Smoke Signals (film)
Encyclopedia
Smoke Signals is an independent film
directed and co-produced by Chris Eyre
and with a screenplay by Sherman Alexie
, based on the short story "This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona" from his book Lone Ranger and Tonto: Fistfight in Heaven. It won several awards and accolades, and was well-received at numerous film festivals. It is rated PG-13 for "Some intense images" by the MPAA.
) and Thomas Builds-the-Fire (Evan Adams
) on the Coeur D'Alene Indian Reservation
in Plummer, Idaho
. Thomas is an eccentric
tribe storyteller and Victor is an angry, brooding local basketball star.
The two young men are linked through Victor's father, Arnold (Gary Farmer
). Arnold rescued Thomas as an infant from a house fire that killed his parents. Consequently, Thomas considers him a hero. On the other hand, Victor, who endures Arnold's alcoholism
, domestic violence
, and eventually abandonment, regards his father with both deep love and bitter resentment. Thomas and Victor grow up together as neighbors and acquaintances, fighting with each other and simultaneously forming a close, albeit uneasy, alliance.
When Arnold dies in Phoenix, Arizona
, where he has settled after separating from Victor's mother Arlene (Tantoo Cardinal
), Victor and Thomas embark on a cross-country journey to retrieve his ashes and belongings. The trip turns out to be a soul-searching endeavor for both men. Neither of them lose sight of their identity as "Indians", but their perspectives differ. Victor is more stoic
and pragmatic, and Thomas is more idealistic and traditional (and romantic to the point of watching the feature film Dances with Wolves
countless times). This dichotomy continues all through the film and is the source of Victor's irritation with Thomas, and Thomas's fascination with Victor.
Once in Phoenix, Victor must confront his conflicted feelings toward his father, as well as his own identity. He also must grapple with information provided to him by his father's friend, Suzie Song (Irene Bedard
); namely, the true origins of the fire that killed Thomas' parents. Arnold, drunk one night, accidentally shot off a firework into the living room window, causing the fire in his neighbors house. The trip turns out to ultimately cure Victor's brooding disposition toward life and shows him why his father became an alcoholic, was abusive, and eventually left their family. The film concludes with Victor achieving a better understanding of Thomas and of his unconditional reverence for Arnold.
gave Smoke Signals an 86% rating with 24 fresh and four rotten reviews. Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle
gave the film a rave review calling it, "unpretentious, funny and soulful [...] Well-acted, well- written, with spare, beautiful imagery." Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times
describes Smoke Signals as, "a warm film of friendship and reconciliation, and whenever it refers to historic injustices or contemporary issues in Native American culture, it does so with wry, glancing humor. Smoke Signals is indeed poignant, but above all it's pretty funny." Marc Savlov of the The Austin Chronicle describes the film as "poignant and slyly humorous" and is "alight with oddball nuances and wry observations." He also states that, "the cast is uniformly excellent in their roles, and Eyre's persistent use of long, trailing shots reinforces the story's elegiac tone. Simple and elegant, Smoke Signals is a delicious, heady debut that lingers long after the tale is told."
Susan Tavernetti of the Palo Alto Weekly, gave the film a mixed review stating that, "although sometimes the attempt to break down stereotypes seems stilted and forced, more often the result is humorous." She also stated that, "Chris Eyre's direction establishes an uneven tone, allowing some actors be gays with each other along with deliving performances bordering on broad caricature while others play their roles straight." She praised the opening and closing sequences which she stated, "beautifully combine poetic voice-overs with visual lyricism." Paul Bond of the World Socialist Web Site
was critical of Sherman Alexie
's screenplay which he felt was not as strong as Alexie's short story collection upon which the film is based. Bond also felt the film made compromises based upon commercial pressures.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
directed and co-produced by Chris Eyre
Chris Eyre
Chris Eyre , an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, is a film director and producer.His films focus on all aspects of contemporary Native American life, while dispelling the usual stereotypes. Eyre's debut film, Smoke Signals , won the coveted Sundance Film Festival Filmmakers...
and with a screenplay by Sherman Alexie
Sherman Alexie
Sherman Joseph Alexie, Jr. is a writer, poet, filmmaker, and occasional comedian. Much of his writing draws on his experiences as a Native American. Two of Alexie's best known works are The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven , a book of short stories and Smoke Signals, a film...
, based on the short story "This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona" from his book Lone Ranger and Tonto: Fistfight in Heaven. It won several awards and accolades, and was well-received at numerous film festivals. It is rated PG-13 for "Some intense images" by the MPAA.
Plot summary
The story centers on Victor Joseph (Adam BeachAdam Beach
Adam Ruebin Beach is a Canadian Saulteaux actor.He is best known for his roles as Tommy on Walker, Texas Ranger, Kickin' Wing in Joe Dirt, Marine Private First Class Ira Hayes in Flags of Our Fathers, Private Ben Yazzie in Windtalkers, Dr...
) and Thomas Builds-the-Fire (Evan Adams
Evan Adams
Evan Tlesla Àdams is a Canadian actor, playwright and medical doctor. A Coast Salish from the Sliammon First Nation near Powell River, British Columbia, he is best known internationally for his roles in the films of Sherman Alexie, as Thomas Builds-the-Fire in the 1998 film Smoke Signals and...
) on the Coeur D'Alene Indian Reservation
Coeur d'Alene Reservation
The Coeur d'Alene Reservation, located in northwestern Idaho, USA, is home to the Coeur d'Alene peoples. It is located in parts of Benewah County and Kootenai County. The land area is 523.76 sq mi and it had a population of 6,551 residents at the 2000 census. The largest city entirely within the...
in Plummer, Idaho
Plummer, Idaho
Plummer is a city in Benewah County, Idaho, United States. The population was 990 at the 2000 census. It is the largest city within the Coeur d'Alene Reservation.-Geography:Plummer is located at ....
. Thomas is an eccentric
Eccentricity (behavior)
In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive...
tribe storyteller and Victor is an angry, brooding local basketball star.
The two young men are linked through Victor's father, Arnold (Gary Farmer
Gary Farmer
- History :Farmer was born in Ohsweken, Ontario into the Cayuga nation and Wolf Clan of the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Confederacy. Farmer attended Syracuse University and Ryerson Polytechnic University, where he studied photography and film production....
). Arnold rescued Thomas as an infant from a house fire that killed his parents. Consequently, Thomas considers him a hero. On the other hand, Victor, who endures Arnold's alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
, and eventually abandonment, regards his father with both deep love and bitter resentment. Thomas and Victor grow up together as neighbors and acquaintances, fighting with each other and simultaneously forming a close, albeit uneasy, alliance.
When Arnold dies in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, where he has settled after separating from Victor's mother Arlene (Tantoo Cardinal
Tantoo Cardinal
Rose Marie "Tantoo" Cardinal, CM is a Canadian film and television actress.-Career:Cardinal was born in Anzac, Fort McMurray, Alberta. Her mother, Julia Cardinal, was a Métis of Cree descent...
), Victor and Thomas embark on a cross-country journey to retrieve his ashes and belongings. The trip turns out to be a soul-searching endeavor for both men. Neither of them lose sight of their identity as "Indians", but their perspectives differ. Victor is more stoic
STOIC
STOIC was a variant of Forth.It started out at the MIT and Harvard Biomedical Engineering Centre in Boston, and was written in the mid 1970s by Jonathan Sachs...
and pragmatic, and Thomas is more idealistic and traditional (and romantic to the point of watching the feature film Dances with Wolves
Dances with Wolves
Dances with Wolves is a 1990 epic western film directed by and starring Kevin Costner. It is a film adaptation of the 1988 book of the same name by Michael Blake and tells the story of a Union Army Lieutenant who travels to the American frontier to find a military post, and his dealings with a...
countless times). This dichotomy continues all through the film and is the source of Victor's irritation with Thomas, and Thomas's fascination with Victor.
Once in Phoenix, Victor must confront his conflicted feelings toward his father, as well as his own identity. He also must grapple with information provided to him by his father's friend, Suzie Song (Irene Bedard
Irene Bedard
Irene Bedard is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Native American characters in a variety of films. Bedard was born in Anchorage, Alaska...
); namely, the true origins of the fire that killed Thomas' parents. Arnold, drunk one night, accidentally shot off a firework into the living room window, causing the fire in his neighbors house. The trip turns out to ultimately cure Victor's brooding disposition toward life and shows him why his father became an alcoholic, was abusive, and eventually left their family. The film concludes with Victor achieving a better understanding of Thomas and of his unconditional reverence for Arnold.
Reviews
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gave Smoke Signals an 86% rating with 24 fresh and four rotten reviews. Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
gave the film a rave review calling it, "unpretentious, funny and soulful [...] Well-acted, well- written, with spare, beautiful imagery." Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
describes Smoke Signals as, "a warm film of friendship and reconciliation, and whenever it refers to historic injustices or contemporary issues in Native American culture, it does so with wry, glancing humor. Smoke Signals is indeed poignant, but above all it's pretty funny." Marc Savlov of the The Austin Chronicle describes the film as "poignant and slyly humorous" and is "alight with oddball nuances and wry observations." He also states that, "the cast is uniformly excellent in their roles, and Eyre's persistent use of long, trailing shots reinforces the story's elegiac tone. Simple and elegant, Smoke Signals is a delicious, heady debut that lingers long after the tale is told."
Susan Tavernetti of the Palo Alto Weekly, gave the film a mixed review stating that, "although sometimes the attempt to break down stereotypes seems stilted and forced, more often the result is humorous." She also stated that, "Chris Eyre's direction establishes an uneven tone, allowing some actors be gays with each other along with deliving performances bordering on broad caricature while others play their roles straight." She praised the opening and closing sequences which she stated, "beautifully combine poetic voice-overs with visual lyricism." Paul Bond of the World Socialist Web Site
World Socialist Web Site
The World Socialist Web Site is the online news and information center of the International Committee of the Fourth International . The site publishes articles and analysis covering a wide range of topics and events all around the world. The daily 'Perspective' article presents the position of the...
was critical of Sherman Alexie
Sherman Alexie
Sherman Joseph Alexie, Jr. is a writer, poet, filmmaker, and occasional comedian. Much of his writing draws on his experiences as a Native American. Two of Alexie's best known works are The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven , a book of short stories and Smoke Signals, a film...
's screenplay which he felt was not as strong as Alexie's short story collection upon which the film is based. Bond also felt the film made compromises based upon commercial pressures.
Awards
- 1998 – American Indian Film FestivalAmerican Indian Film FestivalThe American Indian Film Festival is an annual non-profit film festival in San Francisco. It is the world's oldest venue dedicated to Native American films and prepared the way for the 1979 formation of the American Indian Film Institute....
: Best film - 1998 – Christopher AwardChristopher AwardThe Christopher Award is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, motion pictures and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit"...
- 1998 – First Americans in the ArtsFirst Americans in the ArtsFirst Americans in the Arts is a non-profit organization based in Beverly Hills, California. According to its website, the organization was created "to recognize, honor and promote American Indian participation in the powerful arena of the entertainment industry, incorporating the areas of film,...
: Outstanding Achievement in Writing (Sherman Alexie), Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Film (Evan Adams), Outstanding Achievement in Directing (Chris Eyre) - 1998 – Gotham AwardsGotham AwardsThe Gotham Awards is an annual ceremony of awards presented to the makers of independent films which takes place in New York City...
: Nominations: Open Palm Award - 1998 – National Board of Review: Special Recognition For Excellence In Filmmaking
- 1998 – San Diego World Film Festival: Best American Independent Feature; Best Screenplay (Sherman Alexie); Best Actor (Adam Beach); Best Director (Chris Eyre)
- 1998 – Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
: Filmmaker's Trophy (Chris Eyre); Audience Award. Nominations: Grand Jury Prize - 1998 – Taos Talking Picture Festival: Taos Land Grant Award (Chris Eyre)
- 1998 – Tokyo International Film FestivalTokyo International Film FestivalTokyo International Film Festival is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biannually from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter...
: Best Artistic Contribution (Chris Eyre) (tie) - 1999 – Chlotrudis AwardsChlotrudis Awards 1999The 5th Annual Chlotrudis Awards were presented in 1999 by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film.-Best Movie:Gods and Monsters* Elizabeth* Happiness* High Art* Life Is Beautiful* The Opposite of Sex-Best Director:...
: Nomination: Best Actor (Evan Adams) - 1999 – Florida Film Critics Circle Awards: Best Newcomer (Chris Eyre/Sherman Alexie)
- 1999 – Independent Spirit AwardsIndependent Spirit AwardsThe Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
: Best Debut Performance (Evan Adams). Nominations: Best Supporting Male nomination (Gary Farmer), Best First Screenplay nomination (Sherman Alexie) - 1999 – Young Artist Awards: Nominations: Best Performance in a Feature Film-Supporting Young Actor (Cody Lightning)
See also
- List of American films of 1998
- The Business of FancydancingThe Business of FancydancingThe Business of Fancydancing is a 2002 film written and directed by Sherman Alexie.The film explores the tension between two Spokane men who grew up together on the Spokane Reservation in eastern Washington state: Seymour Polatkin and Aristotle...
- Sherman AlexieSherman AlexieSherman Joseph Alexie, Jr. is a writer, poet, filmmaker, and occasional comedian. Much of his writing draws on his experiences as a Native American. Two of Alexie's best known works are The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven , a book of short stories and Smoke Signals, a film...
- Fisher KingFisher KingThe Fisher King, or the Wounded King, figures in Arthurian legend as the latest in a line charged with keeping the Holy Grail. Versions of his story vary widely, but he is always wounded in the legs or groin, and incapable of moving on his own...
Further reading
- Alexie, Sherman. Smoke Signals: A Screenplay. New York: Miramax, 1998.
- Sending Cinematic Smoke Signals: An Interview with Sherman Alexie Dennis West and Joan M. West, Cineaste
- Sterngold, James. "FILM; Able to Laugh at Their People, Not Just Cry for Them. New York Times, June 21, 1998.
- Williams, Mary Elizabeth. "Without reservations: A conversation with Sherman Alexie." Salon.comSalon.comSalon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, July 3, 1998.