HBO’s “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” is not a mini-series; in fact, it only covers the last two chapters of Brown’s book and runs a miniature over two hours. The film would have been better titled, The Last Days of the Sioux Nation: Second Edition
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There are many historical inaccuracies in this film; some are astronomical, and some are diminutive. Director Yves Simoneau recounts the myth of reservation life, the taking of Indian lands and the debate that ensued. Choosing drama, as opposed to a documentary style, to picture these subjects is most inviting. When one looks past the inaccuracies in “Wounded Knee”, one will glimpse many moments of brilliance.
So, let us undo some of the most famous snafus first:
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* The film opens with a young Ohiyesa — Charles Eastman living in the village at the Battle of the Limited Bighorn. Eastman was never there.
* Sitting Bull physically lashes his men for attempting to wing Canada for their outmoded homeland. This was never the case. Sitting Bull did employ the akicita (similar to law enforcement officers) to withhold people from leaving Canada. The film accurately portrays why Sitting Bull took the actions he did.
* Sitting Bull surrenders at Standing Rock instead of Ft. Buford.
* Charles Eastman was not the right-hand man to Dawes in developing what would later become the Dawes Act.
“Wounded Knee” indeed seems to be two films. The first covers the latter years of Sitting Bull’s (August Schellenberg) life which are filled with triumph and defeat, greatness and loneliness. The second involves the rescue of a culture gasping its last breath. Trying to resuscitate it are Senator Henry Dawes (Aidan Quinn) and Charles Eastman (Adam Beach) through the building of the Dawes Act that ensures every Indian family would beget 160 acres of land.
The first film centers on Sitting Bull, a defeated chief of the Lakota, and one of the most convincing American Indian characters ever shaped for a film. He is a complete enigma. He fights to protect his people, yet he lashes warriors for fleeing Canada to their homeland in the Dakotas. He criticizes other Indian leaders for accepting the white man’s method of life, yet he sells his autograph and photo. Sitting Bull’s redemption is intended to be shown in one dramatic scene where he confronts the Dawe Commission. “You may say they wish to give us land. But, here is the truth. Each patch is for a man and all generations that follow. They know that this land cannot feed but one generation, not even so considerable as that…” He continues his speech which will shock and surprise many viewers. In the demolish, Sitting Bull’s oration becomes his death warrant.
Film two follows the life of Eastman. When he is 15 years traditional, his father Jacob (Wayne Charles Baker) takes Eastman assist from the roaming Santee bands. Eastman is confused from his father’s acceptance of Christianity and his singing of hymns. For me, one of the most well-known scenes occurs when Eastman must leave his father to commence yet another novel life. As Eastman looks out the window of his slowly involving notify, his father waves goodbye and begins to train a hymn. The emotions are exceedingly powerful; the hymn develops into an Indian strong-heart song as he waves goodbye to his son for the last time. Eastman eventually becomes the agency physician at Pine Ridge where he meets Elaine Goodale (Anna Paquin) and they become snappily friends. However, the Beach character is filled with conflict in one of his best performances. Living again among his people, Eastman questions what he has become.
From these doubts, the film chronicles perfectly Eastman and Dawe’s collapsing relationship. Through the first two acts, they allotment the enthusiasm of immense dreams and aspirations on how they intend to assign the American Indian. They become like father and son. But, they finally approach an impasse in a scene that exudes remarkable sadness.
In the middle of this complex storyline comes a moment of elegance in the only scene engaging Wovoka (Studi) . With ballet like movements, the Studi character brings his message of the Ghost Dance to the Lakota people. As he articulates his vision in words, he accompanies them with Plains Indian impress language while his body gracefully moves before the crowd. Wovoka’s message is simple: If the Lakota people gain his vision and learn the Ghost Dance, the Mammoth Spirit will rid the earth of the white man, return the buffalo to their tubby glory, and give befriend to the Lakota their worn plot of life. It is the strangest irony of this film: from such promise the Lakota people feel happiness again, but all they receive is death.
“Wounded Knee” gives us two tremendous scenes that connect the two films together. The first is the death of Sitting Bull never told before with such accuracy in any other film. This scene over any other quiet haunts me. The film then transports us to the second climatic scene, which is the Battle of Wounded Knee. Yes, it was a battle; there was fierce hand-to-hand combat, and it ended in a slaughter. The movie vividly portrays the tension leading up to the battle, its fight, and its massacre, but fails in its explanation why. The movie attempts to account for as when Col. James Forsyth (Marty Antonini) says to Eastman, “We didn’t fire first. I yelp to all-mighty God, we did not fire first.” I serene wish the film explained further.
That lack of explanation does not diminish from the greatness of this movie. It is truly valiant in the memoir movie producers have, until now, been timid to touch. For the first time we have a Western movie that is concerned with both sides. With its brilliant script, strong direction, and much acting, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” grasps the notion of the last days of the Lakota nation wholly; at times brutal, but the movie detached exhibits warmth and passion.
Bury My Heart….is a decent film. I always welcome any film that, respectfully and honestly, tries to deal with native american subject matters.
However; this film was simply too riddled with historical inaccuracies to be what it should have been.
The first dilemma arises in that Dee Brown’s book in itself romantizises the massacre at wounded knee. To putrid a film on a book that is already flawed, from a native point of plan, is tatamount to building a house on quicksand.
Ok let’s view at the character of Ohiysa, or Dr. Charles Eastman, portrayed by Adam Beach.
Ohiyesa was Whappeton-Sisseton DAKOTA….in the film he is portrayed as LAKOTA. To most people that won’t matter considerable, but for both the Lakota and Dakota people it does.
He sometimes speaks in Lakota….which, as a Dakota, he most certainly would not have. Apt, both dialects are mutually understandable and are of siouan origin, but Ohiyesa would certainly have spoken his Whappeton Dakota dialect….not the Oglalla Lakota dialect.
Then he is placed in the infamous position and time. Ohiyesa was nowhere reach the greasy grass (petite big-horn) when the lakota camp was attacked by Reno and his men. In fact, he was a position away up in North Dakota or further over in Minnesota….not in Montana where the battle took spot.
Neither was he ever stop to the wounded knee massacre. He WAS the agency physician at Pine Ridge, Oglalla Lakota Reservation, but not at the time of the battle at wounded knee.
Chief Tatanka Iyotake…Sitting Bull. August Schellenberg did a respectable job with the script he was given. What bothers me however, is that in almost all native type movies the actors are forced to tell in a very awckward manner which comes across as phoney and contrieved. As though natives would have spoken that map in their believe language.
Anyhow. Tatanka Iyotake comes across as somewhat of a jerk and I feel that the procedure he was pertrayed took worthy away from the exact Sitting Bull…not that I knew the man of course. However; Sitting Bull was a wicasa wakan…a holy man amongst his Hunkpapa people and I doubt he would have conducted himself as arrogantly and foolishly as he was made to witness in this film. Also, he never came to Pine Ridge…mighty less did he surrender there. He surrendered at Ft. Robinson Nebraska…..the same region where Tashunke Witko…Chief Crazy Horse surrendered and where he was murdered by the U.S. Govt. They did collect it factual that Sitting Bull was murdered on his Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota.
Again, these inaccuracies may not seem like a gargantuan deal to most, but I doubt ANY american would occupy proper to a foreigen nation making a film about, say Pearl Harbor, but confuse names, events and places of major american figures along the map. Imagine, a foreigen produced film about Pearl Harbor, with Gen. Mc Arthur invading China instead of Japan, and Pearl Harbor being plot on the fly of Maine. Wouldn’t go over well would it? Now imagine how the decendants of the native side of wounded knee feel when the record of their ancestors is constantly told in a haphazzard manner.Point made.
There are a few other things defective with this film. In the last frames of the film Chief Makhpia Luta…Red Cloud, is shown riding on a wagon, as Ohiyesa and his wife bare gaze to the aftermath of the massacre. Red Cloud was not at wounded knee. He was at Pine Ridge at the time yes, but he did not visit the killing field because he was vexed that more violence would errupt. Beyond that, he had gone blind and was in broken-down health at the time of the massacre….he couldn’t have gone even if he had wanted to.
All in all the acting was anywhere from substantial to ok, but given the lame script and dialogue there was not remarkable any of the actors could have done. The cinematography was very apt, as were the costumes….at least here they paid attention to detail in ditinguishing the Arikira from the Crow and the Crow from the Lakota…as each tribe had it’s beget very distinctive dress and appearance forms.
One last effect on Dr. Eastman. In the film he is shown as being desolate toward the raze and out of work when he, in fact, went on to publish many books and was, even in his day, recognized as a writer and orator of tremendous renown.
From my perspective it is hard to procure around the inaccuracies and the torrid dialogue, but given the scarsity of cerdible native themed films…collected and ever, I remove it for what it is and give it 3 stars.
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