Little Big Man

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 ways of the "Human Beings" by paternal mentor Old Lodge Skins (Chief Dan George), accepting non-conformity and living peacefully with nature.Violently thrust into the white world, Jack meets a righteous preacher (Thayer David) and his wife (Faye Dunaway), tries to be a gunfighter under the tutelage of Wild Bill Hickock (Jeff Corey), and gets married. Returned to the Cheyenne by chance, Jack prefers life as a Human Being.Three years after the seminal "Bonnie and Clyde," Arthur Penn made the epic and revisionist Western, Little Big Man. Reflecting the times in which the movie was made the anti-Vietnam war era director Penn put white murderousness and racism at the center of his narrative. Politically speaking, the atrocities against the Native Americans were meant to signify those against Vietnam at the time.For most of the film, the tone is comic and even satirical: all kinds of colorful characters turn up, disappear, and turn up again. Also, the film frequently shifts in tone, from farce to comedy to drama and tragedy - this may upset many viewers, who are not used to such a strategy. But despite that the amazing thing is that this mock epic Western came out as well as it did. You can credit that to the effortless acting and, also, there's a lot of meat in all those vignettes that offer social criticism against Native American genocide, religious and sexual hypocrisy, and the stupidity of revenge.The chameleon perpetual adolescent character played by Hoffman has its appealing moments, but the film is stolen by the nonchalant Chief Dan George spouting wisdom and mixing in a stand-up comic routine and dishing out ladles of humanity. There's also a counter-cultural take on an effeminate homosexual named Little Horse, who is allowed to be himself by the Cheyenne and is even cherished by the chief. As for Hoffman? One of his best performances to date.Easily one of the most entertaining (and overlooked) Westerns of the early 1970s.DVD extras only include chapter selection and language options. Aspect ratio is 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen.

These are the words spoken, after the Battle of the Little Big Horn, by the outstanding Chief Dan George, playing tribal leader Old Lodge Skins. He is referring to the Cheyenne (Human Beings)and the destruction of its people and way of life, by the New American civilisation.Hoffman is Jack Crabbe, the 121-year-old sole survivor of Custer's Last Stand. Little Big Man is the name given to him by his adoptive Cheyenne family. The film starts with the aged Jack being interviewed in a nursing home, where he begins to recount his amazing life story up to the point of that famous event. The narrative is episodic, detailing his first hand experiences of the Indian and white cultures and their deadly interaction.This is a powerful and entertaining film, genuinely very funny and chokingly sad in all the right places. It is a more satisfying film than 'Dances With Wolves' and has the majesty and depth of a Native American 'Les Miserables'.WARNING!!! If you are a General Custer fan, beware of Richard Mulligan's hysterically manic Basil Fawlty style interpretation of the legend - he's more barking than a pack of rabid coyotes.This is a classic that deserves a place in your DVD library.

In the 50's and the 60's the screens were overloaded with classical Westerns. And although many of them were very well made - featuring real western icons of the silver screen like John Wayne, Gary Cooper and so many others - they were very classical in the sense of: "the only good 'injun' is a dead 'injun'".Especially the 70's, but also later, brought us another type of western. A type were the native Americans were shown as the "noble savage" (think about such movies as "A Man called Horse" or "Dances with Wolves").This alternative western probably has the right of it: neither side was extremely noble and either side could be savage. This picture shows us the west how it could have been, with people lusting for land and money, but also with people trying simply to survive.In this way it is quite satyrical and Dustin Hoffman brings his performance of a west veteran to an incredible high. All in all probably the best western I've ever seen. Highly recommended.

some people have analysed this film much more than i could. It was entertaining and definetely not for a main stream audience. If you enjoyed the new version of the lone ranger by tim burton then you would appreciate this movie as it isinthe same genre. dustin hoffman apparently took a hour to perfect the voice of the 123 year old. a fault with it is that its over long.

This movie was made in 1970Far in advance of it's time and very well madeOne of my favourites

A western that is a bit different, It gives the Indians a better lookof their lives than other films. I can't make my mind up is it too long or too much of Hoffman

Its nice when a movie far exceeds your expectations . I saw this in the early '70's on first release and it made little impression on me then . Surprising really , as it was one of the first movies to tell the story from the side of the Native Americans .Seeing it again recently I was hugely impressed by the perspective it gave , balancing brutal fact with a certain amount of humour . This is one definitely worth re-visiting , vintage Dustin Hoffman , but up to his usual standard .