The Return of a Man Called Horse
Encyclopedia
The Return of a Man Called Horse is a 1976 American western film directed by Irvin Kershner
involving a conflict over territory between Sioux
Indians and white men. It is the sequel to A Man Called Horse and it was followed by The Triumphs of a Man Called Horse
in 1982.
Richard Harris reprises his role as Horse, a |British aristocrat
who has become a member of a tribe of Lakota Sioux.
) have gone into the Badlands and been forced to eat their dogs. "Why did you return?" asks Elk Woman. "I had to come back," says Morgan. "I had to prove something to myself... there was an empty place in my soul. I could not forget." He finds the tribe dispirited, because of the actions of the trappers, and he begins to devise a strategy to overpower the trappers' stronghold, convincing the Indians to take direct action. Soon even the Indian women and boys are assigned tasks to aid the assault on regaining their ancestral land.
in the United States. Other scenes were filmed in the United Kingdom and Mexico.
while not highly critical of the film noted that the film attempted to take itself too seriously and paid unnecessary attention to detail. According to Ebert "The film reveals its basic white-chauvinist bias, but it certainly seems to take itself seriously. It's of average length, but paced like an epic. There are four main movements in the plot: Return, Reconciliation, Revenge and Rebirth. If this seems a little thin for a two-hour movie, believe me, it is, even with all that portentous music trying to make it seem momentous.
Ebert also criticized the repetition in the film from the original A Man Called Horse
. Ebert commented that "What gets me is that initiation rite, which is repeated in this film in such grim and bloody detail you'd think people didn't have enough of it the last time. First Morgan has his pectoral muscles pierced with knife blades Then eagle's talons are drawn through the wounds and tied to leather thongs. Then he hangs by the thongs until sufficiently purified. You'd think one ceremony like that would do the trick, without any booster shots."
Irvin Kershner
Irvin Kershner was an American film director and occasional actor, best known for directing quirky, independent films early in his career, and then Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. -Background:...
involving a conflict over territory between Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
Indians and white men. It is the sequel to A Man Called Horse and it was followed by The Triumphs of a Man Called Horse
The Triumphs of a Man Called Horse
The Triumphs of a Man Called Horse is a 1982 American Western film directed by John Hough and starring Richard Harris, Michael Beck and Ana De Sade. Harris reprised his role as British aristocrat John Morgan, 8th Earl of Kildare, who becomes a member of the Lakota Sioux...
in 1982.
Richard Harris reprises his role as Horse, a |British aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
who has become a member of a tribe of Lakota Sioux.
Plot
Trappers with government support force the Yellow Hands Sioux off their sacred land. The Indians retreat, but await supernatural punishment to descend on their usurpers. Harris reprises his role as John Morgan, 8th Earl of Kildare, who had lived with the tribe for years and is known as Horse, leaves his English fiancé and estate and returns to America, where he discovers the Yellow Hand people have been largely massacred or put into slavery by the unscrupulous white traders and their Indian cohorts. The few survivors, including wise old Running Bull and stubborn old Elk Woman (Gale SondergaardGale Sondergaard
Gale Sondergaard was an American actress.Sondergaard began her acting career in theatre, and progressed to films in 1936. She was the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her film debut in Anthony Adverse...
) have gone into the Badlands and been forced to eat their dogs. "Why did you return?" asks Elk Woman. "I had to come back," says Morgan. "I had to prove something to myself... there was an empty place in my soul. I could not forget." He finds the tribe dispirited, because of the actions of the trappers, and he begins to devise a strategy to overpower the trappers' stronghold, convincing the Indians to take direct action. Soon even the Indian women and boys are assigned tasks to aid the assault on regaining their ancestral land.
Cast
- Richard HarrisRichard HarrisRichard St John Harris was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer....
as John Morgan - Gale SondergaardGale SondergaardGale Sondergaard was an American actress.Sondergaard began her acting career in theatre, and progressed to films in 1936. She was the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her film debut in Anthony Adverse...
as Elk Woman - Geoffrey Lewis as Zenas
- William LuckingWilliam LuckingWilliam Lucking is an American film, television, and stage actor perhaps best known for his role as Piney Winston in the drama series Sons of Anarchy.-Film and television:...
as Tom Gryce - Jorge Luke as Running Bull
- Jorge Russek as Blacksmith
- Claudio Brook as Chemin De Fer
- Enrique Lucero as Raven
- Regino Herrera as Lame Wolf
- Pedro DamiánPedro DamiánPedro Damián is a Mexican actor, television producer and director, who was executive producer for two teen telenovelas, Clase 406 and Rebelde, distributed within and outside Mexico.-Acting:...
as Standing Bear - Humberto López as Thin Dog
- Alberto Mariscal as Red Cloud
- Eugenia Dolores as Brown Dove
- Patricia Reyes Spíndola as Gray Thorn
- Ana De Sade as Moon Star
Filming
Much of the film was shot in South DakotaSouth Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
in the United States. Other scenes were filmed in the United Kingdom and Mexico.
Reception
The film received mixed reviews on its release. Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
while not highly critical of the film noted that the film attempted to take itself too seriously and paid unnecessary attention to detail. According to Ebert "The film reveals its basic white-chauvinist bias, but it certainly seems to take itself seriously. It's of average length, but paced like an epic. There are four main movements in the plot: Return, Reconciliation, Revenge and Rebirth. If this seems a little thin for a two-hour movie, believe me, it is, even with all that portentous music trying to make it seem momentous.
Ebert also criticized the repetition in the film from the original A Man Called Horse
A Man Called Horse (1970 film)
A Man Called Horse is a 1970 American Western film starring Richard Harris and directed by Elliot Silverstein.-Plot:The film is based on a short story, "A Man Called Horse", published in 1968 in the book Indian Country by Dorothy M. Johnson...
. Ebert commented that "What gets me is that initiation rite, which is repeated in this film in such grim and bloody detail you'd think people didn't have enough of it the last time. First Morgan has his pectoral muscles pierced with knife blades Then eagle's talons are drawn through the wounds and tied to leather thongs. Then he hangs by the thongs until sufficiently purified. You'd think one ceremony like that would do the trick, without any booster shots."