Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson
Director: Robert Altman
Year Released: 1976
Rating: 2.5
Going to have to agree with Leonard Maltin: this film is redundant and simple. Buffalo Bill (Paul Newman) is shown as a 'character' invented by Burt Lancaster's imaginative huckster who has a list of accomplishments so great he can't even remember them all; in celebration of himself, he puts on a carnival-type show that has him on horseback and Annie Oakley (Geraldine Chaplin) shooting things out of people's hands. When he invites Sitting Bull to be a part of the show, the Native American becomes difficult, claiming the only reason he's a part of Bill's act is to ask President Grover Cleveland for a favor. Not much happens, really, and what is said is what you already know: the white man destroyed the Indians, exploits people without hesitation and America itself is the greatest country anybody ever stole. Remains interesting because Altman is perennially jittery, keeping the camera and people moving, but the 'history lesson' should have gone a whole lot more in-depth.
