Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976) 5/10
Buffalo Bill (Paul Newman) explores the nature of history, truth, image, and showmanship through the vehicle of his famous “Wild West” show in this loosely-based on fact film. Directed by Robert Altman.
When he received his Lifetime Achievement Award, Robert Altman said that he didn’t really consider his movies as separate; as far as he was concerned he’d been making “one long film” throughout his career.
With that in mind, I have to ask myself why I love some of Altman’s movies and dislike others. If they are all one movie—or, more moderately, if they are all stylistically similar, with similar themes—what distinguishes the great from the good from the dull?
An Altman movie is marked by overlapping dialogue in a naturalistic style, and by a sprawling cast. In addition, each is set in a distinct place, and that place is as much the movie as the script and the characters. It makes sense, then, that some Altman films are named for locations—Nashville, Gosford Park—and some take place among a group isolated by their unique location—M*A*S*H, A Prairie Home Companion, Buffalo Bill and the Indians.
The best Altman films have strong locations that inform the characters, and strong characters that allow you to focus on them. In the chaos Altman so loves creating, only the best characters rise above the fray (best as in best-written; fully-realized, not necessarily “best” morally). In the weaker entries, characters are barely sketched before swimming back into the sea of dialogue noise, and the location is unfocused. People in Altman films are often lost; they don’t understand themselves, they are too sad or lonely or foolish to look around and see themselves for who they are. When the film is disjointed, that’s frustrating, when it works, it’s poignant and beautiful.
Not all Altman films are wholly bad or good. Short Cuts had amazing moments and muddy ones; Gosford Park was equal parts mud and dazzle. Buffalo Bill and the Indians has a few minutes here and there of dazzle (with Paul Newman and Will Sampson, that’s a given) but not enough for the price of admission (even for free).
Other than Buffalo Bill himself, the many characters in Buffalo Bill and the Indians are little more than sketches. Annie Oakley is one joke repeated ad infinitum. Sitting Bull is a foil. The entire thing swirls around Buffalo Bill’s ego and his weak, drunken meditations on the Meaning Of It All. But he is poor at meditation, and the sprawl of set and cast is never justified. Indeed, some of the other characters (ably played by the likes of Harvey Keitel, Burt Lancaster, and Kevin McCarthy) might have added considerable interest had any flesh been stuffed into their costumes.
Here’s an idea: Rent Nashville.
