Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee

Posted by Robert Fure (robert@filmschoolrejects.com) on July 3, 2007

There is no more shameful a period in US history than those of the forced migration and genocide of the American Indian. Anyone who has read my previous reviews and columns will know that I have a sense of humor and that I am generally light-hearted in reviewing just about everything, but this a topic near to my heart and one with which I find no humor in.

HBO Films brings us the excellent and well executed adaptation of the Dee Brown book Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee bringing to light the displacement of the American Indian. The film, for the sake of time, only deals with the final chapters of the popular book, combining some elements in order to dramatize the tale. While the events need no dramatizing, the film does put across much of the impact demanded by this subject and shows a heart-breaking glimpse into the shame of one nation and the destruction of another.

Adam Beach carries much of the weight of the film as a Charles Eastman, or by his Sioux name Ohiyesa. As a young boy he earns his head-feather at the Battle of Little Big Horn, but shortly thereafter he is taken away to the East by his father to be assimilated. His father has come to the realization that “the Earth belongs to the white man” and that there is no place in it for the Indian. Years later, Ohiyesa has excelled at school and become a medical doctor with close ties to Henry Dawes (Aidan Quinn), the architect of many of the land redistribution plans.

The crux of the story follows Chief Sitting Bull and his struggle to come to grips with the new world that is being thrust upon him in addition to the responses of other American Indians and, notably, the changing opinion of Ohiyesa/Charles Eastman. There are varying responses ranging from a certain willingness to embrace the changes, sorrowful reluctance, a loss of hope, and even fierce resistance from some.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee showcases proud nations repeatedly betrayed and the tragic circumstances that arise from the mistreatment and misunderstanding between cultures. The acting is all well done. The cinematography is all great. The costumes and actors and extras and props are all spot on for the time period.

This really is a strong movie, though obviously not a laugh-a-minute, feel-good film. I recommend this film to everyone both as a film and as a learning experience. It is a shameful subject that we should not ignore and it should not be allowed to fade or be forgotten or be ignored. This really is an important film that will hopefully push more people to read the book and delve further into the subject.

Watch this movie.

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