source: Buffalo Bill and the Indians

Trailer—Buffalo Bill and the Indians or Sitting Bull's History Lesson

Buffalo Bill and the Indians or Sitting Bull's History Lesson

A great cast is wasted on this effort, a theme looking for a story to embody it. It's hard to fill ten lines describing this effort, since there really isn't much to describe. Newman does have a "mad scene." The problem is, Newman's mad scene doesn't evolve from anywhere due to the fixed nature of his character. Given the lack of a story and the fact that nothing climactic happens that actually offers any new insight to the characters or changes them from the way in which they were at the beginning, coming up with ten lines about this film is reminiscent of those papers assigned in grade school than were required to be "X" number of pages. But it looks as though I've finally made it.

Normally we were told that Buffalo Bill was a courageous man who fought and killed Indians during the confrontations of white men with them. The portrait given of this man is always the same, but this film is a little bit the opposite. According to Ned Buntline (acted by Burt Lancaster), the "hero" Buffalo Bill was invented by him, i.e. too much noise about a person who was not as brave as it was told. In addition, the Indians were then used for shows. It is true that they accepted to do this job, but we must figure out under which conditions they accepted. Dramatic was the scene when Indian boss Seated Bull wanted to give a request for his people to the then American president, who did not accept to take it. Critic did not welcome very much this film, but it is matter to know which critic wrote about, the one in favor of the Indian cause cannot be, perhaps were those who do not care about the fate of the Indians in North America.

Movies are meant to entertain--and, on any level, this one doesn't. The high marks Robert Altman earned (in some quarters) for his 1975 movie, "Nashville," apparently encouraged him to apply the same cut-and-paste technique to this movie, and the result is a disaster. There is no story. The dialogue is bland. The scenes are disjointed. The Indians--who are portrayed as universally noble, a characteristic of the seventies--nevertheless come across as completely one-dimensional. The excellent cast is wasted. Burt Lancaster looks as if he would rather be anywhere but on the set. This movie was a precursor of the many failed projects Altman would direct in the next 25 years. He's currently on a roll ("Gosford Park"), but nothing can justify the directorial pretense and excess that permeate this film from start to finish.

Don't see this film if you don't like sarcasm! It's not as much about the history behind Buffalo Bill and his Wild West show as it is about making fun of the racist attitudes present in many Western films. There are also some good laughs available when Annie Oakley shoots and her "target" flinches with anxiety. The satire also explores the way Bill runs his show, or the way any CEO might run a company, and whether truth or entertainment is more important to the crowd. The truth Sitting Bull wishes to bring to the people is much less important to Bill than are his ticket sales. The juxtaposition of Sitting Bull's meekness and the way Bill portrays him in the show as a murderous, ruthless warrior is really brilliant.