This movie, directed by Aurther Penn and starring Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, and Chief Dan George is adapted from Thomas Berger’s novel of the same name. It is the sprawling tale of Jack Crabb, a white man raised by the Cheyenne after his family’s massacre, who lives to be 121. He narrates his incredible life shuttling between Native American and “civilized” societies, becoming a gunslinger, scout, and witness to history, including a fateful role at the Battle of Little Bighorn. The movie is a satirical look at American mythology and history through a lens of cultural clash and humor.

Chief Curator Andrew Patrick Nelson will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion with the audience.

Andrew Patrick Nelson, PhD, is Chief Curator at Western Spirit. He is a leading authority on Western cinema, art, and culture, and the author and editor of numerous books and essays. Dr. Nelson’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and on NPR, and he regularly appears as a commentator on the History Chanel and other networks. He also cohosts the popular Western movie podcast How the West Was ‘Cast and is the author of the book Still in the Saddle: The Hollywood Western, 1969 – 1980.

Rating: PG-13

Length: 2h 19m

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This movie, directed by Elliot Silverstein and starring Richard Harris and Judith Anderson, is based on a short story of the same name by author Dorothy M. Johnson published in 1950. The story follows English aristocrat John Morgan (Richard Harris) who was captured by Sioux in 1825. He endures enslavement as a beast of burden but gradually learns the Sioux language and culture, eventually earning respect, proving his bravery in battle, and finding acceptance and leadership within the tribe, forever changing his view of civilization. It was filmed on location in the dramatic landscapes of the Sierra Mountain region near Durango, Mexico and a number of locations in Arizona including Happy Jack, Strawberry, and Pine.  Efforts were made for authenticity using Sioux tribe members from South Dakota’s Rosebud Reservation.

Chief Curator Andrew Patrick Nelson will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion with the audience.

Andrew Patrick Nelson, PhD, is Chief Curator at Western Spirit. He is a leading authority on Western cinema, art, and culture, and the author and editor of numerous books and essays. Dr. Nelson’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and on NPR, and he regularly appears as a commentator on the History Chanel and other networks. He also cohosts the popular Western movie podcast How the West Was ‘Cast and is the author of the book Still in the Saddle: The Hollywood Western, 1969 – 1980.

Rating: R

Length: 1h 54m

Pricing:
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This movie, directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Burt Lancaster and Bruce Davidson, is about the Apache war chief, Ulzana, who escapes the San Carlos Reservation with a small band to wage a violent, vengeful campaign against settlers and the military in 1880s Arizona. The story is explored through the eyes of a naive young lieutenant (Bruce Davison) and an experienced scout (Burt Lancaster) tasked with tracking Ulzana, highlighting cultural clashes and the dehumanization of “the enemy” on both sides. The movie is known for its grim, non-judgmental, and brutal depiction of conflict, a departure from traditional Westerns. 

Michael F. Blake will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion with the audience.

Michael F. Blake is a film historian and two-time Emmy-winning makeup artist who has worked in the film industry for nearly fifty years. His books include Lon Chaney: The Man Behind the Thousand Faces, Hollywood and the O.K. Corral: Portrayals of the Gunfight and Wyatt Earp, and, most recently, The Cavalry Trilogy: John Ford, John Wayne, and the Making of Three Classic Westerns.

Rating: R

Length: 1h 43m

Pricing:
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This movie, directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Redford and Will Geer, is based in part on the life of the legendary mountain man John Jeremaih Johnson as recounted in the book Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson by Raymond Thorp and Robert Bunker. It follows a disillusioned Mexican War veteran (Robert Redford) who escapes civilization in the 1820s to live as a hermit mountain man and trapper in the Rockies, learning survival from a grizzled trapper “Bear Claw” Chris Lapp (Will Geer). His solitary life is disrupted by conflicts with the Crow tribe, leading to a cycle of violence after he guides U.S. Cavalry through sacred grounds, resulting in personal tragedy, revenge, and a deeper, sometimes violent, connection with the wilderness and its people.

Chief Curator Andrew Patrick Nelson will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion with the audience.

Andrew Patrick Nelson, PhD, is Chief Curator at Western Spirit. He is a leading authority on Western cinema, art, and culture, and the author and editor of numerous books and essays. Dr. Nelson’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and on NPR, and he regularly appears as a commentator on the History Chanel and other networks. He also cohosts the popular Western movie podcast How the West Was ‘Cast and is the author of the book Still in the Saddle: The Hollywood Western, 1969 – 1980.

 Rating: PG

Length: 1h 48m

Pricing:
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This movie is a story of half-Apache Pardon Chato (Charles Bronson) who finds himself in a bar fight with a bigoted sheriff and kills the man to save his own life. The locals won’t accept this defense, though, and angry Civil War veteran Quincey Whitmore (Jack Palance) rounds up a gang of toughs to track down Chato, who is forced to flee. But when the posse finds Chato’s family and brutalizes them, Chato decides it’s time to stop running and start taking revenge on the lynch mob.

Chief Curator Andrew Patrick Nelson will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion with the audience.

Andrew Patrick Nelson, PhD, is Chief Curator at Western Spirit. He is a leading authority on Western cinema, art, and culture, and the author and editor of numerous books and essays. Dr. Nelson’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and on NPR, and he regularly appears as a commentator on the History Chanel and other networks. He also cohosts the popular Western movie podcast How the West Was ‘Cast and is the author of the book Still in the Saddle: The Hollywood Western, 1969 – 1980.

Rating: R

Length: 1h 40m

Pricing:
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This dark Western film, starring Charles Bronson, Kim Novak, Jack Warden, and Slim Pickens, tells the story of an aging gunfighter Wild Bill Hickok (Charles Bronson), haunted by nightmares of a giant white buffalo. He decides the only remedy is to find and kill the creature. He ultimately teams up with Lakota warrior Crazy Horse who is pursuing the beast because it killed his daughter. Crazy Horse believes her soul won’t rest until he kills the white buffalo. The story blends historical figures with supernatural elements as both men seek vengeance and resolution for their deeply personal quests against the legendary creature.

M.V. Moorhead will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion with the audience.

M.V. Moorhead is currently the weekly film reviewer for Phoenix Magazine online. He has won five first-place Arizona Press Club awards for film, theatre and opera criticism at Phoenix New Times; he’s also written reviews for the Erie Times-News, Wrangler News and other publications. His other writings have appeared in publications throughout the U.S. and in Australia, ranging from USA Today to Elysian Fields Quarterly to Weird Tales. A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, he’s lived in Arizona for more than 30 years. 

Rating: PG

Length: 1h 37m

Pricing:
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