Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

weezeralfalfa As acknowledged by various others, this is a very well acted dramatization of the last major battle campaign in the long 'Indian Wars' between the US army or other military organizations and various Native American tribes or confederations. scattered over the American West. Although some of the details may have been altered, it provides a generally accurate picture of the effort of the US army to compel a segment of Native Americans to abandon their traditional home territory and way of life and accept a much inferior life on some much inferior shrunken territory. The banter between James Whitmore, as General Howard, and his subordinate Captain Wood(Sam Elliott), between Whitmore and Ned Romeo, as Chief Joseph, and between various Nez Perce chiefs, provides an intimate view of the conflicts between and within the key personalities in this saga. One-armed, ex-Civil War officer, Howard is portrayed as the ideal army leader in the western theater of the times, charged with a policing function between the Native Americans and settlers/prospectors, as well as enforcing government dictates regarding Native Americans. Unfortunately, his new distasteful function of enforcing the dictate that the Nez Perce leave their home territory conflicts with his former friendly relationship with the Nez Perce.The film dramatizes the transformation of chief Joseph as a reluctant advocate of accepting the dictate to move to a reservation, into a skilled military leader in attempting to find a refuge, probably in Canada, where his people could continue their traditional life. Unfortunately, the US federal government is unwilling to allow his group to make this journey to Canada, resulting in a masterful long chase through several states or territories, which occupies much of the film. General Howard is much criticized by the public and army superiors for his inability to capture Joseph's rather small band. Finally, apparently cornered short of his goal, Joseph decides further resistance is futile, and delivers his famous capitulation speech to the assembled army leaders. Although he was speaking on behalf of his group, in effect, he was speaking for all Native Americans.We may think of Chief Joseph as the Nez Perce equivalent of the much celebrated Lakota chief Red Cloud, and the great Comanche leader Quanah Parker. All 3 men were recognized as skilled military leaders, repeatedly thwarting attempts by the US army to 'tame' them. Yet, eventually, all 3 realized that further resistance was suicidal, and led the effort to accommodate their people to reservation life. By way of historical background, the Nez Perce actually had long been the chief Native American allies of Europeans in the region of NE Oregon, SW Washington, and adjacent Idaho during the wars with a confederation of most of the other anti-reservation regional tribes two decades earlier, as dramatized in the earlier Hollywood film "Pillars of the Sky", presently available at YouTube, as well as a DVD. Unlike that film, the present film doesn't incorporate a phony European woman as a love interest/conflict. Chief Joseph's wife is the only woman occasionally featured. The present film is now available on a DVD of several films featuring Sam Elliott.

Wuchak "I Will Fight No More Forever" is an overlooked Western from 1975, possibly because it was made-for-TV. Despite this, it's actually better than a lot of theatrically released Westerns from the same period or, at least, just as good.THE PLOT: When gold is discovered on the ancestral lands of the Nez Perce (in the NE corner of Oregon and border of Idaho) their treaty is broken to allow settlers to move into their lands, which results in conflict. The US Army seeks to subjugate the tribe of 800 and relocate them to a reservation, but Chief Joseph – Native name: Hinmatóowyalahtq'it – resists, winning 18 engagements against the Army with only a little over a hundred warriors. These engagements include four major battles and four fiercely contested skirmishes. The Nez Perce War lasted four months and involved a 1200-mile chase. Joseph and his tribe ultimately sought refuge in Canada. Will they make it? See the movie.Being a TV movie from 1975 I was expecting to be let down; I was anticipating white actors playing Natives and a roll-your-eyes tone, but this isn't the case at all. The main Indian characters are played by Native Americans of various tribes; even Ned Romero, who plays Chief Joseph, is Chitimacha Native American (as well as French/Spanish). The ending of the film lists the Native actors and their tribal ancestry.As for the tone, although you can't expect "Dances With Wolves" quality in a TV Western from 1975, it's not that far off. Although the portrayal of the Indians is too "Hollywood-ized" in that they're perhaps overly noble and virtuous, it rings true nevertheless. There's a great scene where a few braves break into a saloon to enact revenge on the white trash who murdered a tribesman. The warriors are painted and the patrons are convincingly scared for their lives. The ending of the sequence makes a powerful statement.James Whitmore and Sam Elliott play the general and colonel of the Army respectively and you can witness their struggle with performing their duty and doing what's right. They respect Joseph and his warriors and realize that the tribe only wants to retain their freedom, and understandably so: it was promised to them via a treaty. The officers know what they're doing is unjust, but they're under orders.Composer Gerald Fried of Star Trek fame (e.g. "Amok Time") wrote the quality score and even reprises some obvious Trekian aspects. The film runs 105 minutes.BOTTOM LINE: "I Will Fight No More Forever" inspired me to research the historical facts, which the movie is pretty good with, even supplying a screen-map detailing Joseph's 1200-mile route every step of the way. Despite being well-done, the topic is dreary and the story isn't compelling enough to give a higher grade. Still, this is a very respectable film and a must-see if you like pro-Indian Westerns and want to see the awful truth.GRADE: B+

sponge3 Having just purchased a home in the general area of Big Hole, I found myself becoming interested with this piece of American history. I've seen the documentary at the Big Hole State Park, read some of the different publications and as of now, I've seen this movie.Obviously the "Hollywood" production falls flat compared to facts and figures. However, I did find that this movie makes it's best effort to depict actual events and timing. I also think that considering the times (1975) that this effort is well worth watching. I'm no 70's movie buff but the effects and dialogue more than met my expectations. I think at the very least, this movie would hopefully motivate others to research the specific plight of this group of native Americans.At minimum, the Nez Perce fought 10+ battles while being chased by about 10 U.S. divisions and all this with only around 100 warriors. They traveled 1300+ miles in about 108 days (over 12 miles per day) before chief Joseph's famous speech. This also marked the last of the big battles between the U.S. government and the Indian tribes.

monkeyface_si Like its hero, Chief Joseph of the Nez Pierce, this movie uses understatement to incredible effect. Ned Romero is brilliant as Chief Joseph, under who attempted to take his tribe to Canada. James Whitmore is marvelous as the Army officer, with an unusually progressive outlook, but powerless to assist Chief Joseph.The photography is exceptional, and the score is hauntingly beautiful. See it if you can.