Amazon.com
With an acceptable balance of strengths and weaknesses, HBO's revisionist rendition of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee can be recommended as a very basic (if slightly inaccurate) history lesson for younger viewers. It doesn't flinch from the harsh realities that were so passionately chronicled in author Dee Alexander Brown's enduring 1970 classic of Native American history, nor does it soften the brutality of violence between the U.S. federal forces and the doomed Native American tribes who fought to preserve their native territories, from the legendary battle of Little Big Horn in 1876 (depicted in the opening scenes) to the shameful slaughter of Sioux warriors at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, on December 29, 1890. Originally broadcast on May 27, 2007, and running slightly over two hours, this U.S./Canadian coproduction struggles to tell a story that would've been better served by a full-length miniseries (and will surely disappoint anyone familiar with Brown's important book), and the screenplay is so busy giving us a Cliff's Notes version of history that it lacks any particular focus or consistent point of view. Instead, we get a sobering, noble, and heartbreaking tale of territorial injustice, with forced parallels to the war in Iraq, full of admirable performances yet riddled with clichés and anachronistic details.
If you look closer, however, you'll find much to admire: Although his character was dubiously conceived to appeal to a contemporary white audience, Adam Beach (from Flags of Our Fathers) gives a fine performance as Charles Eastman, a Sioux doctor integrated into white society, who grows increasingly conflicted by the plight of his people. He's the tragic embodiment of the faulty ideals of Senator Dawes (Aidan Quinn), whose governmental effort to assimilate Native Americans leads to disastrous outbreaks of violence, depicted here with blunt-force realism. As Eastman's sympathetic and upright wife (a white schoolteacher with a strong sense of conscience), Anna Paquin makes the most of an underwritten role, and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is an impressive showcase for outstanding native American actors like August Schellenberg (as Sitting Bull) and Gordon Tootoosis (as Red Cloud), who bring obvious authority and conviction to their roles. The film is most effective when addressing the inevitable failure of the white man's well-meaning but ultimately misguided policies toward Native Americans. To the extent that we still struggle with the historical legacy of those policies, this flawed but instructional rendition of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee can be viewed as a compact precursor to deeper historical study. --Jeff Shannon
Description
Inspired by Dee Brown's acclaimed bestseller, the HBO Films event begins powerfully with the Sioux triumph over General Custer at Little Big Horn. The action centers on the struggles of three characters: Charles Eastman (Adam Beach, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS), a young, Dartmouth-educated Sioux doctor; Sitting Bull (August Schellenberg, THE NEW WORLD), the proud Lakota chief who refuses to submit to U.S. government policies designed to strip his people of their identity, dignity and sacred land; and Senator Henry Dawes (Aidan Quinn, EMPIRE FALLS), one of the men responsible for the government policy on Indian affairs. While Eastman and schoolteacher Elaine Goodale (Anna Paquin, X-MEN: THE LAST STAND), work to improve life for the Sioux on the reservation, Senator Dawes lobbies President Grant for kinder Indian treatment. Epic in scope, BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE is a new Western classic called "...insightful...deeply affecting...visually striking" by The Washington Post.
DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Featurette
Interviews
Photo gallery
Production Notes
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful.......2007-09-17
This is such a beautiful yet harsh movie. It is a heart breaking view into the cruel treatment of our original Americans. They couldn't have found a better cast of talented actors.
Good historically based western.......2007-09-16
This movie has some great acting and good action scenes. I like fact-based movies and this one pulls it off well without being too wordy or too fluffy. Also, Fred Thompson played a pretty good cigar-chomping President Grant. Those of you who are considering voting for the hollywood-values, cradle-robbing, former Nixon lawyer and pro-abortion lobbyist might want to give it a view.
Sorely lacking in its quest to be an epic........2007-09-13
Luckily I was able to catch this on HBO OnDemand one boring Saturday morning, expecting the typical HBO greatness and grittiness.
While long, this movie is hardly epic. That is not to say it is terrible, either. There are plenty of redeeming features with regards to acting, costumes, etc.
Like with any modern PC depiction of Native Americans, the conflict is strenuous, painful, and always the same way. Traditionalism vs Modernism, the almost childlike stubbornness of the Natives to live in their homelands in peace, versus the cold, inevitable need to expand of a young nation with the world in front of them to be conquered. It is always an inability for these two to adapt with one another that leads to the conflict at hand.
At the center of the conflict is Sitting Bull, the chief of the Lakota tribe, resisting US expansion. On the other side is Henry Dawes, a Senator struggling fiercly against anti-Indian sentiment in the US after the slaughter of General Custer and his troops at Little Big Horn to try and resolve the conflicts between the tribes and the U.S.
The other story involves Ohiyesa, an Indian boy whose father converts to Christianity and becomes anglicized, taking his son with him, where he becomes Charles Eastman, and the shining star of hope to Henry Dawes and his faction that the natives are not savages, and can be civilized.
Eastman, however, cannot forget his roots, and still has hateful memories of his time in school, Ohiyesa forced to accept a Christian name or else not be called upon or allowed to pass. His story branches out with a sympathizing woman, lamely acted by Anna Paquin, who later marries him. The both of them work to help Natives on reservations, specifically with medicine and medical help.
Sitting Bull, meanwhile, sees that his land is lost, and leads the remnants of his tribe to Canada, where the Canadians graciously grant them land to live on, so long as they abide by ground rules, and tolerate the presence of their ancestral rivals. They cannot, and so the tribe forces Sitting Bull to bring them back home, where they settle in to reservation life.
The story is known from here, and I won't go on about it. While the story was a good one and well acted, it fell victim to a sort of reverse-stereotyping that Native Americans suffered a hundred years ago and more, depicted as godless savages. The Americans are depicted as sleazy, uncaring, selfish men who don't care at all for the plight of the Natives, and see them all as simply a pest infection that cannot be solved via extermination. Even Henry Dawes, the Senator risking everything to help the Natives, is gradually revealed as a sleazy self-serving hypocrite who cares only for advancing his career with controversial legislation.
As the Americans are hellspawn sent to ravage the earth, the Natives are the helpless victims with only good in their hearts and nature in their souls. No tribal leaders seek violence against the White men, none think of exacting vengeance against individuals, and none seek to harm anyone anywhere for any reason. The Natives gathered at Wounded Knee are simply praying. Sitting Bull is simply befuddled and confused as to why he's being taken away from his home.
All of this leads to a rather clumsily delivered conclusion, in which Sitting Bull is shot in a scene because the Americans felt like shooting someone in the confusion, and the massacre at Wounded Knee for pretty much the same reason.
Eastman's story isn't at all resolved, as he leaves his white wife to go and find himself, in the midst of a hellish job of trying to re-name all the Natives in reservations to anglicized names.
I cannot judge the novel, as I haven't read it, and wouldn't know if this was a faithful adaptation of it, but I feel that overall, this was a clumsily executed attempt at an epic. A true example of the popular phrase about shooting for the stars, and at least ending up somewhere high. This was a good movie, but not great. And certainly not as epic as it attempts to be.
A Western Movie That Is Concerned With Both Sides.......2007-08-08
HBO's "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" is not a mini-series; in fact, it only covers the last two chapters of Brown's book and runs a little over two hours. The film would have been better titled, The Last Days of the Sioux Nation: Second Edition
There are many historical inaccuracies in this film; some are big, and some are small. Director Yves Simoneau recounts the story of reservation life, the taking of Indian lands and the debate that ensued. Choosing drama, as opposed to a documentary style, to recount these subjects is most challenging. When one looks past the inaccuracies in "Wounded Knee", one will discover many moments of brilliance.
So, let us undo some of the most important snafus first:
* The film opens with a young Ohiyesa -- Charles Eastman living in the village at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Eastman was never there.
* Sitting Bull physically lashes his men for attempting to flee Canada for their old homeland. This was never the case. Sitting Bull did use the akicita (similar to law enforcement officers) to keep people from leaving Canada. The film accurately portrays why Sitting Bull took the actions he did.
* Sitting Bull surrenders at Standing Rock instead of Ft. Buford.
* Charles Eastman was not the right-hand man to Dawes in developing what would later become the Dawes Act.
"Wounded Knee" indeed seems to be two films. The first covers the latter years of Sitting Bull's (August Schellenberg) life which are filled with triumph and defeat, greatness and loneliness. The second involves the rescue of a culture gasping its last breath. Trying to resuscitate it are Senator Henry Dawes (Aidan Quinn) and Charles Eastman (Adam Beach) through the building of the Dawes Act that ensures every Indian family would own 160 acres of land.
The first film centers on Sitting Bull, a defeated chief of the Lakota, and one of the most convincing American Indian characters ever shaped for a film. He is a complete enigma. He fights to protect his people, yet he lashes warriors for fleeing Canada to their homeland in the Dakotas. He criticizes other Indian leaders for accepting the white man's way of life, yet he sells his autograph and photo. Sitting Bull's redemption is intended to be shown in one dramatic scene where he confronts the Dawe Commission. "You may say they wish to give us land. But, here is the truth. Each patch is for a man and all generations that follow. They know that this land cannot feed but one generation, not even so much as that..." He continues his speech which will shock and surprise many viewers. In the end, Sitting Bull's oration becomes his death warrant.
Film two follows the life of Eastman. When he is 15 years old, his father Jacob (Wayne Charles Baker) takes Eastman back from the roaming Santee bands. Eastman is confused from his father's acceptance of Christianity and his singing of hymns. For me, one of the most notable scenes occurs when Eastman must leave his father to begin yet another new life. As Eastman looks out the window of his slowly moving train, his father waves goodbye and begins to sing a hymn. The emotions are exceedingly powerful; the hymn develops into an Indian strong-heart song as he waves goodbye to his son for the last time. Eastman eventually becomes the agency physician at Pine Ridge where he meets Elaine Goodale (Anna Paquin) and they become fast friends. However, the Beach character is filled with conflict in one of his best performances. Living again among his people, Eastman questions what he has become.
From these doubts, the film chronicles perfectly Eastman and Dawe's collapsing relationship. Through the first two acts, they share the enthusiasm of great dreams and aspirations on how they intend to save the American Indian. They become like father and son. But, they finally reach an impasse in a scene that exudes much sadness.
In the middle of this complex storyline comes a moment of elegance in the only scene involving Wovoka (Studi). With ballet like movements, the Studi character brings his message of the Ghost Dance to the Lakota people. As he articulates his vision in words, he accompanies them with Plains Indian sign language while his body gracefully moves before the crowd. Wovoka's message is simple: If the Lakota people believe his vision and learn the Ghost Dance, the Great Spirit will rid the earth of the white man, return the buffalo to their full glory, and give back to the Lakota their old way of life. It is the strangest irony of this film: from such promise the Lakota people feel happiness again, but all they receive is death.
"Wounded Knee" gives us two great scenes that connect the two films together. The first is the death of Sitting Bull never told before with such accuracy in any other film. This scene over any other still haunts me. The film then transports us to the second climatic scene, which is the Battle of Wounded Knee. Yes, it was a battle; there was fierce hand-to-hand combat, and it ended in a slaughter. The movie vividly portrays the tension leading up to the battle, its fight, and its massacre, but fails in its explanation why. The movie attempts to explain as when Col. James Forsyth (Marty Antonini) says to Eastman, "We didn't fire first. I swear to all-mighty God, we did not fire first." I still wish the film explained further.
That lack of explanation does not diminish from the greatness of this movie. It is truly courageous in the tale movie producers have, until now, been afraid to touch. For the first time we have a Western movie that is concerned with both sides. With its intelligent script, strong direction, and powerful acting, "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" grasps the concept of the last days of the Lakota nation wholly; at times brutal, but the movie still exhibits warmth and passion.
Close to the truth.......2007-07-31
I really enjoyed this movie on HBO. Years ago I read the book. I thought the movie really put the key points into as much time as they had. I recently found out I am a decendant of Ten Bears so this movie really got to me. This movie should get to every man/woman living in this country showing the plight of the Indian Nations during those times.
Product Description
American Indians and government officials discuss poverty, child abuse, alcoholism, Indian Health Service, domestic violence, racism, institutionalized racism, and the hope inspired by the Lakota language and culture on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservervation in South Dakota. Features Russell Means
Customer Reviews:
Too much talk not enough show.......2007-09-09
After all the great reviews, I bought this film to show to a class. I never will. This movie is talking heads. Yes, the heads are interesting, but unlike other reviewers, I strongly feel that it does not engage the emotions - there are way way way too many close head shots and not enough SHOWING of the problems. The only ones who moved me was the young woman and the man who had found his roots - he could have been used as the counterpoint/antidote to visuals of some of the problems.
And it was repetitive. No, there's gotta be a better way to get the point across than just talking about it. My class can get this information in half an hour on the internet. If you want people to engage in your cause, you have to engage them on an emotional level.
Even the discussion of the lovely parts of the Lakota culture don't have any visuals, which to me was the most frustrating thing of all. You talk about a pow wow, why not SHOW a pow wow? You talk about the tiospaye, why not SHOW an extended family? You talk about the grandmothers, SHOW them! You talk about mashing the choke cherries, SHOW it!
If you want to engage people emotionally, they need visuals. Show the poverty more. SHOW the people Russell Means is talking about picking through the garbage dump. SHOW kids cutting school! SHOW people getting drunk! Also, the housing issues were discussed purely in terms of the mold issue, when there are people surviving winters of 30 below zero in shacks. SHOW them to me so I can try to imagine what it must feel like. I was totally frustrated by the end of the movie.
I am very sad to give this review because I think we really need more educational information on the current situation of all Native Americans since the general public is next to completely ignorant about the poverty that ravishes most reservations. I had a feeling while watching the movie that part of the reason we don't get the show is to avoid the embarrassment. Isn't living in this poverty daily an embarrassment? Isn't the fact that we even allow this poverty to exist in this country an embarrassment? A sensitive film maker can engage your emotions visually without sacrificing people's dignity.
If you want general information on problems on the reservation, this is fine. If you want compelling visuals, you will not find them here. For me, this was a dud.
Great film.......2007-05-21
It's one of the most touching films i have seen. It deals with alot of issues not made public.
Informative and highly moving documentary.......2006-07-21
This is a truly memorable and moving documentary on the social and political problems of Lakota life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservervation in South Dakota. So many people do not know or understand their way of life. Director Oliver Tuthill shows an un-yielding glance into the Lakota's everyday problems and perseverance in order to survive. He shows the issues factually (such as the mold overtaking their homes, the poverty, and abuse)and lets the viewer see the horrors for themselves. The film is highlighted by insightful interviews by the Lakotas and government officials. After seeing this documentary, one wants to be an activist and try to help make a difference in the hard lives of these remarkable people. This film not only shows the grittiness of their life, but the contrasting richness of their culture, customs, and their will to survive. I would recommend this documentary to anyone who wants to know more about the Lakota way of life as well as be inspired.
Terrific, serious look at native American problems on a reservation!.......2006-02-17
A very careful and full view of sociological, economic and political problems on a Native American reservation with interesting interviews with Indian leaders and business people. Should see this good, well made 70 minute film dealing with a serious American problem. Living conditions on the reservation are shown as are resultant health problems.
A must see!
Steve Postal,
Administrator,
Goldie Film Awards (Since 1984)
Excellent Film.... A real eye opener too. .......2006-02-16
The Sioux Nation produced many great leaders such as Crazy Horse, Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, and Russell Means. American Indian actor and activist Russell Means is a powerhouse and what he has to say is very upsetting, (You'll never see this on network television) but this man is one of the most gifted speakers I have ever heard, and I recommend this film to everyone who has an interest in Native Americans and what they are going through. Congressman Jim McDermott, who gained fame and notoriety from appearing in Michael Moore's movie Fahrenheit 911, offers real insight into what life is like for many American Indians who live on the reservations where they are isolated and alienated. The film reminded me of Incident at Oglala with Robert Redford in its style and visual composition. If you want to understand what life is like on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, then you should definitely see this film.
Customer Reviews:
Worth Watching.......2004-03-24
Wounded Hearts is definitely worth watching. I enjoyed it fully. It is a low budget film, but don't judge the movie by it's budget. The actors were unknown to me, but all delivered moving performances. Jay becomes a drunk after his pregnant wife is killed in an auto accident. His mother helps him to care for his young daughter. He loses his high paying job and resorts to driving a Taxi to make money. His brother-in-law owns a club which he showcases his jazz musician skills at here and there. He meets Lisa, who is in a relationship with a player. She gets tired of cancelled dates and his cheating. She decides to date Jay. The relationship is rocky because Jay is still dealing with the ghost of his deceased wife and this hinders him from becoming (...) involved with Lisa. The daughter also is jealous of her father's new relationship and does things to cause problems. There are enough twists and turns to keep the story moving along. It will hold your attention as you wait to see if love will blossom for Jay and Lisa as they try to overcome all of their obstacles.
Description
Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore: Second in the incident series, Harmon Cobb is touched by the story of a young woman wrongly committed to a mental institution and fights for her release. Wounded Heart: Tracy Lance returns to Texas from New York to fight for Wounded Heart, the family ranch, after her estranged father's death.
Amazon.com
This episode of A&E's Biography series calls itself Wounded Genius and tells the story of famed playwright Tennessee Williams as his early hurts mount with depressing rapidity: his hard-drinking man's man of a father taunted him for being a sissy; his mentally unstable, puritanical mother loved him, but controlled him; his older sister, companion and "soul mate," suffered a mental breakdown and was institutionalized for life while they were both still in their teens. This 50-minute video makes the case that his early years gave him the material for his meteoric rise to success in the worlds of stage and film, but also laid the groundwork for the personal problems that would eventually be his downfall. Many viewers may know Williams for his successful works, such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but this documentary also deals with his subsequent 20-year slide. His brother, biographers, and friends shed much light on his life, as do several television interviews of Williams himself. --Kimberly Heinrichs
Customer Reviews:
Big On The Drugs, A Bit Thin On The Plays.......2002-03-22
On this A & E video bio of Tennessee Williams, there's plenty of talk of his drinking and drug-taking and sleeping around. There's not much on the plays, just snippets of the highly salacious trailers (of the movies made from them), and almost no analysis. Few clips of Tennessee's wonderful interviews are included, except a snippet of the Davis Frost show when he walks on drunk and a few others.
Interviews with the playwights' brother Dakin, biographers Lyle Leverich and Donald Spoto, old friend and minor writer Donald Windham, actor Eli Wallach, actress Kim Hunter and a few others appear and try their best, but aren't allowed to say very much. Williams later-life problems are put down to drinking, and no mention is made of the tremendous pounding he took from the anti-gay press of his day, even at the top of his success in the fifties. Only Kim Hunter is allowed to say at the end of the tape that, since Tennessee's death, his later plays which were so roundly denounced in the American press (but not the European) are now finally getting their due.
There was a wonderful documentary that PBS put out a few years ago on its American Masters series that dealt with all these issues: the plays, the success, the hostility, and included interviews with admiring fellow-writers (Gore Vidal, Edward Albee) and actors who were allowed to say more about the plays (including Hunter again); A & E's bio is a rather superficial work by comparison. PBS should issue their bio as a tape/DVD; every Williams fan would buy it!
Product Description
Here is a message of hope for all of us. Warm and encouraging, Ken Davis will reassure you that you are indeed loved - and will challenge you to love those around you. With his unique brand of humor, Ken delivers a message of laughter, love and hope. Highly recommended for all ages!
Average customer rating:
- The wounded vets deserve 5 stars for their resilience
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60 Minutes - Wounds of War (February 12, 2006)
Manufacturer: CBS
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
 Iraq War
| Military & War
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| DVD
| Video
Iraq War
| Military & War
| Documentary
| Genres
| DVD
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War on Terror
| 60 Minutes Store
| CBS News Network
| Television
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| DVD
| Video
All
| 60 Minutes Store
| CBS News Network
| Television
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
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