It's a Western set in 1909 in Banning, California. Willie Boy is a 27-year-old Paiute Native American living on society's edges. He has been in prison and is seen as a troublemaker. He is in love with Lola (Katharine Ross), the daughter of Old Mike (Mikel Angel), who disapproves of the relationship. Willie has run away once before with a willing Lola, and Old Mike threatens to kill him if he tries again.
The government superintendent of the reservation is Elizabeth Arnold (Susan Clark), a doctor and sometimes lover of the deputy sheriff, Cooper (Robert Redford). Willie Boy's and Lola's second attempt at flight ends in Old Mike's death. This death generates a search led by Cooper that ends similarly to historical events.
"Tell Them Willie Boy is Here" is a 1960s take on the mistreatment of Native Americans in the early 20th century. Press coverage of the manhunt is sensational. Superintendent Elizabeth Arnold is a sympathetic defender of the Paiute. Her character's relationship to Robert Redford's character is bizarre by 21st-century standards but fits the culture of the 1960s. Redford is a respectful sheriff.
The film is also interesting because Abraham Polonsky had been blacklisted for 20 years; this was his first film since 1948. The cinematography is spectacular; the script is more pedestrian. The incident deserves a modern upgrade.
The government superintendent of the reservation is Elizabeth Arnold (Susan Clark), a doctor and sometimes lover of the deputy sheriff, Cooper (Robert Redford). Willie Boy's and Lola's second attempt at flight ends in Old Mike's death. This death generates a search led by Cooper that ends similarly to historical events.
"Tell Them Willie Boy is Here" is a 1960s take on the mistreatment of Native Americans in the early 20th century. Press coverage of the manhunt is sensational. Superintendent Elizabeth Arnold is a sympathetic defender of the Paiute. Her character's relationship to Robert Redford's character is bizarre by 21st-century standards but fits the culture of the 1960s. Redford is a respectful sheriff.
The film is also interesting because Abraham Polonsky had been blacklisted for 20 years; this was his first film since 1948. The cinematography is spectacular; the script is more pedestrian. The incident deserves a modern upgrade.