Recounting how the West was won through the eyes of a white man raised as a Native American, Arthur Penn's 1970 adaptation of Thomas Berger's satirical novel was a comic yet stinging allegory about the bloody results of American imperialism. As a misguided 20th-century historian listens, 121-year-old Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) narrates the story of being the only white survivor of Custer's Last Stand. White orphan Crabb was adopted by the Cheyenne, renamed "Little Big Man," and raised in the ways of the "Human Beings" by paternal mentor Old Lodge Skins (Chief Dan George), accepting non-conformity and living peacefully with nature. Violently thrust into the white world, Jack meets a righteous preacher (Thayer David) and his wife (Faye Dunaway), tries to be a gunfighter under the tutelage of Wild Bill Hickock (Jeff Corey), and gets married. Returned to the Cheyenne by chance, Jack prefers life as a Human Being. The carnage wreaked by the white man in the Washita massacre and the lethal fallout from the egomania of General George A. Custer (Richard Mulligan) at Little Big Horn, however, show Crabb the horrific implications of Old Lodge Skins' sage observation, "There is an endless supply of White Men, but there has always been a limited number of Human Beings." Review: ***** My All Time Favorite So I Had To Add Five More Stars - Years after its release, there just aren't many films that even approach this masterpiece. My all time favorite movie. This adaptation of the Thomas Berger novel, stands on its own quite well. Not as raw as the novel, but every bit as satisfying. Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of the 121 year old Jack Crabb, stands out as one of his, and filmdom's great screen performances. Even if one doesn't care much for Westerns, this film is more than just a Western; its an American epic. One of Hollywood's better portrayals of a more sympathetic and human side to the Native-American plight. From the tragic loss of most of his family at the hands of renegade Indians, to his being raised into his adolescent years by the Cheyenne, this story is both compelling, and at times extremely funny. Raised during his teen years with the strictly religious Pendrakes, Jack enters a new phase of life, and an end-to-innocence, after discovering the infidelity of Mrs. Pendrake(Faye Dunnaway), who never looked lovelier on the big screen. Experiencing life as a Medicine Man, Gunslinger, General Store owner, and taking on his first wife Olga, who he loses to the Indians, after taking the advice of General George Armstrong Custer(Richard Mulligan in his finest role)to "go west." Returning to his Cheyenne family, he takes his second wife Sunshine. Watching this film in the theater after its initial release, it was love-at-first-sight seeing the actress playing this young woman. It was also one of the most gut-wrenching moments in film history, to watch the brutal murder of Sunshine, and the newborn baby of Jack Crabb, gunned-down by the U.S. Calvary as she flees with baby-in-arm, during the cruel massacre of the Indian Nation. The entire audience was in total shocked silence. But he does manage to rescue his Grandfather, Old Lodge Skins, played by the Oscar nominated Chief Dan George. He then turns Hermit and nearly goes mad. He even manages the impossible, of being the "sole white survivor of the Little Bighorn." From beginning-to-end, a can't miss buy that was long overdue on DVD. Infectious viewing at its best. Review: Most definately NOT a propaganda movie! - To be a " Propaganda" movie it would have to attempt to influence & shape public opinion! This movie came out in the 70's a little late to be a Propaganda movie! While not 100% accurate to history this drama of a 121 year old man reflecting on his long life & his many adventures & misadventures growing up in the west! This movie is a rollercoaster ride of emotional content with a great slant towards comedy. I find old Jack Crabb's memories to be exactly how a proud old man may embellish his life...not really lying but remembering things that he lived through a bit more exciting. While he portrays Custer as a narcissistic egomaniac that may not be far from the truth! Remember these are the memories of a man that loved his adopted Cheyenne peoples, hated Custer & himself for not scalping Custer. I'm not going to get into ancient politics & who provoked whom...I will just say I know who was here first & how many treaties were violated. This movie is top notch & a fun romp through the west, with the story teller meeting some historical characters much like a old west " Forrest Gump". It can only be called a must see movie with top notch acting & story telling! A must have for lovers of western movies because old Jack Crabb did it all...or at least saw it all! Or just made it all up! Buy this gem & decide for yourself. it's worth every penny!!!
| ASIN | B00003CXB5 |
| Actors | Chief Dan George, Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Jeff Corey, Richard Mulligan |
| Audio Description: | English, French |
| Best Sellers Rank | #14,032 in Movies & TV ( See Top 100 in Movies & TV ) #191 in Westerns (Movies & TV) #1,331 in Action & Adventure DVDs |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (4,051) |
| Director | Arthur Penn |
| Dubbed: | French |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Item model number | 5026-601-800 |
| Language | Unqualified |
| MPAA rating | PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned) |
| Media Format | Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen |
| Number of discs | 1 |
| Product Dimensions | 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.75 inches; 0.48 ounces |
| Release date | November 8, 2011 |
| Run time | 2 hours and 19 minutes |
| Studio | Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment |
R**E
***** My All Time Favorite So I Had To Add Five More Stars
Years after its release, there just aren't many films that even approach this masterpiece. My all time favorite movie. This adaptation of the Thomas Berger novel, stands on its own quite well. Not as raw as the novel, but every bit as satisfying. Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of the 121 year old Jack Crabb, stands out as one of his, and filmdom's great screen performances. Even if one doesn't care much for Westerns, this film is more than just a Western; its an American epic. One of Hollywood's better portrayals of a more sympathetic and human side to the Native-American plight. From the tragic loss of most of his family at the hands of renegade Indians, to his being raised into his adolescent years by the Cheyenne, this story is both compelling, and at times extremely funny. Raised during his teen years with the strictly religious Pendrakes, Jack enters a new phase of life, and an end-to-innocence, after discovering the infidelity of Mrs. Pendrake(Faye Dunnaway), who never looked lovelier on the big screen. Experiencing life as a Medicine Man, Gunslinger, General Store owner, and taking on his first wife Olga, who he loses to the Indians, after taking the advice of General George Armstrong Custer(Richard Mulligan in his finest role)to "go west." Returning to his Cheyenne family, he takes his second wife Sunshine. Watching this film in the theater after its initial release, it was love-at-first-sight seeing the actress playing this young woman. It was also one of the most gut-wrenching moments in film history, to watch the brutal murder of Sunshine, and the newborn baby of Jack Crabb, gunned-down by the U.S. Calvary as she flees with baby-in-arm, during the cruel massacre of the Indian Nation. The entire audience was in total shocked silence. But he does manage to rescue his Grandfather, Old Lodge Skins, played by the Oscar nominated Chief Dan George. He then turns Hermit and nearly goes mad. He even manages the impossible, of being the "sole white survivor of the Little Bighorn." From beginning-to-end, a can't miss buy that was long overdue on DVD. Infectious viewing at its best.
L**T
Most definately NOT a propaganda movie!
To be a " Propaganda" movie it would have to attempt to influence & shape public opinion! This movie came out in the 70's a little late to be a Propaganda movie! While not 100% accurate to history this drama of a 121 year old man reflecting on his long life & his many adventures & misadventures growing up in the west! This movie is a rollercoaster ride of emotional content with a great slant towards comedy. I find old Jack Crabb's memories to be exactly how a proud old man may embellish his life...not really lying but remembering things that he lived through a bit more exciting. While he portrays Custer as a narcissistic egomaniac that may not be far from the truth! Remember these are the memories of a man that loved his adopted Cheyenne peoples, hated Custer & himself for not scalping Custer. I'm not going to get into ancient politics & who provoked whom...I will just say I know who was here first & how many treaties were violated. This movie is top notch & a fun romp through the west, with the story teller meeting some historical characters much like a old west " Forrest Gump". It can only be called a must see movie with top notch acting & story telling! A must have for lovers of western movies because old Jack Crabb did it all...or at least saw it all! Or just made it all up! Buy this gem & decide for yourself. it's worth every penny!!!
G**I
Tragicomic Tour of the Old West
A happy/sad movie slash history lesson in the guise of an old man recalling his younger days growing up in the old west. The scenes between Jack Crabb (Hoffman) and Gen Custer were my favorite. The actor who played Custer was hilarious and perfectly cast for the part. Actually all the acting and scenes in this movie were well-done. I thought it started out kind of slow at first but found I was getting right into it after a little while. This movie could probably be most appreciated by anyone familiar with the famous/infamous figures of the the American old west, and the movie is something of a marvel in that it seems to bring the old stories alive through the (tall?) tale of the narrator (Jack Crabb) who at one time or another seemed to have crossed paths with all of them. As a testament to the rape of Native American culture this film is very moving, as the on-screen recreation of genocide usually is. It is a humorous picture overall, though while cheerful, retains a tragi-comic edge throughout. Lots of off the cuff unintentional hilarity in lines like "We are even now - I paid you the life I owe you and the next time we meet I can kill you without becoming an evil person." The scope is epic and the movie runs at 139 minutes. Besides the Jack Crabb/Custer scenes ("Muleskinner!"), also bigger than life is the tale of Jack's taking on 3 other wives at the request of his first ("I knew you were a good man."). I read the book before I saw the movie and the book was excellent. I was happy to find that the story also worked well as a film.
J**Z
Qui pourrait dire du mal de cet EXCELLENT film !
C**R
Solo la compré para tenerla. No la he vuelto a ver pues me acuerdo de ella al detalle. Gran película. Acababa de leer el libro (publicado con el mismo título en la colección frontera) y me apetecía tener la película. El libro es fantástico. Muy recomendable.
B**N
Es un producto muy difícil de encontrar. Yo llevaba años buscándola. Excelente encontrarla en Amazon
鈴**幸
パソコンに付属の再生装置で見ました。tvでは再生出来なかった。日本ごがなかったので、英語で聞きました。
C**R
These are the words spoken, after the Battle of the Little Big Horn, by the outstanding Chief Dan George, playing tribal leader Old Lodge Skins. He is referring to the Cheyenne (Human Beings)and the destruction of its people and way of life, by the New American civilisation. Hoffman is Jack Crabbe, the 121-year-old sole survivor of Custer's Last Stand. Little Big Man is the name given to him by his adoptive Cheyenne family. The film starts with the aged Jack being interviewed in a nursing home, where he begins to recount his amazing life story up to the point of that famous event. The narrative is episodic, detailing his first hand experiences of the Indian and white cultures and their deadly interaction. This is a powerful and entertaining film, genuinely very funny and chokingly sad in all the right places. It is a more satisfying film than 'Dances With Wolves' and has the majesty and depth of a Native American 'Les Miserables'. WARNING!!! If you are a General Custer fan, beware of Richard Mulligan's hysterically manic Basil Fawlty style interpretation of the legend - he's more barking than a pack of rabid coyotes. This is a classic that deserves a place in your DVD library.
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