17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful. Haunting. Mystical. Not a 'story'; a vision., September 30, 1999
This review is from: House Made of Dawn [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This is a haunting, beautiful movie. If one wants story lines and the typical American movie, forget "House Made of Dawn". Littlebird is a spiritual, mystical man, totally out of touch with 'white man's life' but thrown into it. His chanting is the best, most powerful, most entrancing I have ever heard. Total feeling. I only wish I could find a recording by him.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Terrible adaptation of the excellent book, January 14, 2000
This review is from: House Made of Dawn [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This movie was made in the 1980s, apparently released to video in the 1990s during the mini-boom in Indian cinema. Don't bother with it unless you just want to see it so you can tell people you have seen it. It is an unimaginitive, un-nuanced rendering of Momaday's Pullitzer Prize winning novel. As the other reviewers note, the flute music will drive you up the wall, the motivations of the characters are lost, and the plot is downright crusty. If you're looking for good Indian cinema, see Smoke Signals, Medicine River, Grand Avenue, and maybe Powwow Highway (if you haven't already seen it 3 dozen times). Dance Me Outside is also pretty good, and for the kiddies, try Mary Kate and Ashley Olson's "How the West Was Fun." No kidding, you might like the Indian guy in there.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
House Made of Dawn Brings Us Inside, February 6, 2005
This review is from: House Made of Dawn [VHS] (VHS Tape)
House Made of Dawn both the book and the movie is difficult for many people. The South West is hard to understand. Westerns are face paced shoot em up movies. The west is looking at stars, watching clouds, and seeing the horizon. House Made of Dawn is about the Native American South West.
There is space between language where the facial expressions count as much as the words spoken. Most people don't get it. They have never lived close to the land. They never understand that land touches and changes us as much as people touch and change us. One year out on the llanos or plains of the South West and a person can come back a new person.
A movie like House Made of Dawn is full of discovery and direction by the actor Larry Littlebird. This is not in the credits. I am sure that Larry probably took this film maker into his land. His people have been around for 20,000 or more years. They have lived the same for most of that time. So, we are able to get a glimpse into the lives of real people from the South West. This movie is a must for people who want to know the story of native people, played by native people, and guided by native people.
Sad that this movie is almost buried. I think that the producers probably tried to have a commercial success with a potential arthouse favorite. This is the kind of movie which could show years at midnight shows and arthouses all across the country.
Larry Littlebird as a poet, writer, painter and singer could travel with the movie and compliment these art theater showings. Oh well, just wishing out loud.
See the movie and buy the tape. Try to have it released as a DVD with extra footage of Larry Littlebird talking, singing and painting. This movie is the real movie about Native American lives.
Moe Armstrong
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