L'indien

Anthony Quinn is first american Flapping Eagle, and of course, Shelley Winters as Dorothy. (she seemed to be miscast SO many times, in my tiny little opinion.) Story of life on the reservation. Quinn had been in films since the 1930s, so he was a seasoned pro by now, but he is so grandiose and over the top, that it gets kind of silly. Workers are blowing up all the land around the native americans to build a new highway, including their burial grounds. ( whether or not it really IS a burial ground, is up for debate.) this is a strange, serious yet comical take on the plight of the american indian groups, defending their land, as usual, against invasion by the white man. the audience is in on both the seriousness and the humorous approach, much like watching All in the Family. Directed by British Carol Reed. had a mix of hits and bombs; directed The Third Man. and won the Oscar for Oliver! Flap was filmed out in the desert of new mexico. Written by Clair Huffaker, who wrote THREE films for John Wayne!

Typical of the early seventies, after - or during - the success of SOLDIER BLUE and othe LITTLE BIG MAN, I mean the Natives Americans living conditions...I did not expect such a film from director Carold Reed, though he gave us, seven years earlier, THE RUNNING MAN, starring Larry Harvey, also surprising from him. However THE RUNNING MAN was closer to THE THIRD MAN, in terms of plot, than this FLAP - THE LAST WARRIOR, scheme. Martin Ritt, and his social involvement (HOMBRE) would have been more "predictable" in the choice of the director than Carol Reed. But it remains a good film. But I persist and sign: Martin Ritt, or Sid Pollack would have been more "concerned" in such a plot. Or John Frankenheimer.

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.

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.

It's been a few years since I've seen "Flap," and admittedly the memory is perhaps a little fuzzy in places. Though I've never read Huffaker's "Nobody Likes a Drunken Indian," the movie still stands out as a character study which needed to be told. Showing both sides of life on a remote, post-war reservation, its characters displayed bits and pieces of people I've known on and around a nearby reservation in this region. Also, the destruction of the bulldozer, subsequent bender with its owner, and the theft of a railroad car provided much needed moments of comedy to the ever present backdrop of the plight of the natives. Though few are likely to have heard of this movie, and though I've heard it is currently out of print, I feel it is long overdue for a remake and yes- some improvements. Still, it's one of those films that is well worth a look. -Chuck