A Man Called Horse

In the western film genre, the long and twisted trail from Indians-as-barbarians to Dancing with Wolves made a stop along the way at A Man Called Horse. The 1970 film, out now on Blu-ray, starred Richard Harris as Lord John, a British aristocrat on a hunting trip out West. He was taken by Sioux Indians and treated at first like an animal—rather like the way many settlers treated the natives. Director Elliot Silverstein (Cat Ballou) shot some remarkable scenes in terms of camera angles and cinematography, yet often ran aground on a hybrid script combining old Hollywood stereotypes of moronic frontiersmen and shrieking savages with scholarly advice on recreating Native American ceremonies. It's no surprise that Lord John's fortitude eventually wins him a place in the teepee.