Get ready; it’s time to talk about Native Americans in film.
That’s right, eeeeeeeease into it. This is one hell of a topic, and I am NOT qualified to talk about it. And this is a topic that requires some, uh, qualification. So, OK, let’s start here with Disney and Pocahontas. By now, anybody who’s read my posts knows that I LOVE me some historical accuracy. And Pocahontas is FAR from being accurate in any way. For fuck’s sake, she learns how to speak English via LISTENING WITH HER FUCKING HEART. Wish I could learn languages that way, it’d make world travel easy as hell.
But other than that, how was the Powhatan tribe portrayed? Well...they were OK. The filmmakers tried hard to be accurate to Virginia Algonquian tribes of the time, and they mostly succeeded. But they weren’t perfect. For example, the villain of the film, Ratcliffe? Yeah...yeah, they took off his face. Face/Off style. He, uh...he did not live. They skinned it with seashells. But, they weren’t gonna put that in a Disney movie, obviously, so that gets a semi-pass from me. And that’s not the main focus. There’s a theory that Disney made Pocahontas to distract from their previous foray into Native American portrayal. And that...
OH GOD I’M REALLY DOING THIS HUH?
...Look, I’m a big fan of Disney properties. Like, a HUGE fuckin’ fan. But I will always acknowledge when they do something fucked up. Recently and...in the past. I’m the kind of guy to defend certain creative decisions due to historical context (for example, the Crows from Dumbo and King Louie from The Jungle Book have never really bothered me as much for that reason, even though the former is certainly very offensive by modern sensibilities). But, uh...YEAH THIS IS PRETTY FUCKIN’ BAD I AIN’T DEFENDING WHAT MAKES THE RED MAN FUCKING RED
...Although it is a banger of a tune. IT IS GODDAMMIT. If it weren’t for the HORRIBLE HORRIBLE RACISM, I’d like it for the musical stylings. But OK, enough navel-gazing. This is an animated reflection of real public perceptions of Native Americas, dating back to...well, the Wild West era. Native Americans in film had been portrayed as either the enemy, savage barbarians that deserved to be annihilated, or peaceful dullards meant to serve the white settlers. Which...ugh. Gross. So, let’s jump ahead and look at one of the most legendarily stereotypical Native American characters...and the tragedy of his existence.
GODDAMN IT DISNEY, AND GODDAMN IT JOHNNY DEPP
Pictured above is a potential cannibal and Johnny Depp in the 2013 Disney film, The Lone Ranger. Anybody around during this time is gonna remember the insane controversy surrounding Johnny Depp at this time, the scale of which he would never encounter again cough cough hackwheeze. Depp for SOME FUCKING REASON chose to accept the role of Tonto, arguably the most famous and infamous Native American character in American media.
I’d love to get into the fact that Depp claimed to be of Cree and Cherokee lineage, despite never saying this previously and providing NO FUCKING PROOF, but...there’s another Western movie starring Depp that I wanna talk about down the line, and I’d rather save this conversation for then. Instead, I want to talk about Tonto. Because Tonto was originally played by one of the most prominent (and also infamous) Native American actors in film history: Jay Silverheels.
Harold Jay Smith was a Canadian member of the Mohawk tribe, and a successful lacrosse player in his youth. He would later be inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame, which apparently exists. In 1937, at the age of 25, he was found by Joe E. Brown, comedian, actor, and radio star. You’d actually know him as Osgood in Some Like it Hot! Anyway, Brown is impressed by Jay’s athleticism, and he tells him he should work as an extra and stuntman.
But here’s the thing: Jay’s First Nations, which is relegated to “Indian” during this time period. And First Nations (and Native American) actors are...not appreciated. Let’s just say that they were treated as props at best, and animals at worst. And they were NEVER thought of as capable of actually acting. So, Jay’s at a disadvantage in the industry. Adopting the name Jay Silverheels at this point, he acts as an extra in dozens of films, doing the same thing everything. Whooping, riding horses, attack the poor innocent white people who are taking over the Native American lands for their own good, GOD. What I’m saying is, that reductive image of Native Americans was alive and thriving.
He was in quite a few bangers, like The Sea Hawk, Yellow Sky, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, etc. Here’s the thing, though: in 45 films from 1937 to 1950...dude was credited in 6 of them. And his character was named in 3 of those roles. Jesus. I’m not going into the INTENSE racism during this time period, but just know...it ain’t good. And people are starting to notice.
Why did I stop at 1950? Well, that’s when Broken Arrow comes out, and that would be Jay SIlverheel’s most famous role up to that point, despite the fact that he’s not even the star of the film. The film, starring Jimmy Stewart and directed by Delmer Daves, would be the first film after World War II to paint Native Americans in a good light, and sympathetically. It would also be the film where Jay Silverheels met another future famous actor: Iron Eyes Cody. We’ll get back to Cody, because...Christ. But just know this...Cody is this dude.
The MOST FAMOUS COMMERCIAL IN AMERICAN MEDIA HISTORY. We will get to him. Oh...we will. But for right now, let’s FINALLY watch this goddamn movie, huh? If you’d like to watch Broken Arrow for free, it’s on Tubi! With ads, but hey, beggars and choosers.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Recap (1/2)
Our story takes place in Arizona in 1870, and our narrator is Tom Jeffords (James Stewart), a Union Army veteran who has come to Arizona on summons from a local colonel. He follows vultures to a teenager, and a member of the Chiricahua Apache. As this is during a time when the tribes are at war with the settlers, there’s obviously tension present here.
This injured young man has been shot in the back. Jeffords cares for him, and helps him get better as he does some prospecting. The young man prepares to leave, but Tom tells him that he’s not healed as of yet. However, he has to get back to his family, as his mother is likely crying about his disappearance, and his father is also worried. With that statement, Tom thinks to himself, “Wait...they have emotions? Are they...human beings?” I’m not exaggerating, he actually comes to this realization. However...that’s probably more realistic than I care to admit. Whoof.
The kid’s also realized that Tom’s not that bad, and promises to pray for his well-being. Aww. But as they’re about to part ways for good, the Apache arrive, led by the kid’s father. They threaten to kill him, but don’t on the young man’s say so. They question why Jeffords didn’t kill him, given the fact that they’re at war. That’s just not Jeffords’ style, apparently. As they’re about to let him leave, a group of prospectors come nearby.
Jeffords as gagged and tied to a tree, forced to watch as the Apache kill the prospectors, burying one of them to his neck and feeding him to the ants. Which...has happened. Yeah, this is fucking HORRIFYING, but it is apparently something Comanche and Apache did. This is a suitable enough warning to Tom, as the boy’s father tells him to stay out of the territory, or he will be killed.
In Tucson, Jeffords is party to a conversation about the ambush, which they believe was ordered by the Apache leader, Cochise. Jeffords details what he’s just gone through, and this account angers and irritates farmer Ben Slade (Will Geer), who questions why Jeffords didn’t kill the literal child right then and there, claiming that he’s on the side of the Apache. Jeffords replies that he’s sick of war, and that the whole scuffle is technically their fault for coming out there. And I’m immediately on Jeffords’ side. Fuck yeah, LET’S GO
Slade has his reasons; his wife was killed by an Apache raid on his farm, leading to his hatred of the people as a whole. And again, Jeffords argues that the Apache didn’t start this fucking war. Not that the Apache are guiltless in all this by any means, but this wouldn’t have happened if white settlers didn’t come into the West the way they did. Hot damn, I like this dude. A businessman argues that they’re bringing civilization to the West, which is a shitty argument. But it receives no rebuttal...for now.
Meanwhile, Tucson is suffering from a mail blockade, as reported by postman Milt Duffield (Arthur Hunnicutt). Jeffords decides to try and do something about this, and asks native guide Juan (William Wilkerson) to teach him the Apache language and culture, so that he can speak to Cochise about letting the mail go through. Juan agrees, although he believes that it’ll be the death of him.
After these lessons, Jeffords presses on through the territory, and is tentatively allowed a meeting with Cochise. It should be noted at this point that, while the language of the film is in English, the characters are speaking in Apache. This was an attempt to equalize the Apache and the white people, and it works pretty goddamn well. And all of that is thrown out the window when we meet...Cochise (Jeff Chandler).
GUUUUUUH FUCK I’M NOT GETTING INTO REDFACE YET
Yeah, um, Jeff here is clearly a white dude wearing makeup, but we’re gonna shove that DEEEEEEEP down for right now. Cochise is clearly a man with great dignity and strength, and Jeffords respects him. He asks them to let the mail through, and these leads to a conversation about the white settler’s movements against the Apache. Cochise is understandably reticent, as they’ve killed his brother and countless other Apache. But he’ll think on it.
That night, Jeffords is welcome to stay there. We get to see actual Apache crowndancers perform the Sunrise Dance, which is pretty neat to see. This is a four-day dance and ceremony that takes place after a young girl’s first period. Basically a period party, but with more flair and a lot more ceremonial meaning. The young woman is known as the Changing Woman for those four days. And we get to meet the Changing Woman, named Sonseeahray (Debra Paget), a name which means “Morning Star”. And she OH FUCK ME
JESUS FUCKING CHRIST I GOTTA TALK ABOUT REDFACE
...Goddamn it, I knew I’d have to get to this eventually. Redface, as the name obviously implies, is the practice of painting the faces of (usually) white actors to allow them to play Native American characters. Ugh. Because of the horrendous practices of the time, this was obviously a pretty common practice in Westerns. Jeff Chandler and Debra Paget are obviously painted in this fashion. But who did so? Well...remember Iron Eyes Cody? Yeah, this was a specialty of his. And we’ll get more into THAT later.
Right now, I’m distracted by the fact that Sonseeahray is apparently the Inevitable Love Interest, despite the fact that we KNOW that she can’t be older that 15, and that the actress actually was 15, while Jimmy Stewart was 41. And can I just say, on behalf of everyone...
"Funny. It never struck me that an Apache woman would cry over her son like any other woman."
I liked the part with the ants.
A surprisingly positive portrayal of the Apache people, at least for a western from 1950. I have no idea how much of it had any factual basis, and considering it's based on a novel, everything's up in the air as far as historical and cultural accuracy.
For instance, I somehow doubt the creepy "romance" was a thing. How old was Sonseeahray meant to be? They never stated her age, but Debra Paget was 16 at the time, opposite a 42 year old Jimmy Stewart. Similarly concerning was her redface makeup, likewise worn by Jeff Chandler's Cochise. Of course, they had no issue casting the non-white (and notably also non-Apache) Jay Silverheels as the villainous Geronimo.
Broken Arrow was essentially a recounting of historical events, the accuracy of which I couldn't at all determine, combined with an inappropriate and badly delivered love story. The convergence of these two threads was by far the worst part of both, leaving a sour taste in my mouth. I did really enjoy how quickly and unanimously the townspeople set up that noose though. It was like they had a lynching in them, raring to go at a moments notice.
There was certainly an attempt at being something sympathetic and progressive here, and the performances and dialogue were pretty good, but the plot was just sort of dull, and the presentation left a lot to be desired. The romance angle was already a major red flag, and then on top of that it even had the audacity to end in a lazy, stupid way.
Poorly aged, despite probably being quite progressive for the time. A decently made movie, but one I struggled to enjoy.
Western August V: Broken Arrow (1950) - Recap (Part Two) and Review
Where’s Jay SIlverheels, by the way?
This is, like, one of his most acclaimed roles, and he hasn’t shown up anywhere yet. Well, before he does, I should elaborate on why I care so goddamn much.
As I said last time, Silverheels was cast as Tonto in 1949, and became the most recognizable Native American or First Nations face in the United States. At the same time as him, another actor was working. His name was Iron Eyes Cody, and he actually also appears in Broken Arrow...somewhere. Cody made his career as a makeup artist...who specialized in redface. Yeah, that’s a weird-ass thing for a Native American actor to take part in, right?
Silverheels and Cody worked together on Broken Arrow, but Jay thought something was off. Still, the two went on in their respective careers. But they would go in two completely different directions.
During the time of Jay’s rise to fame, the Native American Civil RIghts Movement also began. This culminated in 1969 when Richard Oakes, LaNada Means, John Trudell (pictured above) and the Indians of All Tribes protest group occupied Alcatraz for 18 months. Yeah, the prison in the San Francisco Bay. It was originally native lands, so they took it back...until the government stepped in and ended the protest. But that’s a WHOLE other story. The point is, shit was changing. And suddenly, Jay Silverheels was enemy number one.
Like I said before, Hollywood and Native Americans never had the best relationship. Or even a good one. Hell, there’s a 1915 article written by a film executives that said they stole from film sets, but were trustworthy if provided tobacco and firewater, which is NOT AN EXAGGERATION AT ALL OF WHAT THAT DUDE SAID. And extending to Jay’s role of Tonto, Native American depictions in film were quite stereotypical. Broken and simplified English, savage behaviors and a misunderstanding of Western technology, headfeathers and hollering...you know, real racist shit. And since Jay was kind of the face of that to America...his career didn’t go well. And it REALLY didn’t help that he leaned into it.
Look, Jay was a massive advocate for the Native American Civil Rights movement, and he made that well-known on every possible occasion. However, he also treated Tonto as more of a parody of himself, performing the role for talk shows and commercials, like this above commercial for pizza rolls. And yeah, people were NOT FUCKING HAPPY about that. Native Americans labeled him an “Uncle Tomahawk”, and he was shunned in the community. Meanwhile, Jay’s career was absolutely tanking, barely getting any rolls after 1970. To make things worse, he has a stroke that year. And to make things EVEN worse...let’s get back to Iron Eyes fucking Cody.
In 1971, Iron Eyes Cody was cast by the Keep America Beautiful organization as the “Crying Indian” in their Earth Day commercial. This is the most successful commercial in the history of television, and it launched Iron Eyes Cody into fame as the most recognizable Native American face in the country, if not in the world. He met three Presidents, the Pope, got a stamp, was nominated for statehood...just, ludicrous amounts of acclaim and fame. When asked what his tribal lineage was, he would claim that he was of Cherokee and Cree descent. Just like Johnny Depp did! Which is fitting, because just like Johnny Depp...
IRON EYES CODY WASN’T NATIVE AMERICAN AT ALL
Born Espera Oscar de Corti, he was an Italian kid from Louisiana. Yeah. This guy, this motherfucking guy, made his career playing pretend as a Native American. Remember when I said he was a makeup artist for films, making people look more authentically redface? Yeah, he did that as his job AND AS HIS LIFE. He would also always wear his Native American costume in public, which even Native Americans thought was fucking weird.
And Jay Silverheels KNEW this, by the way. He found out while the two were working together...on Broken Arrow. Which, of course, is why I brought this up. So this must’ve been a goddamn gutpunch for the poor guy. He’s labeled Uncle Tomahawk, while Cody’s being lauded as the best Native American actor ever, AND HE ISN’T EVEN NATIVE AMERICAN. Jesus Christ, this sucks.
Jay Silverheels died of a second stroke in 1980, at the age of 67. Iron Eyes went on to be on Mister Rogers, got even more film roles, and died a successful man in 1999, at the age of 94. There was an attempt to expose him in 1996, but that attempt got backlash from a fuckton of people, including within the Native American community. Only after his death was he finally revealed as the son of Sicilian immigrants who played a fake Native American for the cameras. And to be fair, he did give to Native American charities and causes, he was an advocate for Native American rights, and he at least raised the awareness of Native Americans to people who may not have known or cared about them otherwise. And yet, despite that...
Fuck Iron Eyes Cody. He’s still a dick.
Time to get back to Broken Arrow, huh? Here’s Part One if you missed it!
Recap: Part 2
After the gross-ass flirtation between the two the next day, Cochise arrives to tell Jeffords that he’ll allow the mail through, but nobody else. Jeffords takes the news back to Tucson, and nobody believes him. He’s given resistance specifically from John Lowrie (Robert Griffin), who bets Jeffords money that five mail riders won’t make it through. Jeffords takes the bet, and Milt Duffield is the first to volunteer to ride.
Duffield and four other riders make it through. But in the process, a military wagon train is ambushed by Chochise and his men and slaughtered. This seeming dichotomy leads the men of Tucson to believe that Jeffords is a traitor and siding with the Apache. In response, after a tence-ass altercation in a bar, the men mob together and IMMEDIATELY TRY TO LYNCH HIM JESUS CHRIST
He’s saved at the last minute by General Oliver Howard (Basil Ruysdael), who asks Jeffords to ask for a meeting with Cochise. He agrees to arrange it, if the peace-seeking General agrees to come alone. He does, as the General is actually a decent-ass dude. He’s not racist, and he believes that the Apache should be allowed their territory as well. Sick.
Also sick is the fact that the romance between Jeffords and Sonseeahray is going ahead towards marriage! Gross! Fucking gross. Cochise approves of this, and arranges it with the parents, despite warning them of the troubles ahead. However, that night, Jeffords is almost killed in his sleep by one of the tribesmen. Jeffords stops it, and Cochise intervenes, ashamed by the actions of one of his people. This is Nahilzay (John War Eagle), a rival suitor of Sonseeahray, and a traitor to Cochise’s word. So, to act upon his honor, Cochise kills him. Whoof.
The General comes for the treaty, while Sonseeahray prepares for their wedduuuuuuchh. Sorry, threw up in my mouth a little just then. Anyway, four days pass, and the men of the Apache Tribes have gathered to attempt a peace negotiation with the General. After a round of questions by the generals, the two Americans leave. And at this point, a dissenting voice rises. This voice does not believe the Americans. He says that the Apache don’t need this treaty, but need a new chief who is not softened to war.
But Cochise rightly notes that the Americans are growing in strength, and the Apache are shrinking. He puts it to a vote, and while some men leave, the majority of the Apache agree to peace. The leader of these men takes a new name: Geronimo (Jay SIlverheels). Sick. Geronimo and his new allies leave, ready to continue the war in the stead of the other Apache. But still, overall, there is a tentative peace that’s been struck.
But, of course, Geronimo doesn’t care about peace. He and his men ambush a stagecoach party, accompanied by Jeffords. But Jeffords is able to put out smoke signals that bring Cochise’s Apache to their aid, chasing off these renegades. Looks like the treaty’s working after all! I’m sure that it’s not gonna backfire even a little bit.
Anyway, the wedduuuuching between Jeffouuuughrds and Sonseeeewahray takes place and I stop myself from vomiting all over my computer. There, a wedding prayer is said, and that prayer has been mistaken for being an authentic Apache Prayer for 71 years. It comes from THIS FUCKING MOVIE.
Sixteen days pass, and the peace treaty is still intact. Jeffords and Sonseeahray wax poetic about their love, and I feel like burying my head in the couch pillows to GET AWAY FROM THIS. But that’s interrupted by the arrival of Bob Slade (Mickey Kuhn), the son of racist farmer Ben Slade. He claims that the Apache have stolen their horses, which Cochise doubts. Still, on Jeffords’ suggestion, they go to investigate. And of course...it’s an ambush by Ben Slade, John Lowrie, and their compatriots.
The men fire away, aiming for Cochise. They miss him, and instead hit Jeffords and Sonseeahray, who tagged along for some reason. Slade is killed by Cochise, who escapes with his life. The men realize how severely they’ve fucked up, and they take off for Mexico. Fuck you guys. Jeffords lives, only to see that Sonseeahray is dead. When Cochise returns to find Jeffords and the survivors, they also notice a still-living settler. Jeffords wants to kill him, but Cochise stops him, now fully believing in peace.
Although he grieves, he also recognizes that Sonseearray was a Girl in the Refrigerator all along, and her death has inspired TRUE peace between the settlers and the Apache. And...that’s it.
That’s it?
That’s...one of the most sudden and anticlimactic endings I’ve seen in a while. I’m a little disappointed, to be honest. But OK, before I get on a tangent, let’s do a full review, huh?
Review
Short preamble! I did like this movie...mostly. It’s kind of haunted by the whole underage love interest and the redface. Hard for me to see past that, BUT IF I TRY...I can acknowledge that this is a good movie. I didn’t even mention that it’s loosely based off of a true story! Yeah! Tom Jeffords and Cochise actually did have a relationship. It’s a VERY different story, but their friendship really did exist.
If I was gonna guess my rating ahead of time...I’ll go with a 76%-80%. But let’s see how that holds up in the breakdown.
Cast and Acting - 7/10: Despite the position he’s in, Jimmy Stewart still turns out a great performance in this movie. Sure, watching him kiss Debra Paget make me cry on the inside and outside, but he was good in the role of Jeffords, especially when up against the racist settlers. Jeff Chandler also manages to be good, despite the fucking redface. And Jay Silverheels...Jay was great, even though I thought his role would be more than a single scene. As for the rest...Paget was bad. She was not good in this movie, sorry. And everybody else was basically just OK. Nothing to write home about.
Plot and Writing - 9/10: This was a solid-ass story, and I liked almost every part of it...save the underage romance. Which, no, I AM NOT FORGETTING ABOUT. Dude, Jeffords didn’t do that in real life. So, for the love of GOD, why make his fictional bride fucking 15? Guys...gross. Really fucking gross, Albert Maltz. Other than that, you did a great job, I just wish that wasn’t a part of it. Ugh.
Directing and Cinematography - 10/10: Yeah, Delmer Daves is a legend. I thought of writing the into to these recaps on him, but I really wanted to talk about Jay Silverheels and Iron Eyes Cody. But I’ll get my chance; Delmer Daves also directed 3:10 to Yuma, so I’ll bring him up one of these days. Anyway, Delmer Daves does a great job with this movie, and it’s gorgeously shot. Ernest Palmer is cinematographer, and he also does an excellent job.
Production and Art Design - 9/10: Sure, the settlers look generic, but the Native Americans? Excellent costume design, with a lot of authenticity packed in there. Credit where credit’s due, here.
Music and Editing - 7/10: Well, the music is great here, if not extraordinarily memorable. Hugo Friedhofer does the composition, and he does a great job. But is it iconic? Eh. Not really. I don’t remember it having a massive impact on me, unfortunately. And the editing...is also OK. That ending is weirdly paced for me, and very abrupt. But J. Watson Webb Jr. does a decent enough job, I think.
That’s an 84%. Huh. Genuinely thought it’d be lower.
This is a good movie, don’t get me wrong. But it’s...complicated. I would recommend it with warnings, I’ll put it that way. Good, great even...but complicated. Outside of that, I have to admire the stance to put Native American tribes on a equal stance, respect-wise. For the time, and for the genre, that’s a rarity. So, as always, credit where credit’s due.
Next up, we continue our foray into the classic Western...but stick with Jimmy Stewart. I wanna give him a second chance. And hopefully, this one doesn’t include a romance with a fifteen year-old. Hopefully.
