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Smoke Signals (1998)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
26 June 1998 (USA) moreTagline:
A new film from the heart of Native America.Plot:
Young Indian man Thomas is a nerd in his reservation, wearing oversize glasses and telling everyone stories no-one wants to hear... more | full synopsisPlot Keywords:
Family Abandonment
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Drunkenness
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Loss Of Father
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Automobile Accident
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Native American Reservation
more
Awards:
8 wins & 6 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Boston Legal: Checking Out Tonight's "Guardians and Gatekeepers" (From BuddyTV. 28 September 2008, 11:30 PM, PDT)
'Boston Legal' Star Makes Noise in Time for the Fifth Season Premiere (From BuddyTV. 21 September 2008, 11:56 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Nothing short of miraculous. moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Adam Beach | ... | Victor Joseph | |
| Evan Adams | ... | Thomas Builds-the-Fire | |
| Irene Bedard | ... | Suzy Song | |
| Gary Farmer | ... | Arnold Joseph | |
| Tantoo Cardinal | ... | Arlene Joseph | |
| Cody Lightning | ... | Young Victor Joseph | |
| Simon Baker | ... | Young Thomas Builds-the-Fire | |
| Monique Mojica | ... | Grandma Builds-the-Fire | |
| John Trudell | ... | Randy Peone | |
| Chief Leonard George | ... | Lester Fallsapart (as Leonard George) | |
| Michael Greyeyes | ... | Junior Polatkin | |
| Darwin Haine | ... | Boo | |
| Michelle St. John | ... | Velma | |
| Elaine Miles | ... | Lucy | |
| Cynthia Geary | ... | Cathy the Gymnast |
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Additional Details
Also Known As:
Secret des cendres, Le (Canada: French title)This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona (USA) (working title)
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MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some intense images.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
89 minLanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby DigitalCertification:
USA:PG-13 (certificate #35626) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | France:U | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PGMOVIEmeter: 
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The first movie to be written, directed, and co-produced by a Native American. When Arnold (Gary Farmer) asks Victor of who is his favorite Indian, Victor replies 'nobody' which makes Arnold furious. Interesting to note though, is the fact that the name of Gary Farmer's character in Dead Man (1995) is 'Nobody'. moreGoofs:
Continuity: The old pickup truck that leaves the Joseph house on the reservation has 10-lug rims, and when it is returned by Victor and Thomas, it has 5-lug rims on all 4 wheels. Obviously it's a different truck. moreQuotes:
Arlene Joseph: If you leave here don't you ever come back. You hear me?Victor Joseph: Dad don't go.
more
Soundtrack:
John Wayne's Teeth moreFAQ
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Smoke Signals is a somewhat misunderstood film. The setting on an Indian reservation leads viewers to believe that Smoke Signals is about Indian issues or Indian philosophy. To be sure, the presence of Indian values and culture make this movie decidedly more enjoyable, but the movie is more transcendent, more universal than a purely Indian film. And, while this was heralded as the first movie to be written, directed and co-produced by Native Americans, there is something here for everyone, regardless of ethnicity.
More than anything else, this movie appealed to me as a writer. It is beautifully written and expertly crafted from beginning to end. The first scene, narrated lyrically by Evan Adams as Thomas Builds-the-fire, sets the tone for a story handed down, as with Native American culture, in true oral tradition.
Based on the book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie, the french title, Le secret des cendres (The secret of the ashes) more accurately describes the book and the movie. With multiple allusions to fire and ash, each having different meanings, as well as a well integrated use of Native American lore, Smoke Signals requires more than a little thought for the average American viewer.
The story revolves around two young Coeur d' Alene Indian men dealing with loss and the end of childhood innocence. The two men cope with loss in very different ways; Thomas though mysticism and legend, Victor through stoicism and denial. When Victor Joseph, brilliantly played by Adam Beach, learns that his estranged father has died, he and Thomas embark on a journey to claim the ashes, another allusion of the french title, and on the way get in touch with their identities as adults apart from their parents.
Evan Adams is stupendous as Thomas Builds-the-fire. His storytelling scenes are pure magic. By imbuing simple memories with mystical reverence, he elevates them, and thus both himself and his listeners, to a new spiritual level. His exaltation of the ordinary is the core of this delightful work of genius. It culminates with a reading, slightly modified, of Dick Lourie's poem "Forgiving Our Fathers". Lourie, who is a self-described unreconstructed beatnik poet, brings a fragile and elegant beauty to the film's emotional climax. The final scenes, driven by Adams' narration and haunting Native American chant and music, are nothing short of miraculous.
Adam Beach, strapping and stalwart as Victor Joseph, managed to parlay his appearance in Smoke Signals into a respectable film career. Evan Adams, diminutive and shy as Thomas Builds-the-fire, was not so lucky despite his masterful performance. The supporting cast was equally magnificent, and each lends credibility and energy to the movie. An interesting sidenote is that Irene Bedard, who appears as Suzy Song, was the physical model for Pocahontas in the Disney animated feature.
I have seen this movie many times, and will undoubtedly watch it many more. Each time I am left in silent awe as I reflect on my own life, family, and philosophies.