Reel Injun

Like many North Americans, Canadian director Neil Diamond grew up watching Westerns. “We cheered for the cowboys, never realizing that we were the Indians,” he says. A member of the Cree tribe, Diamond provides a thought-provoking overview of a century's worth of Native representations, from Thomas Edison's silent shorts to Disney's animated Pocahontas. Using a road trip to frame his inquiry, Diamond begins with a visit to the Great Plains of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse (whose name actually means “his horses were spirited”), with stops at Pine Ridge, Monument Valley, and Wounded Knee. Along the way, viewers hear commentary from actors, historians, and activists, as well as film critics (such as Jesse Wente, who praises indigenous pictures like Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner) and independent filmmakers Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals) and Jim Jarmusch (Dead Man), who offer some of the more perceptive observations here (to both, Native American history combines myth and tragedy—excellent film subject matter). Diamond examines various archetypes, from noble to savage and everything in between, while also looking at iconic performers such as Iron Eyes Cody, Will Sampson, and Chief Dan George. As for the parade of white people who went native during Hollywood's Golden Age, Eyre says, “I love it, because it's funny.” Other speakers include Clint Eastwood, Robbie Robertson, John Trudell, Russell Means, Adam Beach, and Sacheen Littlefeather, who recounts her appearance in protest on behalf of Marlon Brando at the 1973 Academy Awards. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)