A Man Called Horse (1970)

Director:

Elliot Silverstein

Writers:

Jack DeWitt (screenplay)
Dorothy M. Johnson (story)

Release Date:

May 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Western | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

A man called "Horse" becomes an Indian warrior in the most electrifying ritual ever seen!

Plot:

In 1825 an English aristocrat is captured by Indians. He lives with them and begins to understand/accept their lifestyles...

Plot Keywords:

Aristocrat | Marriage | Nudity | Sioux | Bear Attack

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Richard Harris	...	John Morgan
Judith Anderson	...	Buffalo Cow Head - Mother of Yellow Hand (as Dame Judith Anderson)
Jean Gascon	...	Batise - prisoner - five years
Manu Tupou	...	Yellow Hand - Chief #1
Corinna Tsopei	...	Running Deer - sister of Yellow Hand
Dub Taylor	...	Joe - white hunter
James Gammon	...	Ed - white hunter
William Jordan	...	Bent - another hunter
Eddie Little Sky	...	Black Eagle - Chief #2
Michael Baseleon	...	Longfoot - Scout-Later Chief
Lina Marín	...	Thorn Rose (as Lina Marin)
Tamara Garina	...	Elk Woman - abandoned by the tribe
Terry Leonard	...	Striking Bear - Chief of the Shoshones
Iron Eyes Cody	...	Medicine Man
Tom Tyon	...	Medicine Man - who sang
Jackson Tail	...	Medicine Man - who sang
Manuel Padilla Jr.	...	Leaping Buck - boy who discovered Shoshones
Lloyd One Star	...	Warrior
James Never Miss a Shot	...	Warrior
Samuel White Horse	...	Warrior
Justin Thin Elk	...	Warrior
Lawrence Old Cross	...	Warrior
Ardene Turning Bear	...	Warrior
Aloysius Eagleman	...	Warrior
Ross Kills Enemy	...	Warrior
Ben Black Bear	...	Warrior
Richard Fool Bull	...	Warrior
Bruce Pretty Bird	...	Warrior
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Phillip Clark	...	(uncredited)
Ben Eagleman	...	(uncredited)
Lee Schaff Guardino	...	Sioux woman (voice) (uncredited)
Edward Little	...	(uncredited)
Sonny Skyhawk	...	A member of the "Yellow Hand" band (uncredited)
Vince St. Cyr	...	Warrior (uncredited)

Directed by
Elliot Silverstein

Writing credits
Jack DeWitt		(screenplay) (as Jack De Witt)
Dorothy M. Johnson		(story)

Produced by
Frank Brill	....	associate producer
Sandy Howard	....	producer

Original Music by
Leonard Rosenman		(music score)

Cinematography by
Robert B. Hauser		(director of photography) (as Robert Hauser)

Film Editing by
Philip W. Anderson
Gene Fowler Jr.

Art Direction by
Philip Barber		(as Phil Barber)

Set Decoration by
Raúl Serrano		(as Raul Serrano)

Costume Design by
Dennis Lynton Clark

Makeup Department
Richard Cobos	....	makeup artist
Frank Griffin	....	make-up: Richard Harris
George Lane	....	makeup supervisor
Keester Sweeney	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Robert M. Beche	....	unit production manager
Gilbert Kurland	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Yakima Canutt	....	second unit director
Mario Cisneros	....	assistant director
Lynn Guthrie	....	first assistant director: second unit
Terry Morse Jr.	....	assistant director
Ted Swanson	....	second second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Bill Dietz	....	property master (as William Dietz)
Tom Jung	....	poster designer (uncredited)
Jeremy Kay	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jack A. Finlay	....	supervising sound editor (as Jack Finlay)
Peter Maxwell	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
Rafael Ruiz Esparza	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Federico Farfán	....	special effects (as Federico Farfan)
Jerome Rosenfeld	....	optical production design and titles (as Jerome Rosenfeld of The Helix Group)
Tim Smyth	....	special effects

Stunts
Tom Dittman	....	stunts
Tom L. Dittman	....	stunts
Terry Leonard	....	stunt coordinator
Lightning Bear	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tap Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Rafael Delong	....	head grip (as Rafael DeLong)
Don Johnson	....	head electrician
Gabriel Torres	....	second unit cameraman
Roberto Biciocchi	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Frank Delmar	....	costume supervisor
Eddie Marks	....	costumer (as Edward Marx)
Jack Martell	....	costumer
Theodore R. Parvin	....	costumer (as Ted Parvin)

Editorial Department
Robert Briggs	....	assistant film editor
Tom Patchett	....	assistant film editor (as Thomas M. Patchett)

Music Department
Gene Feldman	....	supervising music editor
Morton Stevens	....	music supervisor
Ralph Ferraro	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Robert Takagi	....	music editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Carl Bodmer	....	the rituals dramatized have been documented from the letters and paintings of, and other eye witnesses of the period
Charlsie Bryant	....	script supervisor
George Catlin	....	the rituals dramatized have been documented from the letters and paintings of, and other eye witnesses of the period
Lynn E. D'Amato	....	production assistant
Clyde Dollar	....	historian and technical edvisor
'Chema' Hernandez	....	livestock coordinator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cinema Center Films (presents)

Distributors

• National General Pictures (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• Abril Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1977) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Fox Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Paramount Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Library of Congress  the makers of this film express their gratitude to (as the Library of Congress)
• Marion Dougherty Associates  casting
• Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota and the museums and libraries  the producers wish to express their appreciation to: without whose help this film could not have been made (as the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota and the museums and libraries)
• Smithsonian Institution  the makers of this film express their gratitude to (as the Smithsonian Institute)
• The American Museum of Natural History  the makers of this film express their gratitude to (as the American Museum of Natural History)
• United States Government  the actual practice of the Vow of the Sun was forbidden by, in the latter part of the 1800's (as the United States Government)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and nudity.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Sioux

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | USA:M (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1970) | Sweden:15 | USA:R (re-rating) (2003) | Australia:PG | UK:AA (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) (1987)

Filming Locations:

Custer State Park - 13329 U.S. Highway 16A, Custer, South Dakota, USA

Company:

Cinema Center Films

Quotes:

John Morgan: It just occurred to me... I've traveled halfway around the world, at great expense, simply to kill a different kind of bird.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Big Stan (2007)

Classic Wilderness Adventure

A MAN CALLED HORSE (4 outta 5 stars)

Classic western epic stars Richard Harris as an English nobleman on holiday in the American wilderness who gets taken captive by a band of American Indians. He is brutally treated at first but his captors come to accept him as one of the tribe as he gains more knowledge of their different way of life... where one needs to earn his/her place in the hierarchy... unlike British aristocracy. Harrowingly violent scenes may make this film tough to watch for some... but Harris gives one of his usual great performances and the movie provides an atypically (for its time) sympathetic depiction of the Native American people. Much more realistic but just as sincere as that other 70s classic "Little Big Man."