Altman's intentions are right on, but he misses the forest for the trees. You could trim half an hour from "Buffalo Bill and the Indians" and not even notice. If you could refashion the movie to focus more on the Indians, it might be something great, not merely good.
Rob's rating: 7.0 of 10.
See http://www.bluecorncomics.com/buffbill.htm for a longer review.
I agree about the trimming, 'though I actually didn't ever feel that the film dragged. I thought the point about the Indians though was that they were alien and mysterious, and Altman's decision to treat them as such helped demonstrate how little the foreigners understood them.
How do you like them apples?
I agree about the trimming, and also about the 7/10, but I see this as a document about Robert Altman's journey as a director in the '70s rather than a conventional "cowboys and Indians" film.
share[deleted]
No trimming is necessary. I guess you would prefer a tightly structured movie that zips through the story rather than a complex Altman narrative. This is a magnificent recreation of a time and a place, and it all that is necessary to envelope the audience.
share