Ветроход (фильм)
1981 film

Ветроход
Театральный релизный плакат
РежиссерКит Меррилл
НаписаноРэй Голдрап
ПроизведеноАртур Р. Дабс
Томас Э. Баллард [1]
В главных роляхТревор Ховард
Ник Рамус
Джеймс Ремар
КинематографияРид Смут [1]
Музыка отМеррилл Дженсон [1]
РаспространяетсяТихоокеанские международные предприятия
Дата выпуска
  • Январь 1981 г. (ограниченно) (1981-01)
Продолжительность работы
108 мин.
СтранаСоединенные Штаты
ЯзыкиШайенн , Кроу , английский
Бюджет3 миллиона долларов [2]
Театральная касса6,4 миллиона долларов [3]

Windwalker — вестерн 1981 года , снятый Китом Мерриллом по сценарию Рэя Голдрапа по роману Блейна М. Йоргасона . В главных ролях Тревор Ховард и Ник Рамус . Действие фильма происходит в доколониальном Межгорье Запада и повествует о жизни шайенна , который возвращается к жизни, чтобы защитить свою семью от воинов Кроу и воссоединиться со своим давно потерянным сыном. Съемки проходили в различных природных местах на открытом воздухе в Юте . Что необычно для вестернов, все персонажи — коренные американцы. Меррилл выбрал Тревора Ховарда , английского актера, на роль престарелого Ветрохода, решение, которое выделялось среди актеров, в основном коренных американцев, с подлинностью как главной производственной ценностью.

Хотя изначально Меррилл думал, что этот фильм станет его лучшим фильмом в карьере, он был разочарован окончательным решением, которое принял его продюсер по поводу саундтрека к фильму. Меррилл представил свою режиссерскую версию на Американском индейском кинофестивале , где она впервые состоялась в ноябре 1980 года. Обзоры с момента выхода фильма хвалили его за трактовку индейских тем, хотя по крайней мере один отрицательный отзыв жаловался на искусственность мелодрамы. Windwalker не рассматривался на премию «Оскар» за лучший фильм на иностранном языке, поскольку иностранная страна не могла его номинировать.

Гейл Тремблей использовала в своей работе физическую пленку из фильма «Шагающий с ветром» , в которой комментирует неудовлетворительное изображение коренных американцев в фильме.

Сюжет

Windwalker — пожилой воин-шайенн. Будучи молодым мужем и отцом, он беспомощно наблюдал, как его жена Ташина была убита, а один из их сыновей-близнецов был похищен во время набега воинов-конкурентов Кроу. После многих лет безуспешных поисков сына Windwalker умирает зимой 1797 года в месте, которое впоследствии станет штатом Юта.

After Windwalker's funeral, his remaining son, Smiling Wolf, leads his family south to rejoin the rest of the tribe; on the way they are attacked by a band of Crow warriors and after fighting them off, Smiling Wolf is badly injured and the family is forced to hide.

The Great Spirit reawakens Windwalker, and after battling the forces of nature and his own physical frailty, he rejoins his family. Using Cheyenne medicine to heal Smiling Wolf's wounds, Windwalker leads the family to a sacred Cheyenne hiding cave. From there, he and Smiling Wolf's two young sons prepare booby traps for the Crow raiding party, all of which work perfectly, leaving only the raiding party leader and one other warrior.

The Crow warrior is captured and taken to the cave, where he is revealed to be Windwalker's long-lost son. With his family safe and his son restored to him, Windwalker confronts his old enemy and offers him peace, but the Crow refuses, forcing a final battle. The restored son fights the Crow leader in his father's place and is victorious. With his family safe and restored, Windwalker is now free to proceed to the afterlife, where he is reunited with Tashina.

Main cast

Production and release

Windwalker was a co-production between Pacific International Enterprises and Santa Fe International. It was shot in various outdoor locations in Utah including the Wasatch and the Mirror Lake area in the Uinta Mountains. It was also filmed in the Arches part of the Four Corners area.[4][2][5] In an interview after the film's production, Kieth Merrill, who directed the film, said that originally Pacific International agreed not to distribute the film in Utah until the production costs had been paid. In December 1980, Merrill stated that he and other production members were still owed money.[6] A novel by Blaine Yorgason provided the basis for the screenplay by Ray Goldrup.[7][8] While the Screen Actor's Guild was striking during production, Windwalker received an exception because it was almost complete.[5]

Production was impacted by the eruption of Mount St. Helens.[2] Kieth Merrill later stated that ash was not present in their filming locations, and that production was not impacted at all.[6]

Merrill said that authenticity was important to the production of the film, and stated that "all props and costumes have been carefully researched and recreated."[2] The film's dialogue is spoken in the Cheyenne and Crow languages,[5] with English subtitles.[9] Chief Dan George was favored to play Windwalker, but became ill.[10] Merrill cast Trevor Howard, an English actor, for the role.[6] James Remar played the main character as a young man. Thus, while Native American languages were used to impart authenticity, both young and old Windwalker were played by white actors.[6]

Reception

Windwalker's world premiere occurred at the American Indian Film Festival, which was sponsored by the American Indian Film Institute, dedicated to "recognize and exhibit cinematic art in its application to the historical and contemporary portrayals of American Indians".[11] Merrill initially stated that Windwalker would be "the best picture I have directed."[8] Doug Johnson, his production manager, agreed.[12] However, after the film's release, Merrill said that his producer failed to give him the total creative control they had agreed on, and added "jazzy TV-adventure music" and "an embarrassing number of tom-toms" to the film's score in scenes where he wanted silence or other effects. He stated that he gave the organizers of the American Indian Film Festival "his version" to show at the festival.[6]

Reviews from the time of its release praised its treatment of Native American themes, with at least one negative review that complained about the artificiality of its melodrama. Janet Maslin's review at the New York Times called the film "a feather in [the production] company's hat" that "takes care not to present its Indian characters in the ways Hollywood traditionally has" with a "mostly" Native American cast.[13] A 1980 review by Rick Brough from Park City, Utah gave the film three stars out of five. He complained that the melodrama of the lost twin was predictable, and that the tone of the titular character was inconsistent. [6] Famous movie critics Siskel and Ebert both recommended the film on their show Sneak Previews. Siskel said the film was "a chance to examine the Indian concepts of life and death and their notion of spiritual communication between human beings". Ebert enjoyed how the absence of a white European character forced viewers to identify with the Native American characters.[14] Writing in The Hollywood Reporter in 1981, Robert Osborne wrote that viewers should "enjoy its unusual treatment of Indians (as humans, encountering everyday trials, with nary a white man in sight)".[1] "Mac" at Variety in 1980 wrote that the natural cinematography by Reed Smoot "captures the glories of landscape and weather without indulging in [...] sentimental visual cliches". He also wrote that since all of the characters in the film are Native American, it gave them "a dignity they have been denied previously, even in the most sympathetic westerns".[9] Michael Hilger contradicted the review in a book about Native American portrayals in film in 2016, stating that the Crow tribe had not been portrayed positively.[15] He noted that the way the film is cut increases sympathy for the "good" Cheyenne family. The Cheyenne family is shown from a high angle to accentuate their vulnerability, while their attackers from the Crow Tribe are shown from low-angle close-ups to accentuate their aggression.[16] While the film has only Native American characters, it still portrays them in stereotyped ways, either as a Noble Red Man or a Savage.[15] A 1985 filmography of minority and third world women summarized Windwalker as "an unusual, positive film about Native Americans" but acknowledged that its portrayal of women was limited by Tashina's early death.[17]

There has been some commentary over the casting of Howard, a white man, as the lead. In a newspaper article from Park City's The Newspaper, Merrill said that they didn't want to use Dan George because "the character had to have so much emotion in the face, we needed someone with great stature. There just aren't that many Indian actors of that type around."[6] In a 2005 book on Native Americans and Hollywood movies, Angela Aleiss said the casting decision was because "Hollywood was reluctant to gamble with Native American talent."[18] Osborne's 1981 review supports Aleiss's idea, stating that casting Howard "simulat[ed] commercial acceptance for the film outside the usual Dobs' market."[1] Variety's review wrote that while the casting "may be partially justifiable for commercial reasons, this single lapse in authenticity is a painful one, since the filmmakers went so far in the right direction."[9] In a 2020 book on Native American images in Hollywood film, Frank Berumen assessed Howard's acting: "[he] is not completely convincing as the aged Windwalker."[19] While Windwalker used Native American actors and languages, the casting of Trevor Howard, a British actor, as the main character with makeup to make him look more like a Native American "complicated their messages of cultural respect" according to film professors Harry Benshoff and Sean Griffin.[20]

Awards

Windwalker was not considered for the foreign language Oscars after its release. Since Windwalker included non-English languages, it could be considered a foreign language film, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. However, to be eligible for an Oscar, the film had to be nominated by the foreign country where that language originated. No such country existed for Windwalker's nomination.[21][22] As reported in Provo's Daily Herald, some Native Americans felt upset that Native American languages would be considered foreign. Dusty Ironwing McCrae, who acted in the film, protested that Windwalker was not receiving the recognition it deserved from the film industry.[23][21]

In fine art

Artist Gail Tremblay used physical film from Windwalker to weave at least three pieces: When will the Red Leader Overshadow Images of the 19th Century Noble Savage in Hollywood Films that Some Think are Sympathetic to American Indians (2018), How Old Stereotypes Never Die (2021) When There Is No Category for a Film in a Native American Language on Oscar Night, Clearly It Is in a League of Its Own (2021). Tremblay saw the film as exemplary of the way Hollywood portrays Native American tribes in a stereotypical way.[24][25][26]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Osborne, Robert (December 22, 1980). "Movie Review: Windwalker". The Hollywood Reporter.
  2. ^ a b c d "'Ash Not What Your Country...'". Variety. June 25, 1980. p. 6. Retrieved December 2, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 292. ISBN 9780835717762. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
  4. ^ D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood came to town: a history of moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423605874.
  5. ^ a b c ""Windwalker" filmed in Uintas". The Wasatch Wave. Heber, Utah. September 11, 1980. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Brough, Rick (December 4, 1980). ""Windwalker" Straddles Myth Melodrama Badly; Director Claims His Film's Been Spindled". The Newspaper. Park City, Utah. p. 16.
  7. ^ Hilger 2016, p. 51.
  8. ^ a b ""Windwalker" filmed in Uintas pt. 2". The Wasatch Wave. September 11, 1980. p. 11D.
  9. ^ a b c "Film Review: Windwalker". Variety. December 5, 1980.
  10. ^ Brown, Daniel A. (March–April 2012). "Sending a voice: Native Americans in the movies". Whispering Wind. 40 (6).
  11. ^ "'Windwalker' opens Film Festival". The Berkeley Gazette. November 13, 1980. p. 25.
  12. ^ Olsen, Michael (September 3, 1980). "Doug Johnson's highly successful career in film production". The Payson Chronicle. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  13. ↑ Маслин, Джанет (13 марта 1981 г.). «Воин равнин воссоединяется со своим сыном». The New York Times . Получено 4 ноября 2024 г.
  14. ↑ Эберт и Сискель 1981, 17:40; 18:08; 25:25.
  15. ^ ab Hilger 2016, стр. 52.
  16. ^ Хильгер 2016, стр. 10.
  17. ^ Ошана, Мэрианн (1985). Цветные женщины: фильмография женщин из меньшинств и стран третьего мира. Нью-Йорк: Garland Pub. ISBN 978-0-8240-9140-8.
  18. ^ Алейсс, Анджела (2005). Делая белого человека индейцем: коренные американцы и голливудские фильмы . Praeger.
  19. ^ Берумен, Фрэнк Хавьер Гарсия (2020). Американские индейские имиджмейкеры Голливуда. Макфарланд. стр. 203. ISBN 978-1-4766-7813-9.
  20. ^ Беншофф, Гарри М.; Гриффин, Шон (26 августа 2011 г.). Америка в кино: представление расы, класса, пола и сексуальности в кино. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-4443-5759-2.
  21. ^ ab "Windwalker (1980)". catalog.afi.com . Каталог AFI.
  22. ↑ Тиммонс, Дебби (19 февраля 1982 г.). «Windwalker: Great Family Film». The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune . стр. 5. Получено 4 ноября 2024 г.
  23. ↑ Уинтерс, Шарлин (28 февраля 1982 г.). «"Windwalker" прокладывает путь войне». The Daily Herald . стр. 40. Получено 4 ноября 2024 г.
  24. ^ Тремблей, Гейл. «Когда красный вождь затмит образы благородного дикаря XIX века в голливудских фильмах, которые, по мнению некоторых, сочувствуют американским индейцам». americanart.si.edu . Смитсоновский музей американского искусства . Получено 4 ноября 2024 г.
  25. ^ "Gail Tremblay". Галерея Froelick . 1 декабря 2022 г. Получено 4 ноября 2024 г.
  26. ^ Тремблей, Гейл. «Когда в «Оскаровскую ночь» нет категории для фильма на языке коренных американцев, очевидно, что он в своей собственной лиге | American». Музей Метрополитен.

Цитируемые работы

  • Хильгер, Майкл (2016). Коренные американцы в кино: изображения от немого кино до наших дней . Lanham Boulder New York London: Rowman & Littlefield. стр. 10. ISBN 9781442240018.
  • Роджер Эберт и Джин Сискел (1981). Предварительные просмотры с Роджером Эбертом и Джином Сискелом (телешоу). WTTW Chicago.
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