Windwalker (1980) [PG]

Not your typical western nor a cowboys and Indians movie. Instead, this is a lovely and often funny Native American story, great for family viewing. The PG rating is due to violence, so it is probably not good for the very young.

Windwalker, an old Cheyenne man, decides it is a good day to die as his tribe prepares to leave for winter camp. His family stays behind to prepare him for death, while Windwalker starts to tell them the story of his past. He recounts falling in love and earning his bride.

The family places him on the high scaffold which is the Cheyenne custom for burial. Believing he has died, they continue on to winter camp.

After a while, Windwalker is surprised to wake up and find himself still alive. He begins his trek to join his family, making narrow escapes from the dangers of the wilderness. He continues to remember his past, and the story of his wife and sons.

During this time, his family has been ambushed and his son injured by a band of Crow, enemies of the Cheyenne. They find some shelter and try to figure out what to do next.

There is a very happy ending to the story. Windwalker's past is resolved with his family's help. There are surprises, both funny and heartwarming.

There are some really special things about this movie. First, there are no white men. This is not a story of the destruction of the Native Americans, but rather a story where all the characters are Cheyenne or Crow. The only English we hear is the narration and Windwalker's thoughts. All other speaking is in tribal languages (with titles).

The one glaring problem is that in a movie that really attempts to be a faithful depiction of Native customs and pay honor to their culture, Windwalker is portrayed by Trevor Howard, who is British! (They had to dub his narration due to his English accent!) The only other white actor is James Remar, who plays Windwalker as a young man. All the other roles are played by Native Americans. Howard is not awful, but you can't help but wonder why they didn't use one of the excellent older Native American actors.

The movie does pay careful attention to details of culture, language, costuming, and age-old traditions. The scenery, which is in Utah, is gloriously beautiful. Windwalker has the distinction of being named the #1 anthropological film of all time in an early 1990s poll of the American Anthropological Association.

DIRECTOR: Kieth Merrill. CAST: Trevor Howard, Nick Ramus, Serene Hedin, Dusty Iron Wing McCrea.

AWARDS: 1 win.