At the beginning of the 19th century, white settlers regularly make and break treaties with the Native American inhabitants to gain possession of vast hunting grounds at ludicrously low prices without any bloodshed. Harrison, Governor of Indiana, has made and broke no less than fifteen such treaties, driving increasing numbers of Indians out to the infertile West. To put a stop to this criminal practice, the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh tries to unite the Native Americans.
Acting
Gojko Mitić's smoldering intensity carries the whole production.
Cinematography
Bulgarian locations standing in for the American Midwest—actually stunning.
Production
Communist bloc budget, Hollywood ambition, bizarre results.
Director
Hans Kratzert
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
DEFA Indianerfilme were East Germany's answer to West German Karl May adaptations, explicitly anti-capitalist and anti-American.
Gojko Mitić became a genuine superstar across the Eastern Bloc, receiving fan mail from actual Native American activists who appreciated the sympathetic portrayal.
XG
