Rating: 
Summary: Be Careful What You Believe
Review: "Buffalo Bill and the Indians" was a riveting movie. Bored? Hardly. Joel Gray came close to stealing this picture, as he has many times, as Bill's business partner. While the historical Cody wasn't anywhere near the charlatan Paul Newman and Altman have made him, his portrayal reminds us all not to believe our own press.Cody and many of the other men of that era -- James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok springs to mind -- had lived eventful lives, lives that fascinated Easterners, reading the Dime Novels and Penny Dreadfuls or seeing one of the Wild West Shows or plays about the west. Cody and Hickok were prone to give the people what they wanted, playing their characters pretty near to the hilt. They had a sense that their time was passing and the things which had made them famous, the exploits that had made their lives seem adventutous, were coming to an end. You get this sense of approaching, inevitable obsolescence in Newman's portrayal, especially as the film nears it's end. I have waited for this film to be available in a decent version and I wasn't dsiappointed. See the film. Make your own decisions. There are several fine performances and Newman and Altman don't quite let Joel Gray steal the picture. They allow fine performances from many actors, especially Geraldine Chaplin as Annie Oakley, to shine through. Jamie Fraser-Paige
Rating:
Summary: Be Careful What You Believe
Review: "Buffalo Bill and the Indians" was a riveting movie. Bored? Hardly. Joel Gray came close to stealing this picture, as he has many times, as Bill's business partner. While the historical Cody wasn't anywhere near the charlatan Paul Newman and Altman have made him, his portrayal reminds us all not to believe our own press. Cody and many of the other men of that era -- James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok springs to mind -- had lived eventful lives, lives that fascinated Easterners, reading the Dime Novels and Penny Dreadfuls or seeing one of the Wild West Shows or plays about the west. Cody and Hickok were prone to give the people what they wanted, playing their characters pretty near to the hilt. They had a sense that their time was passing and the things which had made them famous, the exploits that had made their lives seem adventutous, were coming to an end. You get this sense of approaching, inevitable obsolescence in Newman's portrayal, especially as the film nears it's end. I have waited for this film to be available in a decent version and I wasn't dsiappointed. See the film. Make your own decisions. There are several fine performances and Newman and Altman don't quite let Joel Gray steal the picture. They allow fine performances from many actors, especially Geraldine Chaplin as Annie Oakley, to shine through. Jamie Fraser-Paige
Rating:
Summary: Obvious, but hilarious Altman Western fantasia.
Review: 'Buffalo Bill' is a satirical broadside aimed at a nation arrogant enough to think it can write its own history. Throughout, living legends with their sanitised, mendacious or egocentric versions of history, are assured that their names will resound through the ages, when, less than a century later, an angry film-maker is exposing these people and their history as so much noisy, gaudy spectacle drowning out truth and murder. Made in America's murkiest decade, the film looks at a country repeatedly deluding itself and unable to handle it when this delusion is exposed. It does for the Western and American history what 'Oh What a lovely war' did for English history, turning it into a circus, where sacred 'truths' are revealed to be at best distorted stories, and at worse criminal fabrications. it equates that history with showbusiness (this is an arena in which historical players become showbiz stars; the funniest sequence involves a special 'Wild West' show for President Cleveland, with taciturn Sitting Bull feigning an assassination), with politics. 'Bill' isn't as subtle or affecting as Altman's great Western, 'McCabe and Mrs Miller' - the playing with reality and appearance, between the flawed protagonist and his majestic image, is sometimes heavy-handed, though as often poignant (Paul Newman is brilliant, revealing both Cody's voracious ego and its related insecurity). As with the earlier masterpiece, Altman is not content to merely demolish myth - he creates a rich, fraught realism which simply by existing quashes the myth - the cacophany of conflicting voices, dialects and sounds (where the smallest supporting bit player is ennnobled by the vignette-structured comedy); the comic obsession with period detail, including some wonderfully ridiculous hair; the faithfulness to the era's mindset, its modes of cultural (especially visual) expression, while retaining a critical late-20th century perspective, allowing the film to be at once mercilessly cynical and yet somehow affectionate to its monstrous protagonists and their faith in the showbiz which, after all, is royally entertaining us. Typically, this 'realism' is one more level Altman undermines - the whole story is an alcoholic loser's biased anecdote, while Sitting Bull's dream power more than once engulfs Bill's identity and his narrative. A flawed, but very funny film.
Rating:
Summary: Obvious, but hilarious Altman Western fantasia.
Review: 'Buffalo Bill' is a satirical broadside aimed at a nation arrogant enough to think it can write its own history. Throughout, living legends with their sanitised, mendacious or egocentric versions of history, are assured that their names will resound through the ages, when, less than a century later, an angry film-maker is exposing these people and their history as so much noisy, gaudy spectacle drowning out truth and murder. Made in America's murkiest decade, the film looks at a country repeatedly deluding itself and unable to handle it when this delusion is exposed. It does for the Western and American history what 'Oh What a lovely war' did for English history, turning it into a circus, where sacred 'truths' are revealed to be at best distorted stories, and at worse criminal fabrications. it equates that history with showbusiness (this is an arena in which historical players become showbiz stars; the funniest sequence involves a special 'Wild West' show for President Cleveland, with taciturn Sitting Bull feigning an assassination), with politics. 'Bill' isn't as subtle or affecting as Altman's great Western, 'McCabe and Mrs Miller' - the playing with reality and appearance, between the flawed protagonist and his majestic image, is sometimes heavy-handed, though as often poignant (Paul Newman is brilliant, revealing both Cody's voracious ego and its related insecurity). As with the earlier masterpiece, Altman is not content to merely demolish myth - he creates a rich, fraught realism which simply by existing quashes the myth - the cacophany of conflicting voices, dialects and sounds (where the smallest supporting bit player is ennnobled by the vignette-structured comedy); the comic obsession with period detail, including some wonderfully ridiculous hair; the faithfulness to the era's mindset, its modes of cultural (especially visual) expression, while retaining a critical late-20th century perspective, allowing the film to be at once mercilessly cynical and yet somehow affectionate to its monstrous protagonists and their faith in the showbiz which, after all, is royally entertaining us. Typically, this 'realism' is one more level Altman undermines - the whole story is an alcoholic loser's biased anecdote, while Sitting Bull's dream power more than once engulfs Bill's identity and his narrative. A flawed, but very funny film.
Rating: 
Summary: what an awful transfer
Review: First of all, this is a very ugly disc. So ugly that you have to watch it on an older tube TV. There are awful distortions during big movements and some scenes look very low rez. It's not the quality of the source print that I'm talking about (which is okay), it's a really bad transfer to DVD. It's not anamorphic widescreen at all, it's letterbox. It says anamorphic here in the Amazon descriptions, but I don't think it makes this claim on the box. The too-short documentary about the making of Buffalo Bill actually looks FAR BETTER than the movie itself as far as crisp detail and the absence of compression artifacts. Spoilers follow - Buffalo Bill has a great first half-hour and then wobbles all over the place. The movie looks like it's going to be a typical Altman Audio/Visual stew of show business, fire arms, and history. The Wild Bill show looks wonderful, the cinematography is great, the dialogue seems pretty good and the casting inspires some optimism. Then the Indians show up. Sitting Bull and William Halsey are portrayed as noble, mysterious and aloof. The movie spirals into a series of events where they confound the smarmy Bill Cody over and over. The last hour of the movie requires Newman to act more and more flustered by Sitting Bull until he has a really cringeworthy breakdown in front of the ghostly Chief. Anyway, there's stuff for hardcore Altman fans (I'm one) to watch for. Newman is initially impressive in his role and then sputters. The pageants and attention to details that Altman excels at are well done. Ultimately the themes of showbiz and history wilt before the rambling blah of the noble savage.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh Please...........
Review: I love Robert Altman, and I am a tremendous fan of his movies (See McCabe & Mrs. Miller, The Long Goodbye, Shortcuts, etc.). But no one hits it out of the ballpark everytime, and this effort, while having some worthwhile moments, is a dud. I never thought an Altman movie would bore me, but this one was interminable. He makes the point about Buffalo Bill, and hence all showbiz and celebrity (and politics), being a fraud in the first 15 minutes. But this is a two hour plus movie, and the next hour and 45 minutes is a lot of improvised movement & wandering around that signifies nothing & conveys nothing new beyond that. The good things about the picture are Paul Newman, Will Samson, the dignity of the man playing Sitting Bull,Burt Lancaster, and the wonderful recreation of the look of Buffalo Bill's show. ( My father saw his show as a child, and the excitement & wonder of it never left him). But there is a whole lot of watching Newman walking around & having muddled dialogue with this one and that one, all adding up to not much. If you want to indulge your guilt over the sorry and dreadful treatment of Native Americans knock yourself out. Even this very real subject is handled poorly here as well, the worthwhile moments overwhelmed by too much extraneous nonsense. And, as one reviewer pointed out, the real Buffalo Bill was said to have treated the Native Americans with kindness & respect and they regarded him well. When you are an intuitive and flexible and improvisational film-maker, as Altman is, it is inevitable that you won't bottle lightning everytime out. And Altman has had his misfires, as has Kubrick, Kurosawa, Fellini, Bergman and every other brilliant artist. This is one.
Rating:
Summary: Oh Please...........
Review: I love Robert Altman, and I am a tremendous fan of his movies (See McCabe & Mrs. Miller, The Long Goodbye, Shortcuts, etc.). But no one hits it out of the ballpark everytime, and this effort, while having some worthwhile moments, is a dud. I never thought an Altman movie would bore me, but this one was interminable. He makes the point about Buffalo Bill, and hence all showbiz and celebrity (and politics), being a fraud in the first 15 minutes. But this is a two hour plus movie, and the next hour and 45 minutes is a lot of improvised movement & wandering around that signifies nothing & conveys nothing new beyond that. The good things about the picture are Paul Newman, Will Samson, the dignity of the man playing Sitting Bull,Burt Lancaster, and the wonderful recreation of the look of Buffalo Bill's show. ( My father saw his show as a child, and the excitement & wonder of it never left him). But there is a whole lot of watching Newman walking around & having muddled dialogue with this one and that one, all adding up to not much. If you want to indulge your guilt over the sorry and dreadful treatment of Native Americans knock yourself out. Even this very real subject is handled poorly here as well, the worthwhile moments overwhelmed by too much extraneous nonsense. And, as one reviewer pointed out, the real Buffalo Bill was said to have treated the Native Americans with kindness & respect and they regarded him well. When you are an intuitive and flexible and improvisational film-maker, as Altman is, it is inevitable that you won't bottle lightning everytime out. And Altman has had his misfires, as has Kubrick, Kurosawa, Fellini, Bergman and every other brilliant artist. This is one.
Rating:
Summary: One of Altman's most entertaining films!
Review: I loved this movie! But I wasn't surprised. Only Altman could bring so much humor, so much introspection and so much humanity to the western genre. Feauturing all-around brilliant performances by Newman, Lancaster, Sampson, Chaplin, Grey and of course Frank Kaquitts as Sitting Bull! Technically, the film excells, especially Paul Lohmann's wonderful cinematography. If you are a fan of Altman's or if your looking for something a little smarter than your run-of-the mill western drama, Buffalo Bill And The Indians Or Sitting Bull's History Lesson is a must!!!
Rating: 
Summary: One of Altman's best
Review: I saw this film when it was first released in 1976 with two other people in the theater. Its beautiful to look at, funny (as only Robert Altman can be) and Altman gets great performances from his huge cast (Paul Newman, Joel Grey, Kevin McCarthy, and a nearly silent Shelly Duvall are wonderful). Don't expect history or any deep revelations. It gives you plenty to think about, and plenty of laughs along the way.
Rating: 
Summary: Beginner's Altman......
Review: If you had never heard of Buffalo Bill or read e e cummings' poem, I think it is doubtful you would appreciate the satire of this Robert Altman film. As a teenager, I read a youth-oriented biography of Buffalo Bill, and from that gathered he was a "real" hero who killed and skinned lots of buffalo. Also around that time (1950s?) the musical `Annie Get Your Gun' with Ethyl Merman first wowed Broadway crowds and Doris Day made an Annie Oakley film (the title escapes me) that led folks to think kindly of Bill who gave her a job in his show. Bill was viewed as a sort-of early PT Barnum. Given my changing attitudes as I matured and came to understand the sick mentality and wanton ways of early Western Americans who killed wholesale, I have perhaps a better appreciation of Altman's effort. Even so, I don't find this film particularly entertaining (i.e. I won't waste time watching it again).
In those insensitive days of yore, "the only good Indian was a dead Indian" or so the cowboys in Western films often said. By 1976, when Altman first released BUFFALO BILL AND THE INDIANS, OR SITTING BULL'S HISTORY LESSON, many people's consciousness had been raised, but I seem to recall the film was not an overwhelming success, because many of us still did not quite understand the atrocities that had been committted. As a result, many of us really noticed Altman only a few years later when he made the film MASH.
This film BUFFALO BILL makes me feel sad because I was once so ignorant as to believe mistreatment of Indians was "the American Way." After all, I was a fan of "Death Valley Days" hosted on tv by the actor Ronald Reagan, who pointed out week after week "how the west was won." It would be years before someone made a satirical film of the same name.
This is not Paul Newman's best film. I guess by the 1970s he wanted to be seen as a serious actor, so he went out of his way to make films which did not feature him as male cheesecake. Newman has proved time and again he can do drama and comedy, but he's a lot funnier in "Rally Round the Flag" a leftest spoof of the Pentagon Brass.
The DVD is technically fine, and certainly if you are interested in Altman's progress as a director this is a good place to begin. Joel Grey, Geraldine Chapman and Burt Lancaster are featured in the film. The fellows who played the Indians were not provided credits on the DVD cover, though I think I saw their names briefly in the film credits.
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