Reel Injun (2009)

The history of the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood films.

Directors:

Neil Diamond, Catherine Bainbridge (co-director)

Writers:

Catherine Bainbridge, Neil Diamond

Stars:

Adam Beach, Chris Eyre, Russell Means

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adam Beach	...	Self
Chris Eyre	...	Self
Russell Means	...	Self
John Trudell	...	Self
Jesse Wente	...	Self
Charlie Hill	...	Self
Jim Jarmusch	...	Self
André Dudemaine	...	Self
Tim Spotted Horse	...	Self
David Kiehn	...	Self
Rod Rondeaux	...	Self
Melinda Micco	...	Self
Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance	...	Self (archive footage)
David Tuefner	...	Self
Angela Aleiss	...	Self

Storyline

A documentary about the evolution of the depiction of First Nations people in film, from the silent era to today. Featuring clips from hundreds of films, candid interviews with famous Native and non-Native directors, writers and actors, Reel Injun traces how the image of First Nations people in cinema have influenced the understanding and misunderstanding of their culture and history.

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Plot Keywords:

full frontal male nudity | nudity | revisionist history | revisionist western | tragic event | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Goofs

In a montage showing Caucasian actors portraying Native Americans, Daniel Day-Lewis is shown in "The Last of the Mohicans." Day-Lewis's character, Nathaniel Poe, a/k/a/ "Hawkeye," is actually a white man adopted into Native American culture.

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Quotes

Charlie Hill: We're creative natives. And we're... and we're like the Energizer Bunny. The mightiest nation in the world tried to exterminate us, anglicise us, Christianize us, Americanize us, but we just keep going and going. And I think that Energizer Bunny must be Indian. He's got that little water drum he plays. And I always say, "Next time you have a powwow, have the... the Energizer Bunny lead the grand entry, and after a few rounds then we can get together and EAT him", because we never waste anything.

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Connections

Features Little Big Man (1970)

User Reviews

Disappointing though somewhat informative

I was really looking forward to seeing this documentary. In fairness, it does live up to its promise to expose the "Hollywood Indian" as a fabrication. But seriously, who didn't already know that - at least to some degree? What Reel Injun fails to do is offer any substantial new insight into the reality of Aboriginal cultures. There's so much rich diversity, and yet we learn next to nothing about any particular group. There's a place in the documentary where the point is made that relatively few Americans actually know an Aboriginal person. It's unfortunate that Reel Injun doesn't do much to help in that regard. Maybe I was expecting too much from an 86 minute doc. Hopefully there will be a follow up to Reel Injun that focuses more on who Aboriginal people are, as opposed to what they are not.

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 June 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hollywood et les Indiens

Filming Locations:

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Film Board of Canada (NFB), Rezolution Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min 65 min (TV)

Color:

Color