Jack Crabb, looking back from extreme old age, tells of his life being raised by Native Americans and fighting with General Custer.Jack Crabb, looking back from extreme old age, tells of his life being raised by Native Americans and fighting with General Custer.Jack Crabb, looking back from extreme old age, tells of his life being raised by Native Americans and fighting with General Custer.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
36K
YOUR RATING
- Director
- Writers
- Thomas Berger(novel)
- Calder Willingham(screenplay)
- Stars
- Director
- Writers
- Thomas Berger(novel)
- Calder Willingham(screenplay)
- Stars
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 4 wins & 10 nominations total
Aimee Eccles
- Sunshine
- (as Amy Eccles)
Carole Androsky
- Caroline
- (as Carol Androsky)
Jesse Vint
- Lieutenant
- (as Jess Vint)
- Director
- Writers
- Thomas Berger(novel)
- Calder Willingham(screenplay)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe role of Old Lodge Skins was initially offered to Marlon Brando, who turned it down. Other sources claim Arthur Penn's first choice for the role was Sir Laurence Olivier. When that didn't work out, Richard Boone was slated for the role. When Boone backed out at the last minute, Chief Dan George was given the part and earned an Oscar nomination.
- GoofsWhen Jack Crabb is shown drunk during a heavy rainstorm shots alternate back and forth from being on an overcast day to being ones in bright sunshine.
- Quotes
Old Lodge Skins: There is an endless supply of white men. There has always been a limited number of human beings.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Gunsmoke: The Drummer (1972)
- SoundtracksBringing In the Sheaves
(1880) (uncredited)
Music by George A. Minor (1880)
Hymn by Knowles Shaw (1874)
Sung a cappella by Faye Dunaway
Review
Featured review
Lightly funny, wry, and with doses of American tragedy...an odd, long, decent film
Little Big Man (1970)
Well, this was destined to be a headliner--Arthur Penn directing (after "Bonnie and Clyde") and Dustin Hoffman (after "The Graduate" and "Midnight Cowboy"). And it's a comedy in the wackiest way. Hoffman is a survivor from Little Big Horn (Custer's Last Stand) and this is an invented life up to that point, told from memory to man with a tape recorder at the age of 123.
And the old (old!) Hoffman is pretty terrific, mostly in the narration, but including some pretty caked on make-up, too. Most of the movie is a young Hoffman as both Indian and White Man (alternating, depending on how he gets miraculously saved from one disaster after another). It's a farce, yes, but there are overtones of tragedy throughout (the annihilation of a race can only be so funny for so long) and there are some truly violent scenes, mostly of Indians being slaughtered by the Army.
It might help to know this is a metaphor of sorts about the brutality of the Army in Vietnam, which was raging at the time. It does make it all less frivolous. But it's also just fine as a crazy retelling of the last great famous Indian War, and the events (more or less) leading up to it. Hoffman is terrific in his usual way, and the support around him funny, especially the old Indian Chief, played by Chief Dan George. The two other big stars appear only briefly, Faye Dunaway in a couple scenes, and Martin Balsam in one. It's really Hoffman's film, and Penn's, too, with a grand and complex range of scenes inside and out, night and day, city and wide open country.
It didn't strike me as a brilliant film, or even as funny as it could have been, but it's endlessly engaging and there are some witty and funny moments sprinkled all through. It is long, and I might not call it slow even though it feels like it drags here and there, for sure.
Well, this was destined to be a headliner--Arthur Penn directing (after "Bonnie and Clyde") and Dustin Hoffman (after "The Graduate" and "Midnight Cowboy"). And it's a comedy in the wackiest way. Hoffman is a survivor from Little Big Horn (Custer's Last Stand) and this is an invented life up to that point, told from memory to man with a tape recorder at the age of 123.
And the old (old!) Hoffman is pretty terrific, mostly in the narration, but including some pretty caked on make-up, too. Most of the movie is a young Hoffman as both Indian and White Man (alternating, depending on how he gets miraculously saved from one disaster after another). It's a farce, yes, but there are overtones of tragedy throughout (the annihilation of a race can only be so funny for so long) and there are some truly violent scenes, mostly of Indians being slaughtered by the Army.
It might help to know this is a metaphor of sorts about the brutality of the Army in Vietnam, which was raging at the time. It does make it all less frivolous. But it's also just fine as a crazy retelling of the last great famous Indian War, and the events (more or less) leading up to it. Hoffman is terrific in his usual way, and the support around him funny, especially the old Indian Chief, played by Chief Dan George. The two other big stars appear only briefly, Faye Dunaway in a couple scenes, and Martin Balsam in one. It's really Hoffman's film, and Penn's, too, with a grand and complex range of scenes inside and out, night and day, city and wide open country.
It didn't strike me as a brilliant film, or even as funny as it could have been, but it's endlessly engaging and there are some witty and funny moments sprinkled all through. It is long, and I might not call it slow even though it feels like it drags here and there, for sure.
helpful•116
- secondtake
- Dec 1, 2011
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $15,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $31,559,552
- Gross worldwide
- $31,559,552
- Runtime2 hours 19 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content






























