The Film Medicine River seems to have been made
for mostly a Native American audience; many of the jokes and references were
not familiar to me so that by the time I figured out what they meant, they had
lost their humor or the movie had moved on to another scene and I was left
behind. I suppose I could see how general audiences would also be able to enjoy
the movie, although I feel like they would need to be well versed in Native
American culture or would have to look past the nonsense that they did not
understand. So in a way, even though the
film is geared towards the Native American viewer, people who are not Native Americans
would be able to enjoy this film as well.
One connection I made
between Medicine River and Green Grass, Running Water is the fact
that the women are independent. Louise gets pregnant and does not want the
father to be her husband; she is determined to take care of her child without a
man. Alberta in Green Grass, Running
Water wants to get pregnant but does not want a husband either. This demonstrates
that women do not want to deal with the problems that accompany men, and are
able to survive without the aid of a man. Another connection was the idea of
the trickster characters. Tricksters such as the Coyote in the novel and Harlen
in the movie prove that trickster figures are prevalent and important to Native
American culture and history.
I agree with the fact that Medicine River was mostly made for a Native American audience. Most of the humor was confusing and it did make the movie harder to understand. I feel that without being able to understand the humor, the movie almost seemed as though there was no point to it. Eventhough we could still watch it and understand it, I also feel that it is much better suited for Native Americans. Its also interesting that you point out the fact that women are independent in the movie and the book. They dont want to have to be looking out '2 kids' instead of just one.
ReplyDelete