Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976)
Directed by Robert Altman
Genres - Western, Comedy |
Sub-Genres - Revisionist Western, Satire, Biopic [feature], Comedy Western |
Release Date - Jun 24, 1976 (USA - Unknown), Jun 24, 1976 (USA) |
Run Time - 120 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - PG
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Synopsis by Lucia Bozzola
"Truth is whatever gets the loudest applause." Debunking western myths even more than he did in McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), Robert Altman's Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976) sardonically explores the gap between western history and legend in show biz-obsessed America. Megalomaniac "Buffalo Bill" Cody (Paul Newman) assumes the legend created for him by writer Ned Buntline (Burt Lancaster), aided and abetted by his producer (Joel Grey) and his publicist (Kevin McCarthy), perpetuating myths of white triumph over savage "Injuns" in his Wild West show, as audiences cheer him on and buy his merchandise. But when Sitting Bull (Frank Kaquitts) joins the troupe with his interpreter (Will Sampson), his request for authenticity threatens to throw a wrench into the proceedings. Regardless of how Bill may feel about the facts, he must bow to the preferences of the paying public.
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Keywords
frontier, imperialism, Native-American, stars [celebrities], con/scam, courage