Crazy Horse

This made-for-TV film about Crazy Horse has good acting and beautiful visual images. However, key details have been left out of the story in its hurry to wrap up a very complex issue and time in history. (For more detail, I'd highly suggest you read "Crazy Horse: The Strange Man of the Oglalas" by Mari Sandoz). Additionally, though the story fortunately does stay focused on Crazy Horse and his people, the script makes only a half-hearted attempt to tell the tale with a native american voice. For example, very little of the music sounds native American. However, this movie does probably set the record for Most Horses Knocked Over, and If there isn't an Academy Award for that, well gosh darnit there should be!

I watched this movie when it came out and have seen it a few more times since. Been trying to find an affordable dvd copy for my movie library for years. This movie has always been one of my favorite movies depicting the life of the Native American people lead.

Though entertaining and well acted, the script doesn't follow Sandoz's biography. Sandoz who traveled more than any other researcher in Ogalala country compiled much of her biography from descendants and other community members who carry stories of Crazy Horse. According to Sandoz The Strange Crazy Horse a political critic - opposing three primary features of Ogalala society: 1) the idea of paying for brides with horses (dowry); 2) the idea that community acknowledgment and recognition are synonymous with an individuals' spiritual or metaphysical (for lack of better words) standing 3) the idea that there are a fixed number of formal ways in which to seek knowledge and understanding. Crazy Horse according to Sandoz felt that the influx of Horses had corrupted Oglala society somewhat and made it more (in contemporary terms) - wealth bound and greed ridden. He also she suggests felt that there were in some respects formalized aspects of the society that were too rigid and so conflicted with (in contemporary terms) basic human rights. Sandoz's Crazy Horse in essence supported Oglala culture and society strongly only as a reformer he, by example suggested several small adjustments to the culture so as to make it better.

Rather than being unique in this I imagine, he showed up at a time when the West was interested in Native people much like they are interested in Middle Eastern peoples today. War seems to create a sensationalist fascination with the other and so some attention was given his life in the popular media. Many of the biographies seem to contain details that conflict strongly with Sandoz, but no other researcher seems to have spent the same amount of time both in archives and in the communities. She has a pointed, detailed yet equivocal touch and so I trust her account better than any I have seen. This book (as is common) puts the film to shame.

I think this was the best film made about the life and death of a great Native American Chief. Chief Crazy Horse life was filled with much sorrow but he never denied his people any thing including a way to live freely. Michael Greyeyes did an excellent job protraying Crazy Horse. Others in the film- Frank Avina, Zahn McClarnon, Irene Bedard, Wes Studi, August Schellenberg, and the rest of the cast did great with their charactors. I recommend this film for every one especially those who want a better understanding about Crazy Horse and The Sioux Nation.

This is history? It's one of those revisionist epics where the indians are depicted as goodie-goodies on a weekend scouting trip, have a beauty parlor and a gym in the camp somewhere, don't commit anything that could be viewed as offensive to modern viewers, all whites are evil brutes to a man and Custer is made personally responsible to all things bad that ever happened to the poor indians.

Furthermore it's doubtful that any indian tribe ever discussed matters military in terms of front lines and troops or whatever.

It's not even good as a old fashioned shoot-'em up adventure movie - it's too dull for that. If you want to see anything serious on the subject, watch "Dances With Wolves" or "Son of the Morning Star" instead.