Little Big Man (1970)
With Little Big Man and A Man Called Horse, I don’t really see why Dances with Wolves was such a big deal. It wasn’t the first movie to feature a white man’s exposure and growth from Indian culture. It’s powerful and at times moving, and also shows a cynical side where white men have ruined the pure, simple life of the Indians.
Unfortunately, the Academy hadn’t yet created a Best Makeup category at the Oscars (they waited until the year after The Elephant Man). Dustin Hoffman stars the movie unrecognizable as a 120-year-old man, the sole survivor of Little Big Horn. He’s being interviewed at a nursing home, and he narrates the story of his life with humor, affection, and nostalgia. An interesting feature of Dustin’s performance is his change of voice depending on what part of the story he’s telling. As a narrator, he has an elderly voice; as an English-speaker, he has a midwestern twang; and when speaking Cheyenne (though still in English), he uses a normal accent. It’s very interesting that he doesn’t put on a “Hollywood” accent to blend in with the Cheyenne Indians, and when they are speaking of the difference between the different races, they mention “white men” and “human beings”. They don’t call themselves “redskins” like in so many old Hollywood movies.
The one aspect of Little Big Man that you should be aware of if you’ve never seen it, is the unexpected humor. It’s very similar to Forrest Gump, where an unlikely hero influences history and has meaningful interactions with historical figures. Where Tom Hanks shared video footage with President Nixon and coined “Have a nice day,” Dustin Hoffman witnessed Buffalo Bill’s infamous shooting and lived through Little Big Horn. You’ll see a big supporting cast, including Faye Dunaway as a promiscuous Quaker’s wife, Jeff Corey as Buffalo Bill, Richard Mulligan as General Custer, and Martin Balsam as a snake oil salesman. The seemingly unrelated vignettes usually have a “cutesy” tone to them, but every once in a while, tragedy strikes and sobers the film’s message: that the pure old world will never return.
If you’ve never seen this movie, watch it for a fantastic Dustin Hoffman performance. He ages over one hundred years, has physical and emotional acting styles, and really makes you believe he’s lived through all those life events. His adopted Cheyenne father, Chief Dan George, will make you laugh and cry in his scenes. While it’s understandable that he earned an Oscar nomination, I don’t understand why Dustin didn’t. Such is the purpose of the Rags: to right the wrongs and award nominations to people and films who were slighted.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "ASA Movie Craze" for posting!
More Martin Balsam movies here!
More Jeff Corey movies here!
Unfortunately, the Academy hadn’t yet created a Best Makeup category at the Oscars (they waited until the year after The Elephant Man). Dustin Hoffman stars the movie unrecognizable as a 120-year-old man, the sole survivor of Little Big Horn. He’s being interviewed at a nursing home, and he narrates the story of his life with humor, affection, and nostalgia. An interesting feature of Dustin’s performance is his change of voice depending on what part of the story he’s telling. As a narrator, he has an elderly voice; as an English-speaker, he has a midwestern twang; and when speaking Cheyenne (though still in English), he uses a normal accent. It’s very interesting that he doesn’t put on a “Hollywood” accent to blend in with the Cheyenne Indians, and when they are speaking of the difference between the different races, they mention “white men” and “human beings”. They don’t call themselves “redskins” like in so many old Hollywood movies.
The one aspect of Little Big Man that you should be aware of if you’ve never seen it, is the unexpected humor. It’s very similar to Forrest Gump, where an unlikely hero influences history and has meaningful interactions with historical figures. Where Tom Hanks shared video footage with President Nixon and coined “Have a nice day,” Dustin Hoffman witnessed Buffalo Bill’s infamous shooting and lived through Little Big Horn. You’ll see a big supporting cast, including Faye Dunaway as a promiscuous Quaker’s wife, Jeff Corey as Buffalo Bill, Richard Mulligan as General Custer, and Martin Balsam as a snake oil salesman. The seemingly unrelated vignettes usually have a “cutesy” tone to them, but every once in a while, tragedy strikes and sobers the film’s message: that the pure old world will never return.
If you’ve never seen this movie, watch it for a fantastic Dustin Hoffman performance. He ages over one hundred years, has physical and emotional acting styles, and really makes you believe he’s lived through all those life events. His adopted Cheyenne father, Chief Dan George, will make you laugh and cry in his scenes. While it’s understandable that he earned an Oscar nomination, I don’t understand why Dustin didn’t. Such is the purpose of the Rags: to right the wrongs and award nominations to people and films who were slighted.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "ASA Movie Craze" for posting!
More Martin Balsam movies here!
More Jeff Corey movies here!
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Picture of 1970
Best Actor: Dustin Hoffman
Best Supporting Actor: Chief Dan George