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DVD Windwalker (Special Edition)
A splendid adventure for family viewing, Windwalker has the distinction of being named the #1 anthropological film of all time in an early 1990s poll of the American Anthropological Association. It's not particularly distinguished in terms of its filmmaking, but this authentic Native American tale is told with exciting vitality and careful attention to details of culture, language, costuming, and age-old traditions. The title character (convincingly played by British actor Trevor Howard) is an aged and dying Cheyenne warrior who, as a young husband and father (played by James Remar in flashbacks), watched helplessly as his wife was killed and one twin son kidnapped by Crow invaders. On his deathbed, he is spiritually revived to solve the mystery of his missing son, and in doing so sets his "windwalker" path to a peaceful afterlife. Featuring an abundance of natural beauty in the mountains of Utah and utilizing sparse, subtitled dialogue spoken in authentic Cheyenne and Crow languages, the film may be too intense for very young viewers (with scenes of PG-rated violence involving enemy warriors, wolves and a bear), but it's essential viewing for anyone interested in Native American cultural history. Independently distributed in 1980 by the Christian family-film company Pacific International Enterprises (whose wholesome founder, Arthur R. Dubs, is profiled in a vintage promo reel included on this DVD), Windwalker was a decade ahead of Dances with Wolves in bringing real, vibrant Indian folklore to a mainstream audience, earning a respectable $18 million at the box office. --Jeff Shannon
I am an avid information seeker of all types of information dealing with Native culture and out of most movies I have seen this one presents its self very nicely factually. The cinematography is perfect for the type of movie it is.
Long Time Favorite
I bought this movie used on VHS back in the mid 1980's. I must have just about worn the tape out, when it finally came out on DVD. I loved hearing the natural Crow and Cheyenne languages most of all. Next the costuming looked very accurate for the region and time period. As a family film for children over 12, this one can't be beat. This must be considered a first movie, in a time when using native actors and following closer to true clothing and cultures were just coming into being. I would have to call this one a "classic".
American Indian Focus
This film describes fom the American Indian's viewpoint, how things were in the "Old West"...it is very good to get a different point of view than the usual "Westerns"...
While it doesn't hold together as a three-hour TV drama, Dreamkeeper should prove enthralling to anyone interested in Native American myths and legends. A variety of tribal folklore provides the episodic thrust of this typical Hallmark production, which relies too heavily on digital effects--and the plodding direction of Hallmark regular Steve Barron--in telling the story of a resentful Lakota teenager (Eddie Spears) who reluctantly agrees to drive his wise old grandfather (August Schellenberg) from their South Dakota "rez" to an All-Nations Powwow in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Along the way, the tradition-bound elder serves as tribal "dreamkeeper" for his initially resistant grandson, who gradually realizes that his grandfather's stories--visualized through effects-laden... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Steve Barron DVD Release Date: Released the 16 March 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Gary Farmer (Smoke Signals) is the standout in a fine film by Jonathan Wacks about an oversized Cheyenne man-child (Farmer) who decides to go on a spiritual quest, while simultaneously giving a ride to his lifelong Indian activist friend (A. Martinez). The film takes us through some pretty desolate Indian communities, but while Wacks makes a point of revealing harsher aspects of life on some reservations, the emphasis is on Farmer's delightful performance. A bonus: among the cast are Graham Greene (Dances with Wolves) and Wes Studi (The Last of the Mohicans), neither of whom were well-known in 1989, the year this film was released. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): A Martinez - Gary Farmer Director(s): Jonathan Wacks DVD Release Date: Released the 23 November 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Based on a couple of short stories (from The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven) by Sherman Alexie, Smoke Signals is a lean and assured feature that speaks well of its lengthy, rich evolution, including a development stint at Sundance. The first feature made by a Native American crew and creative team, the film concerns two young Idaho men with radically different memories of one Arnold Joseph (Gary Farmer), a former resident of the reservation who split years before and has just died in Phoenix. Arnold's strapping, popular son, Victor (Adam Beach), remembers him best as an alcoholic, occasionally abusive father who drove off one day and never came back. By contrast, Thomas Builds-the-Fire (Evan Adams), whom Arnold had saved from certain death years earlier, has... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Adam Beach - Evan Adams Director(s): Chris Eyre DVD Release Date: Released the 02 October 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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James Duval shines in this vivid, affecting coming-of-age story. The Doe Boy follows Hunter (Duval)--a half-Native American, half-Caucasian boy with hemophilia--from childhood to his life as a young adult. His father (Kevin Anderson) doesn't know how to relate to a boy who can't work with tools or play sports; his mother (Jeri Arredondo) fights to protect her vulnerable son. When his father finally takes him on a hunting trip, Hunter accidentally shoots a doe--leading to the nickname "doe boy," which haunts him. It's difficult to describe The Doe Boy; a story summary sounds gimmicky and doesn't capture the writing and performances, which are beautifully detailed and bracingly honest. Most importantly, despite not having a propulsive plot, The Doe Boy... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Randy Redroad DVD Release Date: Released the 24 September 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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In the 1870s, pregnant Rebecca (Kelly Preston) and her husband are on their way across the West when they stop at a trading post. Her husband's naivete (and his prized Henry rifle) soon leads to his death at the hands of a ruthless buffalo hunter, and the proprietor of the trading post (Dan Haggerty) is killed as well. Cheyenne warrior chief Hawk (Pato Hoffman) is wounded in the fight with the buffalo hunter, and Rebecca helps nurse him back to health again, opting to stay at the trading post rather than go along with Hawk. Hawk returns to his tribe, but comes back to the post when Rebecca's baby is due (undoubtedly having figured out the date and put it in his Palm Pilot). Together they form a strange sort of love-hate affair and learn to get around their cultural differences, at... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Mark Griffiths DVD Release Date: Released the 11 January 2000 Usually ships within 24 hours
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