The Tonto Woman (2008)

A white woman is kidnapped from her home by Apache Indians. Traded to the Mojave Indians, she lives as a squaw for 11 years until she is found by her husband. Unfit for society he keeps her... See full summary »

Director:

Daniel Barber

Writers:

Elmore Leonard (story), Joe Shrapnel (screenplay)

Stars:

Sam Douglas, Charlotte Asprey, Richard Brake

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Sam Douglas	...	Bonnet
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charlotte Asprey	...	Sarah Isham
Richard Brake	...	Isham
Lola Garcia	...	Ramona Halloran
John Golightly	...	The Priest
Duncan Marwick	...	Clyde
Dan Mullane	...	Tom Halloran
Una Nicholson	...	Waitress
Francesco Quinn	...	Ruben Vega
Lex Shrapnel	...	Springfield

Storyline

A white woman is kidnapped from her home by Apache Indians. Traded to the Mojave Indians, she lives as a squaw for 11 years until she is found by her husband. Unfit for society he keeps her in a shack in the desert. Her solitary existence is transformed with the arrival of a Mexican. He befriends her, reignites her self-worth and increases her confidence. He re-introduces her to her husband and leaves. As he is leaving town he is ambushed by her husbands men and there is a gun-battle. Who lives and who dies?

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Plot Keywords:

shooting | cattle rustler | female nudity | confession | topless woman | 

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Genres:

Short | Drama | Romance | Western

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 February 2008 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Knucklehead, Little Mo Films, Rose Hackney Barber

Technical Specs

Runtime:

35 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008)

User Reviews

Great MovieGood film, worth catching if it comes to your city

I also watched this film along with the other Oscar nominated shorts. I was really excited to see that the screenplay was from an Elmore Leonard story. I have not read much of his western books, but if this was a glimpse into that world I will definitely reading some of those books.

The short was a tad bit long for a "short film". Sometimes shorts are so long you feel like you got cheated out a a full length feature. Other times shorts are so brief that you feel cheated out of having some closure with the story. I think this film road the line between too long and just right. There are moments that I really did want some more back story.

Overall I would say this is my second favorite of the Oscar shorts.

By the way I guess some readers/viewers should know that shorts are not usually MPAA rated so you should always assume you might see something "r-rated". In this movie you do see a top half full frontal of a woman. So just breasts. That should not be a big deal, but I guess it is for some. I will say that is is tastefully done and not gratuitous.

If you get a chance definitely catch this short.