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Smoke Signals
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Smoke Signals (1998) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   4,661 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 12% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Chris Eyre
Writers:
Sherman Alexie (book)
Sherman Alexie (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Smoke Signals on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
26 June 1998 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama more
Tagline:
A new film from the heart of Native America.
Plot:
Young Indian man Thomas is a nerd in his reservation, wearing oversize glasses and telling everyone stories no-one wants to hear... more | full synopsis
Awards:
9 wins & 6 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Contest: Win Boston Legal: Season 5 on DVD
 (From MovieWeb. 1 May 2009, 10:53 AM, PDT)

Boston Legal: Checking Out Tonight's "Guardians and Gatekeepers"
 (From BuddyTV. 28 September 2008, 11:30 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
A refreshing road film more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Le secret des cendres (Canada: French title)
This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some intense images.
Runtime:
89 min
Country:
Canada | USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Certification:
USA:PG-13 (certificate #35626) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | France:U | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
During the shooting of Lucy and Velma driving backwards, Elaine Miles (Lucy) acquired the skill of driving the car backwards. Hence, no stunt driver was needed. Miles performed the driving herself. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When 12-year-old Victor beats Thomas up right after his dad leaves, he is wearing a white and red shirt under his button-up shirt. After he begins running, the undershirt changes to a completely red muscle-tee. more
Quotes:
Victor Joseph: You gotta look mean or people won't respect you. White people will run all over you if you don't look mean. You gotta look like a warrior! You gotta look like you just came back from killing a buffalo!
Thomas Builds-the-Fire: But our tribe never hunted buffalo - we were fishermen.
Victor Joseph: What! You want to look like you just came back from catching a fish? This ain't "Dances With Salmon" you know!
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Images of Indians: How Hollywood Stereotyped the Native American (2003) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
A Million Miles Away more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
18 out of 22 people found the following comment useful:-
A refreshing road film, 26 December 1998
8/10
Author: EzyRyder from Los Angeles

The eyes of cinema has always seen Indians only as the bad guys. The ones that shoot their arrows, wear feathers on their heads, and yell as they chase the heroes down. Finally, after 100 years of movies, we get a film that honestly portrays the Native American culture.  And man, it sure is refreshing.

The story opens on the Fourth of July, 1976 in a small Idaho Indian reservation. A small infant named Thomas Builds-the-Fire is thrown out of the window of a burning house and is caught by Arnold Joseph (Gary Farmer), a neighbor with a drinking problem, who is later kicked out of the house by his wife, leaving behind his son, Victor (Adam Beach). Arnold eventually settles down in Phoenix and his family never hears from him again.

20 years later, a phone call comes. It's from a woman in Phoenix, she says that Arnold is dead. Victor, who had developed a resentment towards his father over the years, decides that he should travel to Phoenix to pick up his ashes. Unfortunately, he has no money to get there... but Thomas does and offers to pay if he can come along with Victor. This is a tough decision for Victor since he never really liked Thomas, but he finally agrees and the two set off on their journey.

It's during their journey that we learn about the characters, Victor and Thomas' conversations reveal their attitudes towards Americans their views of Native Americans. In one scene, Victor accuses Thomas of learning everything about being an Indian from watching Dances With Wolves. In another funny sequence, the two begin talking about cowboys and end up singing a tune about John Wayne's teeth! Victor's resentment for his father is also revealed to us through flashbacks depicting the early years and the memories (some good, some bad) that the two shared.

They do eventually arrive in Phoenix and find the woman that called with the news of Arnold's death. Victor talks with her during the night and finds out how much his dad cared for him and how he never wanted to leave the reservation in the first place. The events that follow drastically alter Victor's perceptions of his father forever.

Smoke Signals is a great film and one that can teach you a lot about a culture so often misrepresented on the screen. There is a feeling of ease and casualness in the conversations between Victor and Thomas... slowly they reveal more and more of themselves to us, in a way that is so nonchalant that we understand their feelings it without even noticing it. Smoke Signals is well worth your time and offers a refreshing alternative to the big budget, special effects driven crap this summer.

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Movie reference? msettel
Ennit! rrossman-2
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