A Man Called Horse (1970)

A Man Called Horse (1970) is a movie starring Richard Harris about an English aristocrat captured by the Sioux tribe. Joining the tribe, he undergoes painful initiation rites.

It had two sequels, both with Harris:

• Return of a Man Called Horse (1976)
• Triumphs of a Man Called Horse (1983)

Diferences from the book

The story and movie versions of “A Man Called Horse”, by Dorothy Johnson, have many similarities and differences. The movie version is based on the story and thus is very similar. As in many other movies based on books, there are also many differences in the characters, setting, and plot. The basic plot and setting in each is similar; a man is captured by Indians and is given to Greasy Hand as a slave. In the story and movie the man then calls himself Horse and begins to try to learn the Indian’s culture. Both stories take place in around the 19th century in an Indian camp in the west of North America.

There are some differences between the movie and story. One of the main differences is the character Baptiste. In the story he is killed when the Indians capture Horse, but in the movie Horse meets him at the Indian camp and is taught by him. Horse also tries to escape in the movie, but he doesn’t in the story. The Indians in the story are the Crow Indians whereas the Indians in the movie are the Sioux Indians. In the story Horse is from Boston and in the movie he is from England.