A Man Called Horse (film) explained (2024)

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 the short story "A Man Called Horse" 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, 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

• Richard Harris as John Morgan / Shunkawakan
• Dame Judith Anderson as Buffalo Cow Head
• Jean Gascon as Batise
• Manu Tupou as Yellow Hand
• Corinna Tsopei as Running Deer
• Dub Taylor as Joe
• James Gammon 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 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 chest.^[4]

Harris and Silverstein clashed during filming, and when Howard and Harris reunited on Man in the Wilderness, Howard hired Richard Sarafian.^[1]

Sequels

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

• The Return of a Man Called Horse (1976)
• Triumphs of a Man Called Horse (1983)

Representation of cultures

The film purportedly shared the perspectives of white settlers and American Indians. However, many people 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.^[5]

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.^[6]

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.^[7]

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.

See also

• Dances with Wolves
• List of American films of 1970

Notes and 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. News: Obituary: John Chambers: Make-up master responsible for Hollywood's finest space-age creatures. Brian. Pendreigh. The Guardian . September 7, 2001 . February 27, 2013.
5. Book: Friar, Natasha A.. 1972. The Only Good Indian: The Hollywood Gospel. Drama Book Specialists. 124. 0-910482-21-7.
6. Quoted in Book: Churchill, Ward. Ward Churchill. 1996. From a Native Son: Selected Essays in Indigenism, 1985–1995. And They Did It Like Dogs in the Dirt... An Indigenous Analysis of Black Robe. South End Press. 423. 0-89608-553-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=nrCWZZJD48MC&pg=PA423. 2009-10-22.
7. Web site: Chris Smallbone . Film Review: A Man Called Horse . Nativeamerican.co.uk . November 2012 . May 19, 2017.