Native Speakers

Hollywood holds an incredible sway over our cultural thoughts about all manner of topics, including World War II, the aged, the scientific possibility of dinosaurs returning, teenage boys, the inherent sexiness of vampires — we could go on and on. From the first moving pictures, films have portrayed Native Americans, too, in more than 4,000 works and shaped people's opinions about them. Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian, a not-too-serious documentary about these fantasized interpretations of native peoples, shares interviews with Clint Eastwood, John Trudell and others, and brings to light how Hollywood has changed these depictions over time. But have these more recent adjustments been positive? Do non-Native Americans have a better sense of the native cultures now? Check out Reel Injun to reexamine your own views when the film screens as part of the Webster University Film Series at 7:30 p.m. Friday through Thursday (June 25 through July 1) at the Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood Avenue; 314-968-7487 or www.webster.edu/filmseries). Admission costs $5 to $6.
June 25-July 1, 2010