Thursday movie at the Funk: Cheyenne Autumn!

Come out to the Funk Heritage Center this Thursday, October 15, at 2 pm for this week's "Year of North American Indigenous Peoples" movie. This week's offering is the 1964 western Cheyenne Autumn.

The movie features Khan, I mean Ricardo Montalban, and Gilbert Roland as Cheyenne chiefs. When the government fails to deliver supplies to their desert reservation in the Oklahoma territory, the starving Cheyenne embark on a brutal trek back to their homeland in Wyoming. The government and the press take this desperate measure as an act of rebellion and send the cavalry after them. During the pursuit, US Cavalry Captain Thomas Archer comes to respect the Cheyenne for their courage and nobility.

This was the last western John Ford directed. Ford said he intended it to honor the Native Americans who had been abused by the American government.

"Cheyenne Autumn" was shot in Monument Valley Tribal Park on the Arizona-Utah border, and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography. While Ford used non-native actors for the tribal leaders (including Khan of course), he did use several members of the Navajo nation in the production.

The movie also features this blogger's FAVORITE actor of all time, James Stewart, as Wyatt Earp--in a bit often edited out of the picture.

As usual, the library's own Michael Martinez will be on hand to discuss the film and give background information. Remember, if you see one of our "Year Of" films (or read one of our "Year Of" books) and write a brief review, you could be eligible to win a t-shirt and a flash drive, and be entered into a drawing for a Nintendo Wii to be given away at the end of the year. Send reviews to Karen Preslock at kp1@reinhardt.edu. Good luck!

Yeah, I couldn't resist--sorry