Powwow Highway

Rating:
Summary: Uplifting for me
Review: I was loaned this movie from a friend who had recorded it from the tv. It thrilled me from start to finish. Delbert (Gary Farmer who made me appreciate fat guys) was totally amazing. His sweet innocence captivated me. His unrelenting quest made me realise how important it is to have integrity. I have a group of Indian actors who I would go and see whatever the bad script they get. Grahame Green is so versatile he just leaves me open-mouthed. The scenes are so real too. I've been to Pineridge and it's all true ... even now. I showed this movie to my Lakota friend and she didn't see it the same way at all. She thought the film showed Delbert to be a hapless simpleton. I was amazed that she got that impression. She's an elder too. I have bought my own copy which is an original and now worth a lot of money. I may copy it onto dvd and sell the video. Anyway I recommend this video to anyone who is trying to understand about the plight of the native American on the rezervation. It's the story of Delbert and his radical friend Buddy Red Bow and their journey to Sante Fe to rescue Buddy's sister wrongly accused of drugs. Delbert makes a detour to south Dakota and Pineridge to gain power for their quest. Best bits: On top of the sacred mountain where he leaves his hershey bar as a token. Worst bit: Where Buddy trashes a car radio store and Delbert is seen helping himself to money from the jail (even though it's justified) giving the impression that natives are bad. I have watched it a lot of times which may be sad but I find it totally inspiring.

Rating:
Summary: Wow the Highway!
Review: It has been a LONG time since I first saw this movie. I loved it then and would love to see it again! Yet, from where I sit now, it does not look like it will run again on TV and if I were to stand now, I would not see it made into the DVD format for our future Pow Wow Highway folks to see and enjoy! So sad this is that now my heart is downcast and full of tears. When will the powers that be turn their attention to this wonderfully astute film so the future may gaze into the past & see with clarity the way in which we must walk?

Rating:
Summary: explores two different approaches to warriorship
Review: The first time I saw this movie, I was struck mostly by how much fun it was to watch. There is an offbeat, though good-natured, humour that pulses from start to finish--even though some of the settings and life situations are harsh. (Much of the music is quite beautiful--it's by Robbie Robertson but he's not mentioned for it in the credits.) The story line is well-developed, with good transitions between two converging sub-plots. The basic plot is quite simple: two friends, Philbert Bono (Gary Farmer) and Buddy RedBow (A Martinez) take off on a road trip from a Montana Indian reservation to New Mexico in order to get RedBow's sister out of jail. Along the way they form a friendship, despite differences in personality and ways of looking at life.

Upon the second viewing, it became clear to me that much of what divides them in the beginning has to do with different styles of being or becoming a "warrior." Redbow is a Vietnam vet, as well as an activist who had been present at the Wounded Knee conflict. He has a lot of anger about the plight of Indians as well as, I suspect, his Vietnam experience. His idea of carrying out a campaign has to do with fighting, guns, and discharging rage.

Philbert Bono, on the other hand, has never seen any combat action. He's a peaceful sort and regarded by others as an overweight buffoon. However, he's on a spiritual quest to gather power and become a spiritual warrior. His idea of carrying out a campaign has to do with getting the universal forces on his side.

By the end of the film the two men have worked out a strong friendship and respectful working relationship, but it is clearly Philbert's approach to warriorship which carries more weight in the final victory. The movie does have a few plot flaws, but they are insignificant compared to the interest evoked by Philbert Bono's journey, which is one of inner seeking combined with action in the outer world.

Rating:
Summary: A Movie Classic.
Review: There have been a plethora movies about Native Americans in recent years, which are a bit misleading. For instance, Sherman Alexie in his movie Smoke Signals, portrays us as half-minded individuals who never leave their reservations. Watching these sorts of movies, I feel somewhat offended. In addition, the Indians on Smoke Signals spoke with a southern Accent, which makes them sound retarded! Well, the makers of Pow Wow Highway didn't distort the facts, the way others movies have.

The protagonist is a political activist, named Sunny Redbow, who is protesting the installation of a mine(in all probability a pit-mine, which just destroys the beauty of an area) on the Lame Deer Indian Reservation. So the organization which is trying to build the mine, diverts Redbow's efforts by having the FBI(which was run in a despotic J. Edgar Hoover-esque way at the time), arrest his sister, Bonnie Redbow, on some bogus drug charge. After this, the movie takes a sort of "48 hours" buddy movie twist. To clarify, Sunny Redbow doesn't have the necessary means to get to Santa Fe, New Mexico(where Bonnie was arrested), so he asks his best friend, Philbert Bono, to give him a ride. Philbert Bono, who recently just acquired a vehicle, which he affectionately refers to as his "War Pony", agrees. And the interval between Sunny Redbow's departure from Lame Deer Montana, to the freeing of Bonnie Redbow in New Mexico, is probably the most hilarious few hours I have had the pleasure to visualize. They encounter members of the GOON squad(an anti-AIM organization funded by the US government, which intimidated red nationalists by scare tactics, such as drive-by shootings and physical assault), the Sante Fe police department, fellow Indians, and of course, the elements(i.e. the weather). Without question, this is one of the five best movies that you will ever see, so please, purchase it.

Rating:
Summary: A Quiet Masterpiece
Review: This deceptively simple "road buddy" film was first introduced to me in 1991 when I was researching Native American culture for my 2 children so they would better understand their heritage. What a feast for the eyes,ears and spirit! The score,some of it by Robbie Robertson (U2) is a wonderfully effective backdrop that carries us into the world of one Native American's unique vision quest. One scene that comes to mind is when the gentle Cheyenne named Philbert Bono (Gary Farmer) surveys a dilapidated junk yard full of wrecked cars, but sees instead a herd of wild ponies galloping on the plain. His choice of a "pony" is a broken down Buick,yet to him it's as noble as any horse that ever ran. And so it goes. A. Martinez is facinating as Buddy RedBow, Philbert's activist friend who joins him on the road. The film weaves together humor and pathos,fantasy and realism for a story that entertains while it touches the spirit and makes one feel,at least for a little while, as if life could indeed be as Philbert sees it; and wouldn't that be a wonderful,magical thing! I have not seen this film since 1992 and thought I might never again. That Pow Wow Highway is available now is a dream come true. I cannot recommend it highly enough!