Sitting Bull is a Western drama that tells the story of the famous Lakota Sioux leader and his resistance against U.S. government policies during the 1870s. Though fictionalized, the film portrays his efforts to protect his people’s land and way of life, culminating in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The plot centers on a sympathetic U.S. Army major who tries to act as a bridge between cultures, advocating for justice and understanding amid mounting conflict.
Genre: Western / Historical Drama
Director: Sidney Salkow
Sidney Salkow was an American director known for his prolific output across various genres including Westerns, war films, and horror. He worked steadily through the 1940s to 1960s, often handling modest-budget features with efficiency and clarity. Salkow was also a screenwriter and occasionally taught film studies later in life.
Star Cast:
- Dale Robertson as Major Robert Parrish
- Mary Murphy as Kathy Howell
- J. Carrol Naish as Sitting Bull
- John Litel as General Nelson A. Miles
- Joel Fluellen as Sam
The film received mixed reviews upon release. While praised for attempting to humanize Sitting Bull and present a more balanced portrayal of Native Americans than many earlier Westerns, it was still seen as historically inaccurate and filtered through a mid-century Hollywood lens. Critics acknowledged J. Carrol Naish’s dignified portrayal, even though he was not Native American, and the film gained modest box office success.
Fun Facts:
- Though J. Carrol Naish played Sitting Bull, he was of Irish and Spanish descent, highlighting the era’s tendency to cast non-Native actors in Indigenous roles.
- Parts of the film were shot on location in South Dakota, adding visual authenticity to the plains setting.
- Sitting Bull was one of the earliest Westerns to depict Native Americans with some degree of sympathy and political complexity, though still framed through a white protagonist’s narrative.
- The film was released during a time when Westerns were a dominant genre in Hollywood, often reinforcing mythic images of American expansion.
- Dale Robertson, a former real-life soldier and rodeo rider, brought rugged credibility to the role of the honorable Army major.
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