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

Adam Beach: We'll never be able to change the fantasy of who and what Indians are. That fantasy will always be there. We'll be... we'll always be on covers of novels saying "Cheyenne Warrior."

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Connections

Features Into the West (2005)

User Reviews

Plenty of Natives, Not Enough Film

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

What we have is a film that features "white guys" playing Native Americans and the secret identity of Iron Eyes Cody. And for the ladies, we have Native women summed up as Pocahontas. And, of course, all Natives were from the Plains in the movies with feathers and tepees.

What I found disappointing about this film was its lack of references to other films. They did a good job of looking at how Natives really live and there is some humor (the translations) and historical notes of importance (the Marlon Brando incident)... but the clips of films are not a big part of this, and therefore we never fully look at the subject -- Natives in film.

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