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Into the West
 
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Into the West

Joseph M. Marshall (Actor), Irene Bedard (Actor) | Rated: NR (Not Rated) | Format: DVD
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Spanning 65 years and several generations, Into the West succeeds as an ambitious compendium of authentic American history. Originally broadcast in the summer of 2005 as a six-part miniseries on TNT, it's the kind of well-intentioned epic that can't possibly satisfy everyone, and some critics complained that it covers too much territory, with characters functioning more as archetypes than full-blooded human beings. Criticisms aside, Into the West admirably achieves the goal of executive producer Steven Spielberg, who envisioned this expansive project as an accurate and corrective history lesson with long-term educational value. Placing important emphasis on the Native American perspective, it follows the Lakota Indians as they are gradually overwhelmed by the white man's irrevocable westward expansion. As conceived by playwright/screenwriter William Mastrosimone, the drama uses two primary symbols--the wagon wheel and the Lakota medicine wheel--to join the Lakota story with that of the Wheelers, a Virginia family of wheelwrights who witness many of the 19th century's pivotal historical milestones. From the pioneering explorations of mountain men in 1825 to the tragic massacre of downtrodden Lakota at Wounded Knee in 1891, these parallel storylines encompass migrating wagon trains, the California Gold Rush, construction of the transcontinental railroad, the violence of Quantrill's Raiders, and much, much more.

Through it all, Into the West preserves Lakota customs and language (accompanied by English subtitles) with unprecedented authenticity. In showing how Native cultures were systematically oppressed by the white man's westward capitalism, this tragic tale is inevitably heartbreaking, although it ends on a hopeful note of cultural preservation. Some violent content from the original TNT broadcast has been edited for this DVD release to better accommodate classroom viewing, but Into the West still qualifies as essential viewing for anyone seeking an inclusive dramatization of truthful American history, as opposed to the wildly inaccurate and woefully biased accounts that dominated for decades. With different directors for all six parts, the miniseries is remarkably consistent in tone and vision, its outstanding production values matched by the excellence of a prestigious and well-chosen cast including Irene Bedard (who gives the standout performance in a half-white/half-Lakota role spanning decades), Keri Russell, Skeet Ulrich, Balthazar Getty, Matthew Modine, Graham Greene, Wes Studi, Beau Bridges, Sean Astin, Lance Henriksen, Rachael Leigh Cook, Keith Carradine, and others too numerous to mention. They all contribute to a heartfelt tapestry of bicultural history, both tragic and inspiring, and impressive enough to make its flaws easily forgiven.

DVD features
A standard making-of documentary covers all aspects of the production of Into the West, with a brief introductory comment by Steven Spielberg. The "Communication Gap" featurette explores the challenge of translating dialogue into authentically spoken Lakota language. Also included is a survey (with interview clips) of the large cast; the original TNT promo trailer; and a music video of the miniseries-inspired song "World on Fire," combining Into the West footage with a performance by Sarah McLachlan and Robbie Robertson. --Jeff Shannon

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, Mar 5 2006
By A Customer
This review is from: Into the West (DVD)
Into the West is one of the best movies ive ever seen. It is Steven Speilberg at his best chronicling two family lines a western family and an native american family.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Best Most Realistic Western EVER!!, Feb 18 2006
By 
This review is from: Into the West (DVD)
This dvd is the best Western I have ever watched. The acting was good, the story line was good. Over all it is a very addictive hard to set down movie. A definate 5 stars!
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5.0 out of 5 stars Into the West: A Vision Quest for All North Americans, Jan 2 2006
This review is from: Into the West (DVD)
This is story of genocide, love, hope, ignorance, hatred, ambition, trust and mistrust, avarice, and arrogance. It's about humanity and all of our various shades of grey.

This is the story of what Euro-North Americans did to the original inhabitants and indeed the resources (e.g., buffalo) of Turtle Island (North America). If you rent the movie look carefully at the map displayed at the beginning of each series, you will see how we 'respected' and 'honoured' our own treaties and our laws by expropriating and expropriating more land to feed our avarice, until one day there was nothing but parcels of reservation land, which we now use to dump toxic waste.

I am very glad that this story is now available for all people to see, hear and feel. Even better is Native actors speaking in the traditional languages of the First Nations. Many people may be uncomfortable with a different pesentation of history, with characters of various shades of grey, where Métis conspire with the US army as scouts, where racism against African Americans and Indigenous Peoples runs untamed. Others may be angry at the portrayal of such historical figures as Livingston and Custer from the perspective of those who suffered at the hands of these euro-centric individuals.

The story of the Sioux (Lakota, Dakota, Nakoda) and Cheyenne is a story of resistance. It is the story of defiance, spearheaded by some of the greatest leaders in history (Sitting Bull, Roman Nose, and of course Crazy Horse). Sadly, the series captures only one portion of North American history, hopefully this series will provide the onus for individuals to learn more about Indigenous Peoples, past and present.

Perhaps "Into the West" is the beginning of the ancient prophecy "that the spirits of the vanquished will rise once again within the souls of the conquerors?" One can only hope.

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