Tecumseh (1972) User Reviews

Romanticised biography

[unbrokenmetal · 7/10 · 8 April 2007]

Tecumseh was an Indian chieftain who united many tribes in the early 19th century in order to fight back the white Americans. Tecumseh finally became an officer in the English army and fell in a battle. Despite this historical background, the movie romanticizes the biography quite a bit - with a love story in between and a typical 70s easy listening soundtrack. Earlier movies with "Tecumseh" star Gojko Mitic seem rather grim in comparison, "Weisse Wölfe" for example. A strength of "Tecumseh" lies in the dialogs, because all Indians speak in whole sentences instead of the broken words other screen-writers often put in their mouths. Obligatory for the East German "Indianerfilm" genre is the ideological background of honorable natives vs. imperialist aggressors, in this case led by governor Harrison (Wolfgang Greese) who is only interesting in snatching as much land from them as possible. However, this leaves room enough for a few characters to be torn between, especially Simon as a friend of Tecumseh who turns into an enemy.

Mediocre sauerkraut western

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 2 July 2016]

"Tecumseh" is a GDR movie from 1972, so this one has its 45th anniversary next year long after the country stopped existing. It is another film from the East German Indian movie series that served as an alternative to the Pierre Brice West German approach. The lead actor is Gojko Mitic as usual and once again the title of the film just has his character's name. Rolf Römer is one of the two writers and he also appeared as an actor in here, possibly his most known work, even if this is not the only GDR Indian film in his body of work. Hans Kratzert directed this pretty long film and it turned out basically the usual. I still believe Mitic is a better actor than Pierre Brice, but these East German films have nobody who has half of Lex Barker's charisma and the plots and stories are also nothing memorable at all. Of course, visually it is fine with the vast landscapes, but this alone (and Mitic's solid performance) simply won't cut the cake. This film dragged on several occasions and the final outcome is mostly forgettable, if not disappointing. Watch something else instead unless you really adore Indian-themed western films.

Hero of the Indian People or Magnificent Goyko Mitic: part seven

[lyubitelfilmov · 8/10 · 25 October 2020]

Western. Production of the East German film studio DEFA, where the main role is played by the Yugoslav actor, "Honored Indian of the Soviet Union" Gojko Mitic. This is the seventh of twelve that I intend to watch and revise. I definitely did not see this picture, because otherwise I would have remembered it, but for now here is my brief opinion - the Hero of the Indian people. I want to warn you in advance that there are no shortcomings in this picture, but there are several clarifications that I will highlight in a separate paragraph, but for now let me focus your attention on the expressive merits of this good western. So, here they are: 1. The story of Tekumze - the whole picture is focused on him, the role of which is played by the legendary Goiko Mitic, Tekumze - no less legendary leader of the Shawnee tribe, who realized that only having united into one people, they are able to withstand the ruthless onslaught of the pale-faced and preserve their home ... This cannot be done without petty separatism, but precious time has already been lost, but then, unexpectedly, war breaks out between the young United States and the mighty (everywhere except North America) British Empire, giving Tekumza and his people a chance that he uses. On this path, intrigue, betrayal, betrayal, a test of friendship, love and battles await him. The ending of the picture is exactly what it was in real life, and nothing can be done about it, alas! The script is well written and played at a high level. We are waiting for the "classic" twists in this series of paintings, to which we have all become accustomed for a long time. 2. Fights, skirmishes, battles - that's for this huge thanks to the creators, because not only are there a lot of extras and the viewer feels himself in the center of the battle, but also the technical performance was at the highest level. Your humble servant got a real pleasure from these scenes. The battles very closely follow the historical descriptions, so this western can be used to study the history of that period of time. 3. Decorations and costumes - it can be seen that it was spent on the creation of the picture, and quite a lot, because all the uniforms are good as for selection, and correspond to historical prototypes. The scenery is not inferior to them in anything. Forgive my enthusiasm, but I'm not lying. Honestly honest! 4. Music - I really want to scold the composer, because for such a large-scale western one could write no less powerful musical accompaniment, well, or at the level of the Western "Trail of the Falcon", but in the end we have completely passable musical compositions that only partially convey the intensity of the drama ... 5. Relationships - and again, the relationship between the red and the pale is perfectly reproduced, since the latter, whether they are Americans or the British, despise the Indians, and only use them as temporary allies, while they are dogging each other, and when the matter is for peace, they will start again oppress the Indians. Of course, among the pale-faced there are honest and decent people, such as the Governor of Canada, General Issac Brock, but there are quite a few of them, and they themselves cannot always influence the situation. Contempt and hatred, often open, and when pale-faced need it through clenched teeth. The Cruel Law of America's Conquest. A little about the main characters: 1. Tekumze performed by Goiko Mitic - the legendary leader of the Indians, who created an alliance of tribes and went to war with the Americans in alliance with England, received the rank of general for his bravery. He dreamed of a strong and independent Indian state, but the harsh truth of life turned out to be different. He shows himself as an intelligent and calculating politician and commander, who was superbly played by Goiko. Bravo! 2. Simon Mekew performed by Rolf Roemer - a close friend of Tekumse, who became his sworn enemy, a colonel of the American army. How bad it is that one trifle and wrong conclusions ruin the strong friendship of people that consider each other brothers. Rolf got an unusual role, but he coped with it unambiguously. Well done! 3. William Henry Garrison, played by Wolfgang Grese, is the governor of Indiana and a supporter of the expulsion of the Indians from their native lands. An insidious politician and commander, for whom "honor" and "word" are worthless. What a pity that there are so many such people. Wolfgang was good at this role. Of course, to date, the fights, battles shown in this western are not able to impress the minds of the audience. There is practically no blood again, everyone just falls when they receive "mortal wounds", and the music has not been turned on, this is obvious. But let's make a discount on the release time. But I repeat - the extras added plus signs to my final assessment. Well, next time Goiko Mitic will have to save the Apache tribe from the insidious pale-faced. It will be in the picture "Apache". As a result, we have a good western with Goiko Mitic, with an excellent and tense script, large-scale battles, good music and excellent acting.