When you imagine western heroes, they probably look similar to tough guys like John Wayne or Clint Eastwood – and not to the graduate student Dustin Hoffman. This is part of the calculation of the classic Little Big Man by Bonnie & Clyde director Arthur Penn. You can read why today’s TV tip is worth it here.
Little Big Man goes against Western clichés and criticizes his time
The story is reminiscent of a less naive Forrest Gump: In 1970 (in which the film was also released) we meet the oldest man in the world. 121-year-old Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) looks back on a life that seems to have been made up.
As a ten-year-old child of settlers, he lost his parents in a Pawnee massacre. He is raised by Cheyenne as one of her own. In the following years, the anti-hero changes fronts and experiences atrocities committed against the North American natives. Like Forrest Gump, Jack stumbles upon the greats of Western history, such as Wild Bill Hickok and General George Armstrong Custer. He is also present at the Battle of Little Big Horn.
Paramount
Little Big Man
In the adaptation of a novel by Thomas Berger Western myths are deconstructed and unambiguous references to the Vietnam War at the time are revealed. Little Big Man was released around a year after the My Lai massacre of Vietnamese civilians became known to the US public, adding an additional layer of significance to the film’s critical portrayal of the US Army.
Arthur Penn made a partly funny, partly angry criticism of the American founding myth, a true New Hollywood Western of the 70s that looked at an outdated genre from a new perspective. Little Big Man was subsequently included in several best lists, such as Vulture’s list of the 50 Greatest Westerns of All Time.
Dustin Hoffman still seems believable today as the “oldest man in the world”.
Today we are used to high-quality old-age make-up or even the use of CGI to artificially age stars; this was not a given in the 60s and 70s. A latex foam mask was specially made for Little Big Man to transform Dustin Hoffman into the oldest man in the world. An effect that still impresses today.
Paramount
Little Big Man
The actor also put in a lot of vocal effort to create a believable portrayal, as can be read from the Library of Congress. Before filming, he screamed like crazy for an hour to clear up his voice and make it sound older. It was worth it.
This is how you can watch Little Big Man on TV
Little Big Man is today November 7th from 10:05 p.m. on the German Servus TV broadcast on television. The repeat runs on Wednesday night from 2:15 a.m.
Regardless, you can stream the western with a Paramount+ subscription.
More film tips in the podcast: The 5 most exciting films in November on Netflix, Amazon and Co.
Still no idea which movie you should watch tonight? We introduce you to the most promising streaming films in November:
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Whether on Netflix, Apple TV+ or Disney+: There are exciting new releases among the streaming services’ own productions this month. Included are romantic science fiction and the new Netflix thriller by David Fincher.