Little Big Man (1970)
Average Rating: 7.9/10
Reviews Counted: 25
Fresh: 24 | Rotten: 1
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 2
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 0
liked it
Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 16,677
Movie Info
Recounting how the West was won through the eyes of a white man raised as a Native American, Arthur Penn's 1970 adaptation of Thomas Berger's satirical novel was a comic yet stinging allegory about the bloody results of American imperialism. As a misguided 20th-century historian listens, 121-year-old Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) narrates the story of being the only white survivor of Custer's Last Stand. White orphan Crabb was adopted by the Cheyenne, renamed "Little Big Man," and raised in the
Dec 14, 1970 Wide
Apr 29, 2003
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Cast
-
Dustin Hoffman
Jack Crabb -
Faye Dunaway
Mrs. Pendrake -
Martin Balsam
Merriweather -
Richard Mulligan
Gen. George A. Custer -
Chief Dan George
Old Lodge Skins -
Jeff Corey
Wild Bill Hickok -
Kelly Jean Peters
Olga -
Carol Androsky
Caroline -
Cal Bellini
Younger Bear -
Ray Dimas
Young Jack Crabb -
Alan Howard
Adolescent Jack Crabb -
James Anderson
Sergeant -
Jack Bannon
Captain -
Don Brodie
Stage Passenger -
Emily Cho
Digging Bear -
Bert Conway
Bartender -
Lou Cutell
Deacon -
Thayer David
Rev. Silas Pendrake -
Aimee Eccles
Sunshine -
William Hickey
Historian -
Phil Kenneally
Mr. Kane -
Ken Mayer
Sergeant -
Ruben Moreno
Shadow that Comes at Ni... -
Jack Mullaney
Card Player -
-
Alan Oppenheimer
Major -
Steve Shemayne
Burns Red In The Sun -
Robert Little Star
Little Horse -
M. Emmet Walsh
Shotgun Guard -
Jesse Vint
Lieutenant -
Helen Verbit
Madame -
Leonard George
Crow Scout -
Bud Cokes
Man at Bar
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All Critics (28) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (24) | Rotten (1) | DVD (11)
Might it be a serious attempt to right some unretrievable wrong via gallows humor which avoids the polemics? This seems to be the course taken; the attempt at least can be respected in theory.
Top CriticAn endlessly entertaining attempt to spin an epic in the form of a yarn.
Arthur Penn offers a new take of the culture clash between the White men and Native Americans in this revisionist. satirical, tone-shifting Western starring Dustin Hoffman and Faye Dunaway.
Penn seems to have little feel for the Western genre, but despite that the amazing thing is that this mock epic Western came out as well as it did.
This outraged reconfiguration of an all-American genre may be set in the Wild West, but it's also very much a bulletin of its time.
Easily one of the most entertaining (and presently overlooked) Westerns of the early 1970s.
A picaresque masterpiece about an inimitable American anti-hero whose wild adventures are delivered into our hearts and minds with the robust vitalities of comedy.
truly magical movie that works well
One of Dustin Hoffman's best films, one of Arthur Penn's best films, and one of Hollywood's best films.
One of the great films of the early 70s.
An American classic, Little Big Man seeks to rectify Western history with this engrossing account of the colorful life of 121-year-old Jack Crabb.
Audience Reviews for Little Big Man
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Old Lodge Skins: Does she show enthusiasm when you mount her?
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- Shotgun Guard: Goodby, Hello.
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- Old Lodge Skins: Sometimes the magic works, sometimes it doesn't.
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- Burns Red In The Sun: There is a pain between my ears that I do not understand.
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- Jack Crabb: Might I ask who I are addressin'?
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Fresh Links
Featured
Movie: ID: 10302 Title: Little Big Man Release Date: 1970-12-14 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 3 Status: 1
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Foreign Titles
- Pequeño gran hombre (ES)
Based on a satirical novel, this is a bleakly dark dramedy/western about a 110 year-old man named Jack Crabb who tells his life story to a misguided 20th Century historian.
Crabb is a white man who was raised by Native Americans from a young age. He grows accustomed to their humane, enlightened way of life, but eventually strikes out on his own to see the world. He gets involved in many notable historical events (a concept later revisited in Forrest Gump), mostly involving Custer, the white conquest of the west, and the dark side of American imperialism. It's not always a petty sight, but it definitely rings true.
This is a great movie, and definitely one of those times where I'm surprised (but happy), that it was a mainstream affair. It definitely fits into the scholarly movement going on at the time where revisionism was going strong, shedding light into events from previously ignored perspectives, and presenting a more balanced view of history.
The cinematography is excellent, the direction is strong, the ambitions and goals noble, and the performances excellent. Hoffman delivers a wonderful turn here, and it's easily one of his best, even though it is sadly overlooked a lot of the time. The dark, quirky humor balances out with the material nicely, and this is a really eye opening film.
Please give this one a look. It's not only a gem of the 70s, but a really important masterpiece of cinema in general.