Sergente flep indiano ribelle

Have you ever read a book, then seen the movie, and wonder-How did they screw it up so bad? This is one of those. The book by Huffaker, "Nobody Likes a Drunken Indian" was great, riotously funny...this movie is not. It seems as though nobody cared enough to move the direction along so we CARED about the characters. This movie, which touches on some real concerns about Indians, makes you wonder why we haven't seen more comedies about the holocaust, or slavery. Not well done.

Tears and laughs, this is what I remember about seeing this

movie in the late 70's. The Last Warrior was the title I knew it under, turns out, this was

the title they used in Europe for it, and it's a much better title than

Flap. I read the book, in it's German translation. I still like it. Wish I could see it again, my memory is a little fuzzy on it, but in my

mind, it was a great movie, tearing at my emotional strings. At that time, I would have considered it racially progressive, as it

employed Native American actors and spotlighted the plight of life

on reservations. I don't know how I would judge it today, but 20+ years ago, I gave it an A++ rating.

The sentiment is appreciated but not the execution. The ongoing plight of the Native American is the worthy subject but having the key roles played by whites was the usual Hollywood BS and comes across as exploitative and stereotyped. Quinn was a great actor but his drunken bear of a man routine wears out fast, as it did in A Dream of Kings.

Flapping Eagle (Anthony Quinn) is an Indian living on a poor reservation. He and his friends struggle to make a living while dealing with racist cops like Sgt. Rafferty whenever they leave their reservation. They get drunk and grow apathetic. His buddy Eleven Snowflake actually publishes an obituary in the newspaper. Flap has an idea to lead a revolt with Eleven writing the story.

There is one moment when the movie surprised me with an opportunity for a great turn. When the construction supervisor takes the turn, this could become something. There is an over-arching issue with this story. These guys are drunks and they're not funny drunks. It's pathetic and rather annoying. He needs to get clean as the inciting incidence for his activism. Once he's clean, he gets a new vision of his purpose in life. That's a better character progression. As it stands, he's all over the place. The movie wants to be a comedy but frustration with him also frustrates the humor. It's a bumpy road but it does eventually get to the right place.

i saw this at a drive in 1971.i'll always think of it every time authority figures disrespect people who want to try to do what's right or fair(that's near-constantly in today's world).flap just wanted what everyone wants,he was kinda sneaky,but mostly he was trying to help his friends(and having fun at the expense of the authorities)i laughed and still do,even though i can't remember a lot of it now.Anthony Quinn did a great job of acting,creating a character that i can relate to and identify with.it is not only politically significant,but very entertaining.this should be re-released in an updated format for more than one reason.please bring it to DVD.