A man they called a horse

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Movie
German title A man they called horse
too: The man they called horse
Original title A man called horse
Country of production United States
original language English , Sioux
Publishing year 1970
length 111 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Elliot Silverstein
script Jack DeWitt
Dorothy M. Johnson
production Sandy Howard
music Lloyd One Star
Leonard Rosenman
camera Robert B. Hauser
Gabriel Torres
cut Gene Fowler Jr.
Philip W. Anderson
Michael Kahn
occupation

A man they called horse (original title: A Man Called Horse ) is an American western produced in 1969 , which was released in theaters in 1970 (US theatrical release April 28, 1970). It is considered the first realistic Indian film, long before The Dances With Wolves .

Elliot Silverstein directed the film . The book came from Jack De Witt and was based on the 1950 published short story His Name Was Horse (original title: A Man Called Horse ) by Dorothy M. Johnson , which was included again in 1968 in the book "Indian Country".

The main role of an English nobleman who was captured by Indians was played by Richard Harris .

action

The English aristocrat Lord John Morgan is captured by Lakota -Sioux. At first he is treated like a pet only as a lowly slave and belongs to Buffalo Cow Head, the mother of Chief Yellow Hand. The Indians give it the name "horse". Batise, another prisoner, teaches Morgan the language and customs of the Indians. He tried to escape and was mutilated by the Indians as a result. Now he is the “court jester” of the Indians. Morgan also tries to flee once, but sees his only chance in adapting to the customs of the tribe. As the film progresses, he identifies himself more and more with the Indians and begins to understand their customs, which initially seem “barbaric” to him. In battles with another tribe, he kills two warriors, whereupon he himself rises to warrior status. In a painful initiation ceremony, the sun dance , he is accepted into the tribe and marries the chief's sister, "Alluring Deer" (in the original: Running Deer). Attacking Shoshone kill Chief Yellow Hand and the Running Deer, who is pregnant by horse,. After Horse was able to repel the attack, he adopted Buffalo Cow Head as his mother to protect her from exile. After her death, horse travels back to England.

Others

The film was shot by the Rosebud Sioux from South Dakota and partly uses Sioux language . Joe Hembus points out that Indian critics proved the film to be numerous falsifications of the Sioux culture, although the production company had repeatedly emphasized that it was making the first absolutely authentic Indian film. In particular, Sioux would not banish and abandon their old tribal members.

criticism

"An adventure film that attracts an unusually high amount of attention to the natives of North America, although the amalgamation of folklore reconstruction and exciting entertainment does not quite succeed."

- Lexicon of international film

Phil Hardy calls the film a " macho - masochistic Western" , which in the initiation rite shown strains "both the audience's ability to suffer and that of Harris" .

Awards

The film received an award at the Western Heritage Awards .

Sequels

The film was followed by two sequels, both with Richard Harris in the lead role.

Others

The punk band Die Ärzte has released a concert DVD called The Band They Called Horse .

literature

  • Dorothy M. Johnson : His name was horse (original title: A Man Called Horse ). In: The man who talked too much. Stories from the Wild West . dtv, Munich 1967

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Joe Hembus: Western Lexicon - 1567 films from 1894 to today. Extended new edition Munich 1995. ISBN 3-453-08121-8 . P. 172
  2. ↑ A man they called a horse. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  3. ^ Phil Hardy: The Encyclopedia of Western Movies. Woodbury Press Minneapolis 1984. ISBN 0-8300-0405-X . P. 326