Powwow Highway

Theatrical Release Date: 1989 02 24 (USA)

UPC: 014381657920

Studio: Image

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Profanity, Substance Abuse]

Summary: The road movie gets a smart update with this seriocomic tale of two Cheyenne men traveling from their reservation in Montana to New Mexico. For one of them, Buddy Red Bow (A Martinez), a quick-tempered activist, the journey is a practical one; his sister has been arrested and he is the only family member who can help her out. Buddy has no transportation, so he's forced to ride with Philbert Bono (Gary Farmer), a phlegmatic hulk of a man who is using his 1964 Buick as a vehicle for a spiritual journey of his own. Philbert's easygoing ways and insistence on frequent stops to meditate prove irritating at first to Buddy, but the men reach an accommodation as the trip wears on. Buddy comes to see that blaming the white man and what he sees as system rigged against Native Americans is distracting him from his true mission: to better understand himself and his place in the world. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi

Category: Comedy Drama

Awards: Best First Feature – Independent Spirit Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Independent Spirit Awards Best Cinematography – Independent Spirit Awards Best Supporting Actor – Independent Spirit Awards Filmmaker's Trophy: Dramatic – Sundance Film Festival

Powwow Highway

Format: DVD

Release Date: 01/11/2011

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 87 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English

Tom Wiener

The first Native American road movie follows many of that genre's conventions: a mismatched pair with different ideas on how to get to their destination, plus stops along the way that mix comedy and drama. The overlay here is that the men in that rusting 1964 Buick are traveling, at least for the first part of their journey, a highway that parallels the Bozeman Trail, the scene of many 19th century battles between white settlers traveling to the gold mines of Virginia City, MO, and Native Americans eager to protect their Northern Wyoming hunting grounds. Buddy Red Bow, well aware of the many indignities heaped upon his people, boils over with righteous anger, while Philbert Bono simmers gently with reflection. Because Bono is in the driver's seat (in more ways than one), Buddy has to dance to Philbert's rhythms. Their interplay is both amusing and provocative, and it allows the viewer to understand the yin and yang of the Native American psyche in the late 20th century, though it's clear the movie's ultimate sympathies lie with Philbert. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Marie Antoinette Rogers  Actor 
Tony Frank  Actor 
Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman  Actor 
Junie Lowry-Johnson  Actor 
Adam Taylor  Actor 
Del Zamora  Actor 
John Trudell  Actor 
Wes Studi  Actor 
Marc Miles  Actor 
Janet Cunningham  Actor 
Rene Handren-Seals  Actor 
Graham Greene  Actor 
Barry Goldberg  Composer (Music Score) 
George Harrison  Executive Producer 
Joanelle Nadine Romero  Director 
Jean Stawarz  Screenwriter 
Jonathan Wacks  Director 
Jan Wieringa  Producer 
Janet Heaney  Screenwriter 
Denis O'Brien  Executive Producer 
A. Martinez  Actor 
Gary Farmer  Actor 
Amanda Wyss  Actor 
Joanelle Nadine Romero  Actor 
Sam Vlahos  Actor 
Wayne Waterman  Actor 
Margo Kane  Actor 
Geoffrey Rivas  Actor 
Roscoe Born  Actor 

Country: UK,USA