Powwow Highway

This film sank into obscurity, and it shouldn't have. An understated and subtle story of personal growth along the quest--it's a standard story, but this film tells it with stark dialogue, cinematography, and characters. Gary Farmer is absolutely convincing, disappearing into his role as the gentle giant completely. A Martinez's Buddy Red Bow is fiery, up to *here* with government treatment of American Indians and closed to sentiment or tenderness. Robbie Robertson's soundtrack is almost a character itself--it's suited to the landscape very well, and its native tones seem to reinforce the spareness of the story and the reservation.

Finding a copy will be really hard, but well worth it.

I can't say enough about the sheer quality of this little film, so I won't even try. What I will say is that Gary Farmer's portrayal of Philbert was one of the sweetest characterizations I have ever seen, and he's emblazoned forever on my heart. Also outstanding was Graham Greene in a small role as a Vietnam vet suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. A Martinez, who's something of a one-trick pony, was very well suited to his role.

One of the great disappointments about most of the films that predate this one and revolve around anything purporting to be about "Native Americans" or "Indians," is the stereotypical nature of the characters (mostly, "noble" and "stoic"). This was one of the first and still is one of the best films that captures the humor that is intrinsic to the culture(s) of most of the Native Americans that I've ever been around. Without this film, "Smoke Signals" might never have been possible, since it broke some much needed ground, helping to end the still prevalent practice of using non-Indians to play Indians.

The great thing about this film is that, like Smoke Signals, it has themes that transcend the merely cultural. Most of the elders I know teach with humor, and this movie captures that beautifully.

It's a movie not to be missed!

This is an amazing movie. Gary Farmer was given a a role that allowed him to frame the entire film via his performance, and he pulls off a masterpiece. DeNiro very rarely has such luck. While it is incredibly well cast from top to bottom (A Martinez, a charmingly brazen Amanda Wyss, cameos by then-unknowns Wes Studi and the always underutilized Graham Greene, even the seedy car/stereo salesman done dually by Patrick Randal) and each performer knocks on perfection, Farmer takes this to an entirely different plateau.

Roger Ebert favorably critiqued the film by announcing Farmer's performance was "one of the most wholly convincing I've seen", which seems a subtle understatement.

You will not understand this film if you don't get Philbert, the perpetual protagonist Farmer portrays. It's too easy to identify with A Martinez' character, Buddy Red Bow, a hip-shooting realist bent on vengeance. I've been watching Martinez since The Cowboys in 72, and this performance should have given the notice A Level actors deserve.

Unfortunately, the same magic that made the film possible was it's very undoing.

Handmade Films, a pet project by Beatle George Harrison, brought this novel to film. Despite several successful titles (including Monty Python and offshoot ventures), Handmade was spiraling towards bankruptcy, and Powwow didn't perform at the box office because there was no money to push it.

Great art is most often lost.

Don't let your pony throw you. Watch Powwow Highway. Now.

This film has a lot of heart. Gary Farmer's character is one of the most likeable in recent memory. His dignity, kindness and spirituality are inspiring and endearing. Few films work so subtlely to create such an indelible, sympathetic and wholly uplifting message. Set amid the vile conditions faced by Cherokee reservation natives, the movie has much to say to all about responsibility, justice and above all, love. Can't recommend this film highly enough!