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	...	Himself
Chris Eyre	...	Himself
Russell Means	...	Himself
John Trudell	...	Himself
Jesse Wente	...	Himself
Charlie Hill	...	Himself
Jim Jarmusch	...	Himself
André Dudemaine	...	Himself
Tim Spotted Horse	...	Himself
David Kiehn	...	Himself
Rod Rondeaux	...	Himself
Melinda Micco	...	Herself
Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance	...	Himself (archive footage)
David Tuefner	...	Himself
Angela Aleiss	...	Herself

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

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 June 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hollywood-Indianer

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

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 The Last of the Mohicans (1920)

User Reviews

THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE GET THEIR REVENGE...!

Reel Injun is a wonderful primer for all things cinematic of the Native American portrayal in Hollywood. At once eye-opening, depressing but ultimately hopeful for future film generations. Well done.