FAQ

In 1825, English aristocrat John Morgan is captured by Sioux Indians and forced to act as a horse and slave to Buffalo Cow Head (Judith Anderson), an old woman whose daughter Thorn Rose (Lina Marín) happens to be married to Chief Yellow Hand (Manu Tupou), the warrior who captured him. Aided by the English-speaking "fool" Batise (Jean Gascon), a Flathead Indian who was captured by the Sioux five years ago, Morgan learns Sioux customs and language. Eventually, through his acts of courage, he earns the right to marry Buffalo Cow Head's other daughter Running Deer (Corinna Tsopei) and, when Chief Yellow Hand is killed in battle, to become the tribe's new chief.

The film is based on a short story, also titled "A Man Called Horse" by American author Dorothy M. Johnson. The story was first published in Collier's magazine in 1950 and reprinted in 1968 as a short story in her book Indian Country. The story was first adapted for television by Leo Townsend for a 1958 episode of "Wagon Train" featuring Ralph Meeker as Horse, then later adapted for the screen by American screenwriter Jack DeWitt. It was followed by two sequels, The Return of a Man Called Horse (1976) (1976) and Triumphs of a Man Called Horse (1983) (1983), all featuring Richard Harris as the man called Horse.

Not entirely. There is some English spoken at the beginning of the movie, and Morgan and Batise communicate in English, although Batise's English is peppered with French. However, the rest of the movie, about 95%, is in the Sioux language.

To count coup is to strike your enemy with your hand or with a coup stick then escape unharmed. It's a ritual defeat. You've humiliated him and shown more bravery than trying to just kill him with a spear, club, or axe because you're unarmed.

"Wakan Tanka" translates as "Great Mystery", although it is often translated as "Great Spirit," likening it to a Godhead. However, in Lakota Sioux mythology, Wakan Tanka was not thought of as a monotheistic godhead but as pantheistic "mysteries", power, or sacredness that resides in everything everywhere. Wakan Tanka create nature, grow plants, control the weather, etc. and can be pleased or displeased about anything the people do or did.

The Shoshones carry out a surprise attack on the Sioux village, and Yellow Hand is slain. In retaliation, Morgan kills the Shoshone chief and takes command of the now leaderless Sioux warriors. He lines up the archers in two rows, British military style, and, as the Shoshone attempt to ride through the village on their horses, gives the command to fire, taking out the entire first wave of Shoshones and sending the others packing. As Batise rejoices, however, he is shot in the back with an arrow. Buffalo Cow Head and pregnant Running Deer, who have been hiding in the trees, run out into the open, and Running Deer is captured by a lone Shoshone on horseback. Morgan rides to her rescue, but the Shoshone tosses Running Deer off his horse. Running Deer later dies in their tepee. In their mourning, Buffalo Cow Head cuts off another finger joint and Morgan makes a gash across his upper abdomen with a knife. Realizing that she now has no one to provide for her, Buffalo Cow Head begs Morgan to care for her as her "son." At first, Morgan turns his back to her but, remembering what happened to Elk Woman, he relents and accepts her as his mother. Consequently, Buffalo Cow Head survives the winter but dies a natural death in the spring. In the final scene, Morgan leaves the tribe as they are packing up to move west. He heads east.

With no one to provide for her, Elk Woman was forced to give away all her possessions, including her tepee, and scavenge for offal (entrails and garbage) and shelter, virtually ignored by the tribe until she finally perished in the cold winter.

Cutting fingers off or mutilating yourself is a public gesture of mourning. You prove how much you feel by cutting yourself and displaying the wound in public.

Quite sursprisingly only the old German VHS—unlike the German DVD which comes with the "normal" and well-known version of this movie—features a different cut of this classic Western that holds scenes that are missing in the US version and vice versa. One can only speculate how to rank this special version but nevertheless it does exist and there are some big differences between both cuts. There are not only some prolonged dialogue sequences but also several more violent scenes and on top the ending has been recut in the German VHS completely.