"A Man Called Horse" is a very unusual film about the west for many reasons. It's NOT set during the usual 'glory days' when most films of the type were set (1866-1880). It had no cowboys. And, it had very little dialog in English.

The film begins with a rich Englishman, John Morgan (Richard Harris),on a hunting expedition in the American West in the 1830s. He and his party are attacked by Sioux warriors and Morgan is taken prisoner by the natives. At first, he's treated like a slave and his life truly sucks. It didn't help that the only one who spoke any English in the tribe was another slave who was French...and the guy was a little nuts! Through the course of the film, however, Morgan learns to respect and even enjoy life with the Sioux and becomes an important member of the tribe. There is naturally much more to it than that but it's best you just see it for yourself.

This movie is almost like an ethnographic portrait of the Sioux and the times instead of a typical western film. The usual sorts of clichés and expectations are mostly missing. Some will hate this--some will no doubt be relieved. All I know is that I enjoyed it and liked the more intimate and native-centered approach of the film. Well made all around...though the sun ceremony is NOT for the squeamish.

A MAN CALLED HORSE is a solid enough western of its day, perhaps slightly dated for the modern viewer but a film that still provides a hard-hitting and thought-provoking journey. Richard Harris is well cast as the tough hunter captured by the Sioux tribe and forced to undergo all manner of indignities, tribulations, and torture as he gradually finds himself accepted by a race he previously viewed as inferior. Yep, this is the DANCES WITH WOLVES of its day, and while not as glossy or well made as that film, it's still quite engaging. What's most interesting is how much of a visual story this is, with barely any dialogue which means the film gets by on physicality alone. The torture scenes remain gruelling to this day.

In 1825, the Sioux, leaded by Yellow Hand (Manu Tupou),capture the English nobleman John Morgan (Richard Harris),while hunting in the United States of America. John is brutally treated like an animal by the Indian, and is given to help Buffalo Cow Head (Judith Anderson),the mother of Yellow Hand, as if he were a horse. Without understanding the language and behavior of the Sioux, he is helped by Batise (Jean Gascon),a white man made prisoner and mutilated by the Indians five years ago. Batise translates and explains the Sioux's culture for John, plotting to escape some day back to the civilization with him. After an undefined long time later, John loses his snobbish behavior and is reasonably integrated to the Sioux. One day, he kills two enemies Shoshones, who were spying and stalking the Sioux, and gains the respect of the Sioux and love of the sister of Yellow Hand, Running Deer (Corinna Tsopei). John marries Running Deer and integrates to their culture, and after a tragic attack of the Shoshones to the Sioux tribe, he becomes their leader. "A Man Called Horse" is a spectacular and powerful classic western of the 70's. The first time I saw this movie, I was a teenager and left the theater completely astonished with such a different story in that time and the violence of the scenes. Two days ago, I bought the VHS and yesterday I saw it again, and it is still a very impressive film, with magnificent performances of the cast, highlighting Richard Harris and Judith Anderson. The production is very careful, being mostly spoken in Sioux, and depicting in a realistic way, the life, the behavior, the common laws and the moral practices of the Sioux. I believe that "A Man Called Horse", with the Sioux, "Soldier Blue", with the Cheyenne and "Little Big Man", all of them from 1970, were among the first movies to show the lives of prisoners of the North American Indians in their tribes. The amazing scene of John Morgan suspended by his chest in an Indian ceremony is unforgettable and very impressive. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Um Homem Chamado Cavalo" ("Spectacular Classic Western")