Smoke Signals: Screenplay

Rating:
Summary: A good day to be indigenous . . .
Review: Not surprisingly, as in any culture, there are many voices speaking for and about American Indians, representing them from many points of view. Alexie's is one, and the director of "Smoke Signals," Chris Eyre, is another. Reading the extensive notes at the end of this screenplay, where Alexie describes the creative decisions that went into the making of the movie, you can see how each of them pushed for a different vision of the material. And the end result is a moving and humorous film about damage done and the journey that leads to healing - a theme certainly appropriate to a story about American Indians but also relevant to people of all cultures.

The debate among Alexie's readers is expressed dramatically in the movie, "The Business of Fancydancing," in which a writer who makes a career for himself outside the reservation (not unlike Alexie himself) is received coldly by old friends who feel that he's betrayed his people. The violence in that film (against a stranded white tourist) is a darker vision of Indian rage, the seeds of which are represented in the character of Victor, in "Smoke Signals." Looking at just these two stories from the same author, you can see something of the competing points of view that can produce either praise or derision for this film, where "It's a good day to die" is wryly transposed into the wonky observation, "It's a good day to be indigenous."

I can think of really only one reason for reading this book. For screenwriters, it reveals how a screenplay is transformed in the process of making a movie, in this case by the director, the performers, Miramax's Harvey Weinstein, preview audiences, and in particular the editor. Scenes were shifted or eliminated, and dialogue has been added to patch over some of these structural changes. The result is arguably a very different film from the one Alexie originally wrote.

Anyone else should simply buy or rent the DVD. And then follow it up by reading the wonderful collection of stories the film is based on, "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven." Also recommended: Adrian Louis' darkly humorous and angry novel set on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, "Skins."


Rating:
Summary: Is Victor sastisfied with the world.
Review: To me this book had an effect it showed a normal life style of an a native american instead of a regular drunk indian. This book does not hide anything it gives all expressive and shows lots of details of how the real world is.Not only is this book a reference for my class, but also a look back in my history. Victor has a mirror reflection in my life because of the way he was raised. With all the alcohol and verbal abuse it probably reflects on most peoples life, if not it will most definetly make a change in the future. Alexi is a very good writer and i hope to meet him, and i wish he can come out with another book like that.

Rating:
Summary: What can I say...
Review: What can I say about an author that evokes so many emotions in one time. This movie ranks in my top 5 of all time, right beside Stand By Me, Dances with Wolves, and Schindler's List. This is classic Alexie at his best: thought provoking and haunting at times, yet also witty and even hysterical (especially the song about John Wayne's teeth-I had to stop the movie for about 5 minutes I couldn't stop laughing!). He captures both good and dark perspectives in his own unique brand of writing. He is a highly talented author and a truly unique human being.