Little Big Man

Years after its release, there just aren't many films that even approach this masterpiece. My all time favorite movie. This adaptation of the Thomas Berger novel, stands on its own quite well. Not as raw as the novel, but every bit as satisfying. Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of the 121 year old Jack Crabb, stands out as one of his, and filmdom's great screen performances. Even if one doesn't care much for Westerns, this film is more than just a Western; its an American epic. One of Hollywood's better portrayals of a more sympathetic and human side to the Native-American plight. From the tragic loss of most of his family at the hands of renegade Indians, to his being raised into his adolescent years by the Cheyenne, this story is both compelling, and at times extremely funny. Raised during his teen years with the strictly religious Pendrakes, Jack enters a new phase of life, and an end-to-innocence, after discovering the infidelity of Mrs. Pendrake(Faye Dunnaway), who never looked lovelier on the big screen. Experiencing life as a Medicine Man, Gunslinger, General Store owner, and taking on his first wife Olga, who he loses to the Indians, after taking the advice of General George Armstrong Custer(Richard Mulligan in his finest role)to "go west." Returning to his Cheyenne family, he takes his second wife Sunshine. Watching this film in the theater after its initial release, it was love-at-first-sight seeing the actress playing this young woman. It was also one of the most gut-wrenching moments in film history, to watch the brutal murder of Sunshine, and the newborn baby of Jack Crabb, gunned-down by the U.S. Calvary as she flees with baby-in-arm, during the cruel massacre of the Indian Nation. The entire audience was in total shocked silence. But he does manage to rescue his Grandfather, Old Lodge Skins, played by the Oscar nominated Chief Dan George. He then turns Hermit and nearly goes mad. He even manages the impossible, of being the "sole white survivor of the Little Bighorn." From beginning-to-end, a can't miss buy that was long overdue on DVD. Infectious viewing at its best.

Absolutely great movie.

This movie is a gem! Director Arthur Penn (of "Bonnie & Clyde" fame) created this epic tale of one mans life in the old west. Dustin Hoffman stars as Jack Crabb, a 120 year old man with his epic tale of the incredible life he lived. Funny, sad, touching, sometimes tragic and very entertaining. Sit back and let Jack tell you about a his life as we follow a fantastic journey through a life of many facets & adventures....... A mixture of fact & fiction it touch's on many historical moments in American history. Partly satirical while also touching on some very dark moments in American history.. I found it highly entertaining even after having seen it several times over the years. Director Arthur Penn was at his best. The cast is excellent as is the script. Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Richard Mulligan, Jeff Corey...Chief Dan George gives the performance of his lifetime! Made in 1970 this film still holds up well after 40+ years. Worth a watch! Little Big Man HD

To be a " Propaganda" movie it would have to attempt to influence & shape public opinion! This movie came out in the 70's a little late to be a Propaganda movie! While not 100% accurate to history this drama of a 121 year old man reflecting on his long life & his many adventures & misadventures growing up in the west! This movie is a rollercoaster ride of emotional content with a great slant towards comedy. I find old Jack Crabb's memories to be exactly how a proud old man may embellish his life...not really lying but remembering things that he lived through a bit more exciting. While he portrays Custer as a narcissistic egomaniac that may not be far from the truth! Remember these are the memories of a man that loved his adopted Cheyenne peoples, hated Custer & himself for not scalping Custer. I'm not going to get into ancient politics & who provoked whom...I will just say I know who was here first & how many treaties were violated. This movie is top notch & a fun romp through the west, with the story teller meeting some historical characters much like a old west " Forrest Gump". It can only be called a must see movie with top notch acting & story telling! A must have for lovers of western movies because old Jack Crabb did it all...or at least saw it all! Or just made it all up! Buy this gem & decide for yourself. it's worth every penny!!!

I have always enjoyed this film and finally got it on Blu Ray after many years of not seeing it. The last time I watched it, I had it on VHS. Plenty of opinions have been proffered on the acting, historical accuracy and plots so I will not be redundant and give the same old summaries. Instead, as I always do, I will focus strictly upon the actual quality of the BR. Keep in mind that the quality of what you see and hear also depends upon the quality of TV monitor you are using and its accompanying home theater processor and speakers. I have a pretty high end, esoteric system and am judging the Blu Ray off of that. VIDEO.... A fairly old movie originally shot on film, it still retains its theatrical legs. The transfer to video displays life like colors in all areas, i.e. skin, environment as it pertains to the grassy plains. Color resolution is good and does not pop as many of today's films do. Blacks do not go very deep but contrast is fairly good. Small details tend to vary depending upon the scene. Close ups of Dustin Hoffman clearly show distinct skin pores, yet scenes with the prairie or hair on a persons head tend to be slightly soft as film often creates. The average Mbps rate is in the high teens and low 20's. There is a slight grain throughout but this is only noticeable when the sky is predominant in the image. All in all, the transfer is quite good but I clearly do not believe that this was remastered for BR but simply transcoded. Never the less, I saw no artifacting or hairs, scratches or any other issue with the transfer. A good film but you will probably not see that much of a significant improvement between the Standard Def format and the BR. AUDIO... The audio is a lossless DTS 5.1 which creates a transparent dialogue for the listener. However, there is a very, very little use of the surrounds in your home theater setup. Only at the end of the film, during the Custer's Last Stand scene was there any real panning of the audio between the front and rear stages. The LFE channel gets no use at all since there really wasn't any deep bass recorded. I do wish they had remastered the soundtrack as there would have been plenty of opportunities in this film for discreet channeling. EXTRAS... There are none other than a trailer. Glad I have this film and will watch it every once in a blue moon but do not expect a high end video or audio experience. I do hope that this review has been of some HELP to you in deciding your purchase. All my reviews focus solely upon the quality of the actual disc and not redundant summaries and acting opinions. Thanks for reading.

Dustin Hoffman plays the character Jack Crabb, a man now well beyond one hundred, whose entire family was massacred on the great plains by a tribe of Pawnee when he was only ten. He relates his incredible story throughout the movie in the form of narration to a disbelieving reporter, especially doubtful over Crabb's claim that he is the sole white survivor of the Battle of Little Big Horn, in Crabb's own words, "popularly knowed as Custer's Last Stand." He and his sister are taken in by a tribe of Cheyenne (who call themselves the "Human Beings"), where he spends his early years, until one of the many twists and turns of his life puts him back in the company of whites, this time with a firey preacher and his less than virtuous wife, played by Faye Dunaway. I don't want to give away too much of the story by detailing more of odd turns his life subsequently takes, but he does go back and forth between the worlds of the whites and the Cheyenne. The other notable actors in this movie are Martin Balsam, Chief Dan George, Jeff Corey, and Richard Mulligan (what a performance!), who plays Custer. Balsam plays the part of snake oil salesman Alardyce T. Meriwheather, and he plays the role to its cynical best, as Balsam always seemed to do so well in all the movies he made. Jeff Corey plays Wild Bill Hickok, and he brings great humanity to the role, both surprisingly genteel in his treatment of Crabb and paranoid from the knowledge that he was targeted by others. Chief Dan George plays Old Lodgeskins, Crabb's adopted "grandfather" after the Cheyenne took him after his family had been massacred by the Pawnee, and he turns in a great performance, at times dejected about the fate that awaits his people and deadpanning such funny comments as (when asking about Crabb's wife) "Does she show pleasant enthusiasm when you mount her?" and other hilarious statements. Most memorable of all, Richard Mulligan as Custer is really something to behold, displaying all the recklessness and borderline psychosis that the real Custer most likely had. Crabb has multiple close brushes with death, and there are lots of funny situations, including one where he meets none other than William Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, played beautifully by Jeff Corey. However, while very funny, there are some moments of sickening brutality, as the Cheyenne are steadily squeezed out by the likes of the ambitious Custer. This is a complex story that effectively uses the juxtaposition of humor with tragedy to give life to both. Hoffman's performance is simply astonishing, going from a very young teen, to a young man, to middle aged, to drunk, to hermit, to very old man. Hoffman's old man makeup is remarkable, and Hoffman himself screamed for an extended period before filming the parts with him in the makeup to give his voice that raspy and harsh old man's quality. This is one of those movies I always just come back to watch each year or so, as it is just so good. It is based on the excellent Thomas Berger novel, which I have also read, and there are a few key differences, notably the relationship between Crabb and Hickok, and what happens to Hoffman's "grandfather" Cheyenne chief Old Lodgeskins. Hoffman's skill as an actor is in little doubt, but his performance here is quite possibly his greatest in a long line ("Kramer vs. Kramer," "Rainman," "Tootsie," "Midnight Cowboy") of great performances. If you enjoy complexity in a story and a wonderful sense of wry humor, you will love this movie.

I've loved this book by Thomas Berger, SO much I read it perhaps 5-times. The movie follows the book quite closely. There isn't much that is annoying such as when you read a book and find the movie is practically a whole different story,. This was what annoyed me about movie Amadeus, which featured Tom Hulce. I read two biographies on Amadeus and that movie was SUCH a Fairytale.... Not Little Big Man, book OR movie. It's a fast paced romp that you can't put it down ~ OR turn it off! The movie follows the book extremely close and I enjoyed the movie so much being I could recall the book so well. I was into all those famous characters of the Old West; Buffalo Bill Cody (read his bio as well). 'Son Of The Morning Star' is also an excellent book on George Armstrong Custer as it is a history of that time period which lead to The Last Stand with the Indians. Bury Me At Wounded Knee, if you have read that one you will see it played out in 'Real Time' watching 'Little Big Man', which is quite heart rending, I cried big time. Anyway, this movie is truly excellent. Dustin Hoffman was truly a well portrayed Jack Crabb. It portrays the Old West in living color. You will feel like you traveled in a Time Machine.

A happy/sad movie slash history lesson in the guise of an old man recalling his younger days growing up in the old west. The scenes between Jack Crabb (Hoffman) and Gen Custer were my favorite. The actor who played Custer was hilarious and perfectly cast for the part. Actually all the acting and scenes in this movie were well-done. I thought it started out kind of slow at first but found I was getting right into it after a little while. This movie could probably be most appreciated by anyone familiar with the famous/infamous figures of the the American old west, and the movie is something of a marvel in that it seems to bring the old stories alive through the (tall?) tale of the narrator (Jack Crabb) who at one time or another seemed to have crossed paths with all of them. As a testament to the rape of Native American culture this film is very moving, as the on-screen recreation of genocide usually is. It is a humorous picture overall, though while cheerful, retains a tragi-comic edge throughout. Lots of off the cuff unintentional hilarity in lines like "We are even now - I paid you the life I owe you and the next time we meet I can kill you without becoming an evil person." The scope is epic and the movie runs at 139 minutes. Besides the Jack Crabb/Custer scenes ("Muleskinner!"), also bigger than life is the tale of Jack's taking on 3 other wives at the request of his first ("I knew you were a good man."). I read the book before I saw the movie and the book was excellent. I was happy to find that the story also worked well as a film.