Many people know Richard Harris primarily from the first two Harry Potter films. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets he played the Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore. In addition, there are many other films worth seeing in his work.
One of them is The Man They Called Horse, a western from 1970. It was directed by director Elliot Silverstein, who is known, among other things, for the western comedy Cat Ballou. With The Man They Called Horse he started one famous western trilogy.
The Man They Called Horse: An Important Western Starring Richard Harris
The story of the first part takes us to 1825 and introduces us to an atypical protagonist: John Morgan (Richard Harris). Morgan comes from England and belongs to one aristocratic family at. He expects his trip to America to be an exciting adventure. But then everything turns out completely differently.
The trailer for The Man They Called Horse:
The Man They Called Horse – Trailer (English) HD
Morgan is ambushed and kidnapped by members of the Sioux tribe. From then on he ekes out an existence as a prisoner and has to serve the chief’s daughter, Buffalo Crow Head (Judith Anderson). Because they don’t have the option to escape, Morgan decides to to adapt to the Sioux. So he gradually rises through their ranks.
The plot of The Man They Called Horse is based on a short story A Man Called Horse by the American Writer Dorothy M. Johnson from 1950 back. The basic idea can be placed even further into the past. It comes from an episode of the western series Wagon Train.
An important precursor to Kevin Costner’s western masterpiece Dances with Wolves
The success of The Man They Called Horse was followed by two sequels. The Man They Called Horse – Part 2 was released in cinemas in 1976, before the conclusion of the trilogy followed in 1983 with Triumph of the Man They Called Horse. Harris starred in all three films, writing a special chapter in Western history.
The Man They Called Horse was an essential film in the development of the genre because it portrayed the Sioux not as wild people, but as themselves interested in their culture. Sometimes some dialogues are even spoken in Sioux language. The film was shot in the Sioux region of South Dakota.
Individual passages in the film were criticized that have nothing to do with the reality of the Sioux and were adapted for dramaturgical reasons. Nevertheless, The Man They Called Horse is a important pioneer for later western successes, especially the Kevin Costner epic Dances with Wolves, which was released in 1990.
When is The Man They Called Horse on TV?
The Man They Called Horse Runs Tonight, November 21, 2023 at 10:20 p.m. on ServusTV. The broadcast lasts until 00:30. The repeat follows at 02:10. Alternatively, you can stream the film on Plex. It is also available to rent or purchase as a stream on Amazon Prime Video.
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