Paul Newman

Joel Grey

Kevin McCarthy

Harvey Keitel

Allan F. Nicholls

Geraldine Chaplin

John Considine

Robert DoQui

Mike Kaplan

Bert Remsen

Bonnie Leaders

Noelle Rogers

Evelyn Lear

Denver Pyle

Frank Kaquitts

Will Sampson

Ken Krossa

Fred N. Larsen

Jerri Duce

Joy Duce

Alex Green

Gary MacKenzie

Humphrey Gratz

Pat McCormick

Shelley Duvall

Burt Lancaster

E. L. Doctorow

Patrick Reynolds

Arthur Kopit

Robert Altman

Peter Appleton

Paul Lohmann

Alan Rudolph

Richard Baskin

Dennis M. Hill

Dino De Laurentiis

Jac Cashin

Dan Perri

Jack Maxsted

Richard Portman

David Susskind

Anthony Masters

Monty Westmore

Chris McLaughlin

Michael Galloway

Richard Oswald

James E. Webb

Anthony Powell

Rob Young

William A. Sawyer

Western

Comedy

Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson

United Artists

The De Laurentiis Company

David Susskind Productions

Lion's Gate Films

Italy

United States of America

English

_**Tedious arty Western; thoroughly UNentertaining**_

Released in 1976 and directed by Robert Altman, "Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson" stars Paul Newman as Buffalo Bill Cody, the star of his famous "Wild West Show" in the shadow of the Rockies in 1885. After Chief Sitting Bull of Little Big Horn fame (Frank Kaquitts) arrives with his Number One (Will Sampson), Cody is irked that the chief isn't a slaughtering savage, but is silently heroic and honorable. Cody fires him, but relents when star attraction Annie Oakley (Geraldine Chaplin) sympathizes with Sitting Bull. Then President Grover Cleveland (Pat McCormick ) visits with his entourage.

This is revisionist Western, a "message movie" that Altman uses to criticize popular ideas or myths about the Old West. The titular hero is merely a showbiz creation who can no longer differentiate the truth from his made-up image. He's a blustering fool who asserts to be one with the Wild West, but lives in extravagance, play-acting in his Western circus. His hair is fake, he can no longer shoot straight or track a Native; and all his theatrical duels with owlhoots and Indians are fixed in his favor.

The theme is interesting and the ensemble cast is great (which also includes Burt Lancaster, Kevin McCarthy, Harvey Keitel, John Considine, Noelle Rogers, Shelley Duvall and Denver Pyle, amongst other notables). It should've worked, but it didn't. It's somewhat akin to "Little Big Man" (1970) but less of a comedy and nowhere near as entertaining (not that I'm a big fan of that movie or anything, but at least it has its entertaining moments). While the Wild West circus elicits some entertaining moments (e.g. rodeo stunts) they can't save the flick from being an arty, pretentious, tiresome bomb. Moreover, the principle Native Americans are ironically so one-dimensional and wooden I thought maybe Altman was making a snide aside about "wooden Indians."

Lastly, the ideology is blatantly one-sided against the New Americans, depicting Not-as-New Americans as super-noble while conveniently ignoring their documented dark side, e.g. the heinous torture tactics most tribes inflicted on their captive enemies, including other tribes-people, so as to hinder their condition in the afterlife (the "happy hunting grounds" or whatever). For instance, they'd gouge out enemies' eyes or mutilate their genitals so they (supposedly) wouldn't be able to see or copulate in the after-world. Yup, that's just so virtuous (sarcasm). Actually, I could handle this lopsided perspective if the movie itself were entertaining, but that's hardly the case.

The film runs 123 minutes and was shot in Alberta, Canada, mostly at Stoney Indian Reserve.

GRADE: D

Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976) TRAILER [HQ]

Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson

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