“Get Stoic” Smoke Signals Smoke Signals, the first major movie release directed, produced and written by Native Americans (Spillman, 55), has set a new standard for any Native American movie released following after the 1998 classic. Sherman Alexie indulges the audience in the story of a young man Victor Joseph, acted by Adam Beach, on the journey to pick up the ashes of his runaway father. Throughout Smoke Signals Alexie, plays with the misconceptions, stereotypes, and symbolism of Native Americans. The powerful film lacks a dull moment, and keeps the audience attention with humorous lines, suspenseful plot, and the dramatic ending. Ethan Adams plays the role of Thomas Builds-the-fire, the cousin of Victor. Thomas sets the humorous tone
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He 's better this time ... (Gilroy,24). Although the scene in the movie is humorous and a bit sarcastic, the point of the scene is to address the stereotypes concluded about Native Americans; as well as, feature the perception Native American have on white people. The audience can also see the “Humor, social commentary, and the powerful relationship between filmic representation and American Indian identity” (Gilroy, 24-25). The scene drastically draws the distinction between the two characters, Thomas and Victor being whom are two completely opposite people. While watching the film Smoke Signals, it was easy to make connections to civil rights films such as Our Friend Martin or The Rosa Parks Story. The Native Americans, like the blacks were mistreated and were viewed as less competent than …show more content…
The scene in the film where the white cowboys make Victor and Thomas give up their seats and move to the back of the bus can be compared to the blacks having to give up their seats for the whites. ¨A perceptive viewer cannot overlook the historical significance of the ‘back of the bus.’ In a heavily ironic line Thomas remarks ‘Jeez, Victor, I guess your warrior look doesn’t work everytime’¨(Gilroy, 35). The back of the bus is always a prime example in America of an outcast in society. Alexie plays with symbolism and irony to prove to the audience how mistreated the Native Americans were in the United States.
My Personal belief as to why Alexie’s film is so compelling is due to the fact that Alexie’s film presents Native Americans in a realistic way because Alexie himself is Native American. Alexie says in the interview with Rob
He 's better this time ... (Gilroy,24). Although the scene in the movie is humorous and a bit sarcastic, the point of the scene is to address the stereotypes concluded about Native Americans; as well as, feature the perception Native American have on white people. The audience can also see the “Humor, social commentary, and the powerful relationship between filmic representation and American Indian identity” (Gilroy, 24-25). The scene drastically draws the distinction between the two characters, Thomas and Victor being whom are two completely opposite people. While watching the film Smoke Signals, it was easy to make connections to civil rights films such as Our Friend Martin or The Rosa Parks Story. The Native Americans, like the blacks were mistreated and were viewed as less competent than …show more content…
The scene in the film where the white cowboys make Victor and Thomas give up their seats and move to the back of the bus can be compared to the blacks having to give up their seats for the whites. ¨A perceptive viewer cannot overlook the historical significance of the ‘back of the bus.’ In a heavily ironic line Thomas remarks ‘Jeez, Victor, I guess your warrior look doesn’t work everytime’¨(Gilroy, 35). The back of the bus is always a prime example in America of an outcast in society. Alexie plays with symbolism and irony to prove to the audience how mistreated the Native Americans were in the United States.
My Personal belief as to why Alexie’s film is so compelling is due to the fact that Alexie’s film presents Native Americans in a realistic way because Alexie himself is Native American. Alexie says in the interview with Rob