Little Big Man is a movie directed by Arthur Penn in the 1970s. This movie includes talented actors like Dustin Hoffman, Chief Dan George, Faye Dunaway, Martin Balsam, Jeff Corey and Richard Mulligan. The film is based on a novel written by Thomas Berger in 1964.
Little Big Man is a comedy drama featuring a Caucasian boy brought up by a Cheyenne nation during the 19th century. In spite of having a comedy background, the film gives way to a social message about prejudice and injustice. Arthur Penn has also commented on a TCM promo that the movie was about the genocide and the holocaust.
Little Big Man is a story about a 121 old year man, Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) and his sister Caroline (Carol Androsky) who are brought up by a Cheyenne leader old Lodge Skins (Chief Dan George). Jack is called the Little Big Man because he is very brave but short in height. Jack is taken into custody by the U.S. Cavalry and put into the care of Reverend Pendrake (Thayer David) and his wife Louise (Faye Dunaway).
Later in the film, Little Big Man Jack opens a general store and gets married to a Swedish woman Olga (Kelly Jean Peters) after he loses his interest in gunslinging and Caroline deserts him. Another tragedy approaches Jack when his partner cheats him and he had to close his shop meanwhile, Olga was also kidnapped.
While searching for Olga, Jack takes part in a battle against the Cheyenne and ends up marrying a woman named Sunshine. When Custer and the 7th Cavalry make an Attack on the Cheyenne, the Little Big Man saves Old Lodge Skins tribe but Sunshine and their children are killed. Jack later becomes a catcher and a solitary person who decides to kill himself but is saved by Cluster as he joins is troop. When Cluster and his troop is demolished, Jack accompanies Old Lodge Skins to a near by hill. The film concludes with an extended shot of the elderly Jack sadly staring into space.
The Little Big Man has received several awards including the nomination at the Academy Awards as well as Golden Globe awards for the Best Actor in a Supporting Role enacted by Chief Dan George as the Old Lodge Skins. He won numerous honors for his performance including the Producers Guild of America Award, the National Society of Film Critics Award and the New York Film Critics Circle Award. Dustin Hoffman was also nominated as the Best Actor by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and won third place with the Producers Guild of America.
Little Big Man was released on December 14, 1970 in USA. The film met with an immediate public and critical acclaim. Writers Guild of America Awards also acknowledged the screenplay of the film done by Calder Willingham as Best Drama adapted from another medium. Actor Dustin Hoffman has also set up a record of essaying the greatest life span of an individual character from age 17 to 121.
Little Big Man
