The film central theme in Little Big Man is really understanding who you are in the world and finding your place. This is very obvious in the different adventures the main character takes even though he ends up right back where he started. He doesn’t ultimately know that home is where he always was and that being an Indian was the only thing he seemed to actually do well. This is almost a coming of age story in the respect that he has to find his place and through the years he only feels at home when he is home.
The sub-themes in Little Big Man are really everywhere. This film has elements from many different genres of film. It is a Western, Comedy and a Drama as well as having many sub-genres mixed in. The major sub-theme in the story would be the struggle of the Native Americans all throughout the story, from the people moving west into their lands, to the eventual taking of their homeland. The use of Custer as an example in the film simply made it ring more true. Using Little Big Horn also helps you reference the film in terms of U.S. history. The father/son story in the film also was a sub-theme I found to standout. The fact that little Jewish white boy was taken in by this tribe of Indians and became one of them. It really is also a story of the relationships in family, the quarrelling of two brothers and their attempts to out do one another to earn respect in the tribe/family.
The characters in this film were very well written and incredibly well cast. Dustin Hoffman is really the only person in the world who could play this role as well as he did. He did everything as only he could. He was timid and unsure of himself and restful, to be being a drunk with no where to go, to being an angry man wanting to avenge his family, to being an over one hundred year old man. He never missed a beat. The character of Little Big Man’s sister, Caroline, I found to be very original and maybe a little risqué now and definitely for the time period. In the beginning of the film she becomes upset not because she is kidnapped, but because they did not rape her. I don’t hear the word rape in many movies and to use it as a comic element I find very different. The character of Caroline is small but it is very important I think.
The disappointment Jack sees in his sister’s face when he is lousy gun-fighter helps confirm that he isn’t even really at home when he is with his own natural family. Old Lodge Skins, grandfather, was just as essential to the story, the all knowing old man that can see the future. He is always happy to see his son and never says anything derogatory to him, always reassuring Jack much like a real father. The scene I find most essential to his character would be the final scene in the film, when he goes to the mountain to die. The man who has seen everything wants his power from the gods to make himself die. He can’t do this, this proves that he is simply a mortal man.
We all usually see our fathers as some larger than life figure, this helps Jack see his grandfather as a mortal man. The last character I really saw as essential to the film is Ms. Pendrake, who is played by Faye Dunaway. She I think shows Jack different views on how life should be lived, basically don’t be a pius-hippocrit. I thought when he saw her working in the brothel was really the turning point for him in terms of him turning his life around. She made him think really, she got a second chance and now he was going to give himself one.
The production of this film seemed very “gentle” at first, the opening scene was shot in very soft lighting with a long close-up of an old man who looks nothing of Dustin Hoffman, which widens into a medium over the shoulder shot of William Hickey. There are only seventeen cuts in this first sequence which is three minutes long. This leaves the camera very focused one character. The make up worn by Hoffman is also exceptionally well done, it is a perfect compliment to his performance. The mise-en-scene in the first few minutes of the film is perfect. You know where you are, you know the emotional state of the characters and you know the time period. This is good film making.
The close up of the young Jack Crab which widens to a medium shot really gives a look into his state of being at that moment. The film continues this through its full length, you always see the right elements to make you laugh and the right ones to peak your interest. My example would be the basement of the general store, you are looking through the eyes of Jack watching Ms. Pendrake fornicate. I particularly like that you don’t know see the man’s face, you assume it’s the clerk, but he becomes faceless in the shot because you do not recognize his voice, meaning he is seemingly unimportant. This also makes you look upon Ms. Pendrake as a more promiscuous woman. The rest of the film is shot in similar fashion, you see only what you need to understand the mood of the scene and its setting, in a way, similar to Jaws.
The camera seems to always be on a track, I cannot remember any hand-held shots, but there are pans everywhere, there seems to be a pan shot in almost every single scene. The pan shots give you a better idea of the scale of your surroundings.
The costumes looked incredibly well done, with no real lack of Western films I’m sure there is a surplus of 19th Century attire, but the clothing of each character seemed to compliment there social standing and their situation.
The lighting seemed always to be soft, not bright, not dark, but soft. It gave this film a soft feel to it, which is important to a comedy like this one. If the lighting were too drastic either way then we may take the film too seriously. There is one thing I noticed, it always does seem to be a little too light or dark during scenes with Calvary men in them, the scenes feel different, I am not sure if this is me, but they look darker or more intensely lit. This is how you should light the antagonist, I believe.
This film makes you want to hug someone. Everyone has one place that always feels perfect when they come back to it. For most its being home with the people you love and who love you in return. The feeling at the end of the film compliments the message the film contains. Home makes you feel this way. The film is trying to tell you home is always where you left it. The feeling I get is very similar. Therefore I believe the film succeeds in getting its point across and thus succeeds in doing what it wanted to.
This is almost epic, atleast as epic as a light hearted comedy can really be. The acting was perfect. The directing and camera work were perfect. The costumes perfect. The lighting was just right. I can’t really ask for a better film.
