Reel Injun

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Audience Member The greatest 01 hour: and 26 minutes ever with real footage!!!!!! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member There are several documentaries like this about racial stereotyping in Hollywood on the streaming service Kanopy, although I think I initially streamed this on Netflix before I had heard of the new Kanopy site through my library. A fascinating exploration of the subject with a lot of movie clips and interviews. The filmmakers and many interviewees are angry at the way First Nations people were/are depicted. You can also see in the trailer and throughout the film that many are able to look at the inherently racist movie industry with a sense of humor and hope for the future. The doc is not narrowed to only looks at Hollywood feature films, but a stand-up comic who worked in the 70s is featured as well as the controversy involving the "crying Indian" from a famous 70s TV commercial. And rather than the filmmakers remaining off screen, native filmmaker Neil Diamond, one of a trio of writer-directors, is shown traveling around to meet interview subjects. He also visits a real-life old west town that let's tourists dress up and live a bit of wild west cowboy fantasy (minus the androids of Westworld). This definitely makes a statement. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member This film isn't a quilt trip. It isn't preachy. It's an interesting look at how Indians have been portrayed in film throughout history. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member entertaining and fascinating Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Friendly reminder: white people are awful. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member A tad dramatic at times, Reel Injun is nonetheless a great look at the manufactured image of the native american throughout the different ages of Hollywood from John Ford and DeMille all the way to Native Cinema and the rebirth of the Native American identity. While it is interesting as a road trip movie/ documetarian exercise Reel Injun has very little to say or show about specific portaryal or countercurrents, opting instead for a revision of problematic portrayals, examining the backwardness of prior eras from a nowadays native POV, which is more than a bit self-serving. Also, no attention is paid to contemporary portrayals, good and bad alike. Nonetheless it is a good look at an extensive and hopefully obsolete phenomenon and worth your time if you're a cinema or western buff. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Reel Injun

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