Little Big Man (film)

This article is about the film. For other uses, see Little Big Man (disambiguation).

Little Big Man
Theatrical release poster
Directed byArthur Penn
Screenplay byCalder Willingham
Based onLittle Big Man
by Thomas Berger
Produced byStuart Millar
Starring
CinematographyHarry Stradling Jr.
Edited byDede Allen
Music byJohn Hammond
Production
company
Distributed byNational General Pictures
Release date
  • December 23, 1970 (1970-12-23)
Running time
  • 147 minutes (uncut version)
  • 139 minutes (edited version)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million
Box office$31,559,552 (domestic)[1]

Little Big Man is a 1970 American revisionist Western film[2] directed by Arthur Penn, adapted by Calder Willingham from Thomas Berger's 1964 novel of the same title. It stars Dustin Hoffman, Chief Dan George, Faye Dunaway, Martin Balsam, Jeff Corey and Richard Mulligan. The film follows the life of a white man who was raised by members of the Cheyenne nation during the 19th century, and then attempts to reintegrate with American pioneer society. Although broadly categorized as a Western, or an epic, the film encompasses several literary/film genres, including comedy, drama and adventure. It parodies typical tropes of the Western genre,[3] contrasting the lives of white settlers and Native Americans throughout the progression of the boy's life.

Little Big Man is an early revisionist Western[2] in its sympathetic depiction of Native Americans, and its exposure of the villainous practices of the United States Cavalry. The revision uses elements of satire and tragedy to examine prejudice and injustice. Little Big Man is an anti-establishment film of the period, indirectly protesting America's involvement in the Vietnam War by portraying the United States Armed Forces negatively.[4]

The film was released to American theatres by National General Pictures on December 23, 1970, to widespread critical acclaim and commercial success.[5] Several retrospective reviews have positioned Little Big Man as one of the best American films of the 1970s.[5] The film received three BAFTA Award nominations, including for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Hoffman. Chief Dan George received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, the first Indigenous North American actor to be nominated for an Oscar.[6]

In 2014, Little Big Man was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress, and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.[7]

  1. ^ "Little Big Man, Box Office Information". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Little Big Man in 35mm". Timeline. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Retrieved February 2, 2024. This epic revisionist Western plays out in flashback as recalled by Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman in extreme old age makeup by Dick Smith), a 121-year-old white man who was raised by the Cheyenne nation in the 1800s.
  3. ^ CLEARY, MICHAEL (1980). "Finding the Center of the Earth: Satire, History, and Myth in 'Little Big Man'". Western American Literature. 15 (3): 195–211. ISSN 0043-3462. JSTOR 43018396. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference HollywoodsIndian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference AFI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Native Leaders of Canada - Dan George". www.newfederation.org. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  7. ^ "Cinematic Treasures Named to National Film Registry". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2019.