Student E. D.M.

Ms. Colson / Mr. O

English 2-01
12 November 2015
Reel Injun
Reel Injun tells us how Hollywood created an image of Natives. It also shows
Aboriginals on the big screen through out the years. Hollywood portrays Indians just as
warriors. They did that for the romance of the culture. Native Americans were used a lot in
silent films. Even white people played Native rolls. In the 1980s, Indians were turned into
savages. Bugs Bunny used to fight Indians and John Wayne is Americas Greatest Indian
Fighter. White kids and Native kids always fought and every child played Cowboys and
Indians. Ironize Cody was the Aboriginal icon for people all over the world, but he wasnt
even Native, he was Italian. He believed he was what he saw on the screen and became what
he saw. In the 1960s, a lot of people thought Indian women were hippies, especially in San
Francisco. Wounded Knee changed the Hollywood image of Aboriginals forever. In the
1990s, they show that Indians are also human, not savages.
I think the point of this film is to teach people that not all Aboriginals are like what
they are on screen. Its important for people to know that the majority of Indians arent
savage. Theyre also human, unlike what Hollywood has shown us. It showed me how the
movies can create something thats not entirely true. That film creators can make up a story
on the little bit of knowledge that they have on the topic.
This compares to the Holocaust. Just like Hitler made up a bad image of Jews,
Hollywood made Natives look like animals. The film its self reminds me of the book Im

reading for USSR, Where She Went. In my book the narrator/main character made up a whole
idea of why his girlfriend stopped talking to him and ideas of what was going through her
mind. But then she told him everything and it was exactly what he wasnt expecting. Just like
my book and every other story, theres always more than one point of view. In the film, they
have Aboriginals talk about Hollywoods representation of their people. Thats the second
point of view.
I think thats the directors theme, different points of view. They have Hollywoods
perspective of Indians and they have Indians perspective on Hollywoods representation. The
theme isnt very obvious; you have to really think about it to figure it out. All the people they
interview are Natives in the movie business. The characters help bring out the theme a lot; they
are the theme. They are the second point of view. The people interviewed arent stereotypical
at all (except for one man who wore clothes that stereotypical Indians would). Theyre there
talking about how most people from their culture arent stereotypes.
I like how the narrator went all over North America to talk to people that were/are in
Hollywood. I like the Aboriginal critic that they interviewed; I like how hes so knowledgeable
about all the things they ask him and how enthusiastic he is. Then again, he is a critic. I found
it really cool when they showed clips from old movies. It really fascinates me to see how far
cinema has come. I love how although Hollywood has made them seem insane, a lot of Natives
work in that industry. I was surprised that they didnt show a clip from Pocahontas where the
white men sing Savages. It was really a good idea to hear Indians side of the story, to see
how they feel about all the films on them I think directors and writers just made Native people
look crazy for entertainment, which they probably did.