Review of Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976) by Sean G — 26 Apr 2011

He belongs to all of us.

William 'Buffalo Bill' Cody runs a Wild West show that is well attended and well known. He employees numerous people of all different races and cultures. The government turns over the rights to the infamous Indian chief, Sitting Bull, to participate in Buffalo Bill's show; unfortunately, Sitting Bull does not obey every command passed on by Wild Bill. Can Buffalo Bill find a way to keep the show operating as expected with his new insubordinate employee?

"History is nothing more than disrespecting to the dead.".

Robert Altman, director of The Gingerbread Man, The Player, Fool for Love, Popeye (1980), Thieves Like Us, The Long Goodbye, and Mash (1970), delivers Buffalo Bill and the Indians. The storyline for this picture is fairly straightforward and a bit tedious. The premise and execution was interesting but could have been more concise. The film's cast does deliver entertaining performances and the cast includes Paul Newman, Harvey Keitel, Burt Lancaster, Shelly Duvall, Geraldine Chaplin, Joel Grey, John Considine, and Kevin McCarthy.

"That's when show business flourishes...when times are bad.".

This picture initially grabbed my attention because it starred Paul Newman as Buffalo Bill, which seemed like an awkward role for him, as well as a young Harvey Keitel. This was an interesting take on the Buffalo Bill character, but the film was nothing special overall and a bit long. I will say catch this film if you enjoy Newman performances, as he is very good in his role, but skip this if you're just looking for a good western.

"It's like a bull fighting a flea.".

Grade: C+.