DreamKeeper

As a Native American I hate movies that play out the old "cowboys and Indians" theme, which severely limited the "indian" movies I would watch. I am SO GLAD to FINALLY see a movie that shows Native Americans as we are in real life rather than the traditional depiction as scalp-seeking-savages, tells our stories, and shows how life on the reservation truly is today. This movie (to me,) breaks down a lot of the negative stereotypes made on our people, which are generally fueled by movies. I think it is very important to have movies like this to help dissolve a lot of racial stereotypes, and share our legends with the newer generation. I was amazed when I saw the depictions of stories I had actually heard as a child, growing up in Tahlequah Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation Capitol. I wish all movies could be like this... as a matter of fact, I think i am going to watch it again right now!!!

I always regarded Hallmark as "the TV channel that I can skip over". That is until I saw this movie. I was lucky enough to flip past it just at the begining while I was waiting for my friend to get ready for a party we were supposed to go to. We didn't go. We watched this instead.

After having seen as many movies as I (who hardly does anything else) this was a very welcome break from the monotony of the standard portrayal of the native americans. I am not a native american (or even american, I'm european) but still it was very nice to get to see "the other side of the story". Next to the story I need to applaud the many outstanding performances by the actors and actresses, of which regretably none so far is well known. Also to be noted is some exceptional cinematography combined with great special effects (for a TV movie).

Great story, which has something to say. Great acting/directing. Great cinematic craftsmanship. What else could be asked from a movie?

Had it been produced by a movie theater production company it would have become a huge hit, but unfortunately it will now probably be lost among the TV movie onslaught.

If you have a chance to see this: take it.

How can I get a DVD or VHS copy of this movie? I want to save this movie and watch it again. There are some great lessons to be learned. I like that fact that these legends are being saved. Like the line from the L.A. Times TV Times Commentary on Dreamkeeper says, "A lot of our elders are passing, and when they pass, people like myself and like my little sister will need to keep the stories alive. I am hoping that the native youth will embrace this, so people will always know we are still here."

I was frankly shocked to see something this good on commercial TV. A great story, great acting, great cinematography, and so true in every detail. How it ever got by the ABC execs I'll never know, since it's just miles ahead of the usual garbage they present. Of course it tanked in the ratings, but I don't think it was promoted too well. The one gripe I had was the constant and lengthy commercial breaks that thoroughly broke up the flow (well, I guess that's how they paid for it...). How about PBS picking up the actors, crew, consultants and writers for a series? Yoohoo, Ken Burns where are you??

Yesterday i bought the movie the Dreamkeeper because the little scenes i saw on TV during a commercial interested me a lot. I must say that this story was for sure not a disappointment because it is really a beautiful story which is a mix of fantasy, legends and old stories. In this story a boy from the Lakota Sioux tribe has problems because he has a quilt with an Indian gang. His grandfather wants to visit the powwow, which is a meeting between all kinds of tribes from the USA, in which the dances and traditions will be shared. The grandfather wants that his grandson takes him to the powwow and as reward he will receive a car from his grandfather. In the beginning he don't want that but when he realizes that he also has 1 day to pay the money back to the gang than it maybe could be a good alternative to escape. During the trip his grandfather starts to tell him stories which form the base of the movie. During the stories you enter a time of legends and fantasies but with every story the grandfather is teaching the grandson a lesson in life. The maker of this movie also made Arabian nights and you can see it a little back in this movie because the setup is the same because in Arabian nights a woman tells a movie to the sultan she wants to marry. This story really impressed me and i enjoyed it a lot, also because i am very interested in Indian tribes. This movie deserves a 9 out of 10 because i kept my attention for the full 3 hours it took, in one word beautiful and well done.