L'indien

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.

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.

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!

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

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.