Little Big Man (1970)

Little Big Man

Old Lodge Skins: There is an endless supply of white men. There has always been a limited number of human beings.

This tragi-comic story of a man who straddled two worlds holds up well.

The 121-year-old Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffmann) tells the story of his life to a historian who known only of Jack’s participation in The Battle of Little Big Horn.  Most of the movie is in flashback.  When he was 10-years-old, Jack Crabb’s parents were murdered by the Pawnee.  Jack and his sister are rescued by the Cheyenne tribe.  (The word Cheyenne simply means “human being” in their language.) Jack and the Indians take to each other and he becomes the adopted grandson of their leader, Old Lodge Skins (Chief Dan George).  Jack gradually becomes far more comfortable in the Cheyenne world than in that of the white man.

In his long life, Jack shuttles between the two worlds.  In turn, he is adopted by a churchman and his horny wife (Faye Dunaway); works for a snakeoil salesman (Martin Balsalm); becomes a gunslinger and meets Wild Bill Hickock (Jeff Corey), then a general store proprieter; marries a Swede who is eventually captured by Indians; becomes a muleskinner in Custer’s (Richard Mulligan) cavalry; goes back to the Cheyenne and takes on three sisters as wives; and meets up with Custer again at the Battle of Little Big Horn.

Hoffman does a pretty incredible job aging from around 15 to 121 but all my favorite scenes had Dan George in them.  The script gives everyone concerned some sharp dialogue to sling around.  I think I would have liked it better if it had been 1/2 hour shorter but it entertained me throughout.

Chief Dan George was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.