Elliot Silverstein directed A Man Called Horse, a Western produced by Sandy Howard, and written by Jack DeWitt.
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Theatrical release poster design by Tom Jung
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It is based on the short story “A Man Called Horse” by the Western writer Dorothy M. Johnson, first published in 1950 in Collier’s magazine and again in 1968 in Johnson’s book Indian Country.
The basic story was used in a 1958 episode of the TV series Wagon Train, titled “A Man Called Horse”.
The film stars Richard Harris as the titular character, alongside Judith Anderson, Jean Gascon, Manu Tupou, Corinna Tsopei, Dub Taylor, and James Gammon.
Partially spoken in Sioux, the film tells the story of English aristocrat who is captured by the Sioux people.
The film was a Mexican-American co-production shot on location in Arizona and the Mexican states of Durango and Sonora.
English aristocrat John Morgan is captured, enslaved, and treated like an animal by a Native American tribe. He comes to respect his captors’ culture and gain their respect. He is aided in understanding the Sioux by another captive, Batise, the tribe’s half-breed fool, who had tried to escape and was hamstrung behind both knees.
Determining that his only chance of freedom is to gain the respect of the tribe, he overcomes his repugnance and kills two warriors from the neighboring enemy Shoshone tribe, which allows him to claim warrior status. After his victory, he proposes marriage to one of the women with the horses taken in battle as bride-price and undergoes painful initiation rites, taking the native name “Shunkawakan” (or “Horse”) as his Sioux name.
When one of the warriors takes a vow never to retreat in battle, Morgan’s changing perspective is shown, as he turns angrily on the uncomprehending Batise, telling him, “Five years you’ve lived here, and you’ve learned nothing about these people – all his death is to you is a means of escape”. After successfully helping to fend off an attack by the enemy tribe, he becomes a respected member of the tribe and ultimately their leader.
For the crucial Native American initiation ceremony (Vow to the Sun), wherein actor Richard Harris is hung on pins in his chest, make-up artist John Chambers created a prosthetic chest.
Harris and Silverstein clashed, and when Howard and Harris reunited on Man in the Wilderness, Howard hired Richard Sarafian.
Sequels
Two sequels to the original film were made, both with Harris reprising his role:
The Return of a Man Called Horse (1976)
Triumphs of a Man Called Horse (1983)
Cast
Richard Harris as John Morgan / Shunkawakan
Dame Judith Anderson as Buffalo Cow Head
Jean Gascon as Batise
Manu Tupou as Yellow Hand
Corinna Tsopei as Running Deer
Dub Taylor as Joe
James Gammon as Ed
William Jordan as Bent
Eddie Little Sky as Black Eagle
Lina Marín as Thorn Rose
Tamara Garina as Elk Woman
Manuel Padilla Jr. as Leaping Buck
Iron Eyes Cody as Medicine Man
Sonny Skyhawk (Sonny Roubideaux) as Yellow Hand
Credits:
Directed by Elliot Silverstein
Written by Jack DeWitt, based on “A Man Called Horse” by Dorothy M. Johnson
Produced by Sandy Howard
Cinematography Robert B. Hauser
Edited by Philip W. Anderson, Gene Fowler Jr.
Music by Leonard Rosenman
Production companies: Cinema Center Films, Sandy Howard Productions
Distributed by National General Pictures (US)
Release date: April 28, 1970
Running time: 114 minutes
Budget $5 million
Box office $6 million (US/Canada rentals)
$44 million (worldwide by 1976)
