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{{Short description|1970 Western film by Elliot Silverstein}}
{{Infobox_Film |
{{More citations needed|date=January 2017}}
name = A Man Called Horse|
{{Use American English|date=July 2021}}
image = Man_called_horse.jpg|
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2021}}
image_size = 175px|
{{Infobox film
caption = original film poster|
imdb_id = 0066049| | name = A Man Called Horse
amg_id = A31075| | image = Man called horse poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster design by ]
director = ]|
writer = ]<br>]| | director = ]
starring = ]<br>]| | writer = ]
| based_on = {{based on|"]"|]}}
producer = ]<br>]|
| starring = ]<br/>]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]
music = ]<br>]|
| producer = ]
cinematography= ]<br>]|
| music = ]
distributor = ]|
released = ] ]| | cinematography = ]
| editing = ]<br />]
runtime = 114 min.|
| studio = ]<br>Sandy Howard Productions
country = {{USA}}|
| distributor = ] (US)<br>] (Mexico)
language = ], ]|
| released = {{Film date|1970|3||Italy|1970|4|24|USA}}
| runtime = 114 minutes
| country = United States<br>Mexico
| language = English<br>Sioux
| budget = $5 million<ref name="wild">Johnson, Patricia (16 May 1971). {{"'}}Wilderness' Captures Ecology Mood". ''Los Angeles Times''. p. r16.</ref>
| gross = $6 million (US/Canada rentals)<ref>"Big Rental Films of 1970", ''Variety'', January 6, 1971, p. 11</ref><br>$44 million (worldwide by 1976)<ref>"Returns of a Man Called". Howard Kilday, Gregg. ''Los Angeles Times'', January 18, 1976: m1.</ref>
}} }}
'''''A Man Called Horse''''' is a ] feature film starring ] and directed by ].


'''''A Man Called Horse''''' is a 1970 ] film directed by ], produced by ], and written by ]. It is based on a short story ] by the ] writer ], first published in 1950 in '']'' magazine and again in 1968 in Johnson's book ''Indian Country''. The basic story was used in a 1958 episode of the television series '']'', also titled "]". The film stars ] as the titular character, alongside ], ], ], ], ], and ].
The film is based on a ], "]", published in ] in the book ''Indian Country'' by ]. Partially spoken in ], the film tells the history of an English ] who is captured by a ] ].


Partially spoken in ], the film tells the story of an English ] who is captured by the ] people. The film was a Mexican-American co-production filmed on location in ] and the Mexican states of ] and ]. It received generally positive critical reviews, and was a financial success, spawning two sequels; '']'' (1976) and '']'' (1983).
Initially enslaved, he comes to ] and also to gain their respect. Joining the tribe, he undergoes painful ]s, takes the native name "Horse", and becomes a respected member of the tribe and ultimately their leader.


==Plot==
Two sequels to the original movie were made, both with Harris reprising his role:
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 ] by another captive, Batise, the tribe's half-breed fool, who had tried to escape and was ] 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 ] 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 ]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
* ] as Buffalo Cow Head
* ] as Batise
* ] as Yellow Hand
* ] as Running Deer
* ] as Joe
* ] as Ed
* ] as Bent
* ] as Black Eagle
* ] as Thorn Rose
* Tamara Garina as Elk Woman
* ] as Leaping Buck
* ] 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 ] created a ] chest.<ref name=guardian01>{{cite news |title=Obituary: John Chambers: Make-up master responsible for Hollywood's finest space-age creatures|first=Brian|last=Pendreigh|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/sep/07/guardianobituaries.filmnews |work=The Guardian |date=September 7, 2001 |access-date=February 27, 2013}}</ref>

Harris and Silverstein reportedly clashed during filming.<ref name="wild"/>

==Release==
The film was initially released in Italy where it played to large audiences in Rome and Naples.<ref name=release/> It opened in the United States on April 24, 1970 in 150 theaters in 40 cities in North and South Dakota and Minnesota.<ref name=release>{{cite magazine|magazine=]|date=April 22, 1970|title=Sioux-Focus Of 'Man Called Horse': U.S. Indians Still 'World Popular'|page=7|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1970-04-22_258_10/page/6/mode/2up|access-date=April 1, 2024|via=]}}</ref> It expanded on April 29 to other states, including New York, California, Missouri, Michigan, Washington and North and South Carolina and grossed $297,842 in its first 11 days from 25 of the theaters.<ref name=release/><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=]|date=May 6, 1970|page=18|title=Electrifying! (advertisement)|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1970-05-06_258_12/page/18/mode/2up?view=theater|access-date=March 31, 2024|via=]}}</ref>

==Reception==
The film has received generally positive critical reviews. ] gives it 86% on the ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Man Called Horse |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/man_called_horse |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Sequels==
Two sequels to the original film were made, both with Harris reprising his role:
* '']'' (1976)
* '']'' (1983)


==Representation of cultures== ==Representation of cultures==
The film purportedly shared the perspectives of white settlers and ]. However, many people criticized the film harshly. ] (who was herself later discovered to be a cultural appropriator) said:


<blockquote>Even the so-called authentic movies like ''A Man Called Horse''—that's the whitest of movies I've ever seen.<ref>{{cite book|last=Friar|first=Natasha A.|year=1972|title=The Only Good Indian: The Hollywood Gospel|publisher=Drama Book Specialists|page=124|isbn=0-910482-21-7}}</ref></blockquote>
The film notably treats both sides dispassionately, viewing neither from the view of the ], nor the native ] tribe, but from a viewpoint encompassing both cultures; its representation of tribal practices and rituals (including the ]) is described as being based upon historical records.


] (]) said:
==Cast==

*] ... John Morgan
<blockquote>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.<ref>Quoted in {{cite book|last=Churchill|first=Ward|author-link=Ward Churchill|year=1996|title=From a Native Son: Selected Essays in Indigenism, 1985–1995|chapter=And They Did It Like Dogs in the Dirt... An Indigenous Analysis of ''Black Robe''|publisher=]|page=423|isbn=0-89608-553-8|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nrCWZZJD48MC&pg=PA423|access-date=2009-10-22}}</ref></blockquote>
*] ... Buffalo Cow Head

*] ... Batise
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.<ref>{{cite web|author=Chris Smallbone |url=http://www.nativeamerican.co.uk/mancalledhorse.html |title=Film Review: A Man Called Horse |publisher=Nativeamerican.co.uk |date=November 2012 |access-date=May 19, 2017}}</ref>
*] ... Yellow Hand

*] ... Running Deer
==Home media==
*] ... Joe
''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.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}
*] ... Ed

*] ... Bent
==See also==
*] ... Black Eagle
* '']''
*] ... Longfoot
* ]
*] ... Thorn Rose

*] ... Elk Woman
==References==
*] ... Striking Bear
{{Reflist}}
*] ... Medicine man
*] ... Medicine man


==External links==
]
* {{AFI film|23460}}
* {{IMDb title|0066049}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|man_called_horse}}
* {{TCMDb title|18940}}


{{Elliot Silverstein}}
{{western-film-stub}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Man Called Horse, A}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Man Called Horse}}
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Latest revision as of 16:30, 21 December 2024

1970 Western film by Elliot Silverstein
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "A Man Called Horse" film – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

A Man Called Horse
Theatrical release poster design by Tom Jung
Directed byElliot Silverstein
Written byJack DeWitt
Based on"A Man Called Horse"
by Dorothy M. Johnson
Produced bySandy Howard
StarringRichard Harris
Judith Anderson
Jean Gascon
Manu Tupou
Corinna Tsopei
Dub Taylor
James Gammon
CinematographyRobert B. Hauser
Edited byPhilip W. Anderson
Gene Fowler Jr.
Music byLeonard Rosenman
Production
companies		Cinema Center Films
Sandy Howard Productions
Distributed byNational General Pictures (US)
Estudios Churubusco (Mexico)
Release dates
  • March 1970 (1970-03) (Italy)
  • April 24, 1970 (1970-04-24) (USA)
Running time114 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Mexico
LanguagesEnglish
Sioux
Budget$5 million
Box office$6 million (US/Canada rentals)
$44 million (worldwide by 1976)

A Man Called Horse is a 1970 Western film directed by Elliot Silverstein, produced by Sandy Howard, and written by Jack DeWitt. It is based on a short story of the same name by the Western writer Dorothy M. Johnson, 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, also titled "A Man Called Horse". The film stars Richard Harris as the titular character, alongside Judith Anderson, Jean Gascon, Manu Tupou, Corinna Tsopei, Dub Taylor, and James Gammon.

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 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 (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 rites, 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

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 chest.

Harris and Silverstein reportedly clashed during filming.

Release

The film was initially released in Italy where it played to large audiences in Rome and Naples. It opened in the United States on April 24, 1970 in 150 theaters in 40 cities in North and South Dakota and Minnesota. It expanded on April 29 to other states, including New York, California, Missouri, Michigan, Washington and North and South Carolina and grossed $297,842 in its first 11 days from 25 of the theaters.

Reception

The film has received generally positive critical reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives it 86% on the Tomatometer.

Sequels

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

Representation of cultures

The film purportedly shared the perspectives of white settlers and Native Americans. However, many people criticized the film harshly. Buffy Sainte-Marie (who was herself later discovered to be a cultural appropriator) 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. (Standing Rock Dakota) 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.

Home media

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.

See also

References

  1. ^ Johnson, Patricia (16 May 1971). "'Wilderness' Captures Ecology Mood". Los Angeles Times. p. r16.
  2. "Big Rental Films of 1970", Variety, January 6, 1971, p. 11
  3. "Returns of a Man Called". Howard Kilday, Gregg. Los Angeles Times, January 18, 1976: m1.
  4. Pendreigh, Brian (September 7, 2001). "Obituary: John Chambers: Make-up master responsible for Hollywood's finest space-age creatures". The Guardian. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  5. ^ "Sioux-Focus Of 'Man Called Horse': U.S. Indians Still 'World Popular'". Variety. April 22, 1970. p. 7. Retrieved April 1, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  6. "Electrifying! (advertisement)". Variety. May 6, 1970. p. 18. Retrieved March 31, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  7. "A Man Called Horse". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  8. Friar, Natasha A. (1972). The Only Good Indian: The Hollywood Gospel. Drama Book Specialists. p. 124. ISBN 0-910482-21-7.
  9. Quoted in Churchill, Ward (1996). "And They Did It Like Dogs in the Dirt... An Indigenous Analysis of Black Robe". From a Native Son: Selected Essays in Indigenism, 1985–1995. South End Press. p. 423. ISBN 0-89608-553-8. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  10. Chris Smallbone (November 2012). "Film Review: A Man Called Horse". Nativeamerican.co.uk. Retrieved May 19, 2017.

External links

Films directed by Elliot Silverstein
Categories: