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.
Little Big Man (1970)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:24
Fresh:23
Rotten:1
Average Rating:7.9/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 29 mins
Genre: Westerns
Synopsis: LITTLE BIG MAN was significant when it was made because of its editing, which was still being explored in Hollywood at the time as a vehicle for innovative, simple storytelling. Arthur Penn's... LITTLE BIG MAN was significant when it was made because of its editing, which was still being explored in Hollywood at the time as a vehicle for innovative, simple storytelling. Arthur Penn's film of Thomas Berger's bestselling novel demystifies the Old West with its funny, chaotic portrayal of one man's experiences in its closing days. Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman), a 121-year-old Indian living in a rest home, relates his incredible life experiences. According to Crabb's somewhat fanciful tales, he was raised by the Cheyenne from the age of 10 only to be seized by whites when he was 15. He then embarks on a string of failed attempts to find a place for himself in the world. These bring him into contact with (among many others) Wild Bill Hickok, the US Cavalry, a former preacher's wife-turned-prostitute, his own spunky frontierswoman sister, and General George Armstrong Custer during the Battle of Little Big Horn. The result is a funny, spiritual film with a humane view of the plight of Native Americans. [More]
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Martin Balsam, Faye Dunaway, Richard Mulligan
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Martin Balsam, Faye Dunaway, Richard Mulligan, Chief Dan George, Jeff Corey, Aimee Eccles, Kelly Jean Peters
Director: Arthur Penn
Director: Arthur Penn
Producer: Stuart Millar
Screenwriter: Calder Willingham
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Reviews for Little Big Man
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.
An endlessly entertaining attempt to spin an epic in the form of a yarn.
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.
'Sometimes,' says Old Lodge Skins, 'the magic works; sometimes it doesn't.' This time, in this movie, it works.
Latest News for Little Big Man
August 31, 2006:
Battle of Little Bighorn: The Movie
You learned about it in history class (if you were paying attention), and now you can see the movie. Producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy have acquired the rights to a... More...
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
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