Two Tantalizing Trailers

[eldritchhobbit]

I'm getting ready to head out to Indianapolis to take part in a scholarly colloquium on Isabel Paterson's The God of the Machine. I won't be completely out of touch, but I'll be fully back online Sunday afternoon at the latest. I hope you have a great rest of the week!


I'll leave you with some video goodness. Two of the films I'd hoped to use in my graduate Native American Identity course aren't going to be available on DVD quite in time, but they are due out soon, and I wanted to share the trailer love.

Here's the synopsis for Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian: This documentary takes an entertaining and insightful look at the Hollywood Indian, exploring the portrayal of North American Natives through the history of cinema. Travelling through the heartland of America, Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond looks at how the myth of “the Injun” has influenced the world’s understanding – and misunderstanding – of Natives. With candid interviews with directors, writers, actors and activists, including Clint Eastwood, Jim Jarmusch, Robbie Robertson, Sacheen Littlefeather, John Trudell, and Russell Means, and clips from hundreds of classic and recent films, including Stagecoach, Little Big Man, The Outlaw Josey Wales, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Atanarjuat the Fast Runner, Reel Injun traces the evolution of cinema’s depiction of Native people from the silent film era to today.

Here's the trailer:

Watch on YouTube

Here's the synopsis for Older Than America: A woman's haunting visions reveal a Catholic priest's sinister plot to silence her mother from speaking the truth about the atrocities that took place at her Native American boarding school. A contemporary drama of suspense, Older Than America delves into the lasting impact of the cultural genocide and loss of identity that occurred at these institutions across the United States and Canada.

Here's the trailer:

"That's right, I am a book kisser."
— Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Comments

[cookiefleck.livejournal.com]

Do the "haunting visions" originate from outside of her own mind (i.e., supernatural)?

Saw your name mentioned on the latest post from LJ middle earth news in case you were not aware...

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

I appreciate the heads up re: the mention of me! I was able to go to the TORn forums thanks to you and offer my answer to the question.

I've read glowing reviews of the film, but I'm yet to see it myself, so I'm not sure what, if any, part the supernatural plays. I only know that the haunting visions are somehow related to the compulsory government boarding schools for Native children that existed until recently in the US and Canada.

[mr-earbrass.livejournal.com]

Wow, these look great--my dad was a criminology professor for almost forty years until his retirement last spring, and one of his main areas is Native American culture(s) and law, which of course leads to intersections with media--he had an impressive collection of horribly offensive old films he would screen clips of in class, and that first documentary will be a dream come true for him (and me)--thanks!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad this is of interest to you, too. I wish I could've been a fly on the wall during your father's class - it sounds like he was a great professor.

[sittingduck1313.livejournal.com]

Does Reel Injun touch on the Deep Hurting that is Billy Jack or (Gawd help us, everyone) The Trial of Billy Jack?

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

LOL! I do indeed hope so.