Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976) on Netflix
In 1885, William "Buffalo Bill" Cody runs a Wild West show and signs Chief Sitting Bull as a guest star. Sitting Bull arrives with a hidden agenda of his own.
- Netflix3.1/5
- IMDb6.1/105,922 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes61%
Trailer
Plot summary
Staged battles and sharpshooting draw crowds to Cody's Wild West in 1885, a spectacle he presents as the true history of the frontier. Chief Sitting Bull of Little Big Horn fame joins the company as its newest attraction, and Cody expects a bloodthirsty savage for the arena. Sitting Bull is quiet and honorable rather than savage, ill-suited to the billing, and the two men collide over how the past should be performed. The program has Custer's Last Stand played as a sneak attack by the Sioux; Sitting Bull objects and asks instead for a scene of bluecoats destroying a peaceful Sioux village.
Cast
- Mike Kaplanas The Treasurer (Jules Keen)
- Bonnie Leadersas The Mezzo-Contralto (Margaret)
- Noelle Rogersas The Lyric-Coloratura (Lucille DuCharme)
Show all 20 cast
- Evelyn Learas The Lyric-Soprano (Nina Cavallini)
- Frank Kaquittsas The Indian (Sitting Bull)
- Ken Krossaas The Arenic Director (Johnny Baker)
- Fred N. Larsenas The King of the Cowboys (Buck Taylor)
- Jerri Duceas Trick Rider
- Joy Duceas Trick Rider
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Frank "Sitting Wind" Kaquitts, who played Sitting Bull, had been elected the first ever chief of Alberta's Nakoda (Stoney) First Nation after three bands amalgamated the year before; most of the film was shot on location in Alberta, mostly on the Stoney Indian Reserve.
- The film won the Golden Bear at the 26th Berlin International Film Festival, but was poorly received on its U.S. release in June 1976, as the country was celebrating its bicentennial while Altman skewered an American historical myth of heroism.
- After a preview showing in New York in May 1976 received a mixed reaction from the press, Altman recut the film slightly by removing a few of the Wild West show acts.
