Called Horse 1970 films 1970 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films Cinema Center Films films Films about Native Americans Films based on American novels Films based on Western (genre) novels Films based on short fiction Films based on works by Dorothy M. Johnson Films directed by Elliot Silverstein Films scored by Leonard Rosenman Films shot in South Dakota Lakota-language films Mexican Western (genre) films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films 1970s Mexican films