Documentary Movie Reviews
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Reel Injun (2009)
Rate:
6
Viewed:
4/26
4/26:
Prior to watching Reel Injun, I had something different in mind, and afterwards, my expectations were
rarely met.
Needless to say, the documentary is at once disappointing and disorganized, evoking the feel of being rigidly
controlled by some kind of agenda that's approved by the American Indian Movement (AIM). There's one bizarre
segment that should've been cut out which involves an Austrian counselor at a summer camp for white kids
pretending to be Indians.
The biggest contradiction is Sacheen Littlefeather's appearance given the covered topic of
pretenders. I understand she did hold an important place in movie history by refusing the Oscar for Marlon
Brando. In truth, she wasn't an American Indian but a white Spanish-Mexican woman named Maria Louise Cruz.
The White Mountain Apache and Pascua Yaqui tribes have no enrollment record of her or anyone else in the family.
I thought John Wayne's legacy would take up half of the time, but the documentary didn't explore it enough.
We're talking about decades of Hollywood's myth-building that did so much damage to the image of the race. I
also wanted to hear thoughts from many about white thespians in the hundreds being Indianfaced, but that's
given a very light treatment. Speaking of it, no matter how many times
Flags of Our Fathers is mentioned, Ira Hayes' story has already
been filmed in the early 60's, and it's called The Outsider with Tony
Curtis.
Sure, there's an amusing video clip of an American Indian speaking in his native tongue which turns out to
be totally different and derogatory, but is that the only instance or are there more? An experiment is shown
involving American Indian kids watching a segment or two about what's happening to their people, but it's
done rather badly.
Elsewhere, I'm surprised to hear negative comments about
Dances With Wolves and don't agree. That film changed everything
for the positive, allowing more exposure for many American Indian thespians in the 90's and onward. Moreover,
it ended the racism permanently. However, one thing must be understood: American Indian cinema in general
don't make money, period. That's why I've never heard of Dance Me Outside or
Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner.
Granting Chris Eyre's film Smoke Signals a lot of attention is
a mistake. What most viewers don't realize is it's a near rip-off of an original film called
Powwow Highway which should've been talked up more often. The rest of
the following is either omitted or barely mentioned: Broken Arrow,
Kings of the Sun, Soldier Blue,
A Man Called Horse,
Ulzana's Raid, Running Brave,
The Mission,
Son of the Morningstar,
The Last of the Mohicans,
and Apocalypto.
Russell Means and John Trudell? Please, they take up too much time and are exploiters of their people while as
members and leaders of AIM. Both were involved in the cover-up of the murder of Anna Mae Aquash. The former, a
media whore, had an extensive history of violence against women and the federal government, among others.
Instead, Graham Greene should've been the principal spokesperson because he had the longest history of
working in Hollywood for an American Indian, going back to the mid 70's with almost 200 credits. Just like
Adam Beach, additional input from Gordon Tootoosis, Wes Studi, Gary Farmer, Eric Schweig, and Rodney A. Grant
would've been appreciated. I wish I could mention more, but it's not a large group of prominent American
Indian thespians plus a few were dead at the time: Chief Dan George, Floyd Red Crow Westerman, and Will Sampson.
All in all, it's good that Reel Injun was thought of, but the documentary needs to be redone in the
right manner.