Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) (TV)

Director:

Yves Simoneau

Writers (WGA):

Daniel Giat (teleplay)
Dee Brown (book)

Release Date:

27 May 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Western

Tagline:

The Epic Fall of the American Indian

Plot:

A chronicle of how American Indians were displaced as the U.S. expanded west. Based on the book by Dee Brown.

Plot Keywords:

Sitting Bull | Senator | Government | General | Doctor

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 20 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Anna Paquin	...	Elaine Goodale
Chevez Ezaneh	...	Ohiyesa / Young Charles
August Schellenberg	...	Sitting Bull
Duane Howard	...	Uncle
Aidan Quinn	...	Henry Dawes
Colm Feore	...	General Sherman
Fred Dalton Thompson	...	President Ulysses S. Grant (as Fred Thompson)
Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse	...	One Bull (as Nathan Chasing Horse)
Wayne Charles Baker	...	Jacob
Brian Stollery	...	Bishop Whipple
Shaun Johnston	...	Col. Nelson Miles
Gordon Tootoosis	...	Chief Red Cloud
Billy Merasty	...	Young Man Afraid
Morris Birdyellowhead	...	American Horse
Eddie Spears	...	Chasing Crane

Also Known As:

Untitled Wounded Knee Project (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Company:

HBO Films

Trivia:

Originally began development in 1995 as a two-part miniseries for ABC.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Shaun Johnston as Col. Nelson Miles is shown at the signing of the Fort Laramie Treaty of April 29, 1868 wearing a Civil War Medal and an Indian Wars Medal. The first Civil War Campaign Medal was issued on May 26, 1909. The blue and gray ribbon shown in the film was not in use until August 12, 1913. The first Indian Wars Medal was issued July 15, 1908. The ribbon shown in the film with two dark bands was not in use until 1917.

Quotes:

Charles Eastman: And now you speak of coercion. I don't understand.
Henry Dawes: If we don't put that land into the hands of individual Indians in five years- less-homesteaders and ranchers will demand it all... for nothing. The Indian must own his own piece of earth, Charles.
Charles Eastman: Did you know that there is no word in the Sioux language for that, sir?
Henry Dawes: For what?
Charles Eastman: To "own the earth." Not in any native language.
Henry Dawes: Well, then perhaps you should invent one.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I Need

A big disappointment

The only reason I'm giving this movie 3 stars is because of the casting and the acting. Both were well done. The movie, however, is a disappointment.

I first read Dee Brown's book, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, when I was 10 years old and found out that I was part Cherokee. It struck a cord with me that continues to resonate today, 30 some years later. Expecting a long overdue movie that would capture the eloquent and heart-breaking words and stories of the book, I was disappointed to find the movie barely resembled the book at all. As a college lecturer who frequently refers to the book in my classes, I am quite familiar with its contents. The movie version was barely recognizable.

Indian heroes such as Sitting Bull and Red Cloud come across as arrogant and foolish in this movie. They are not characters that we can sympathize with; in fact, no one in this movie is. While the story of Charles Eastman is worth telling, it is not part of the book and is sloppily woven into the storyline of the Sioux resistance at the Battle of the Little Bighorn to the massacre at Wounded Knee. That the Wounded Knee massacre should be told in flashbacks rather than as direct action is appalling.

So much has been left out of this movie that it does nothing more than commit a great injustice to both the book and the people whose stories are being told. Hasn't America taken enough away from the Indian? Must another Hollywood movie strip Indian people of yet another aspect of their culture, namely their stories, their history, and their heroes? In this movie, it does all three.