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Reel Injun  This lively and fascinating documentary focuses on how the representation of American Indians in American cinema has evolved throughout the years. The very first Native Americans filmed were in Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope films which showed them dancing around back in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. Between that time and the 1939, they were stereotyped in movies as spiritual, noble savages. Films that depicted them in that way didn’t do too well at the box office, though, but, in 1939, people flocked to see Stagecoach, the classic Western by John Ford starring John Wayne, which depicted the Injuns—a derogatory word---as bloodthirsty people lacking any redeeming personalities. It wasn’t until Little Big Man was released in 1970 that the American Indians were portrayed more like human beings, although they were still stereotyped. Many white actors, i.e. Elvis Presley, played American Indian roles on screen. Dances with Wolves, Smoke Signals and The Fast Runner depicted them more realistically and sympathetically. Director Neil Diamond successfully and engagingly sets the record straight when it comes to the cinematic stereotypes of Native Americans, i.e. the depiction of them wearing headbands or always riding horses, but most importantly he traces the roots of those stereotypes as a means to educate the viewer. Interviews with film directors, an Ojibwa Native Indian film critic Jesse Wente, and Native American actors help to shed further light on the topic which has not been explored so extensively in another other documentary thus far. Instead of merely including a bunch of talking heads, he blends in clips from essential films and, fortunately, a few instances of well-needed comic relief as he rides across the country in his Rez car and, together with you as his curious passenger, learns the truth behind the fog of Native American stereotypes in Hollywood. At a running time of 1 hour and 26 minutes, Reel Injun manages to be a fascinating, well-researched documentary that simultaneously informs and captivates the audience.  Main Page Alphabetical Menu Chronological Menu ______________________________________________________ |
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