Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- sardonic
- cynical
- theatrical
- western film marathon
- altman retrospective
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film ambitious and occasionally funny, but divisive because its low-energy satire was viewed as self-indulgent, emotionally empty, and reductive in its treatment of Native American history.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Buffalo Bill's Wild West show stages a sanitized version of frontier history while Sitting Bull brings an opposing historical perspective.
The production contrasts Cody's celebrity self-image with Sitting Bull's presence and the political history surrounding General Custer.
The plot follows the star, producer, publicist, journalist, and performers behind the Wild West show as they construct its image.
The Wild West show setting foregrounds costumes, roles, publicity, and staged reenactments rather than presenting the frontier as straightforward realism.
Films like Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson, and why
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
revisionist western satire examining the manufacture of national myths through theatrical performance
Little Big Man
cynical historical western that dismantles heroic American frontier narratives
The Ballad of Cable Hogue
self-conscious western spectacle blending comedy, cultural critique, and distrust of official history
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Altman
- Release Date
- 1976-06-24
- Runtime
- 123 min
- Rating
- 5.6 / 10 (115)
Cast
- Paul Newman
- Joel Grey
- Kevin McCarthy
- Harvey Keitel
- Allan F. Nicholls
- Geraldine Chaplin
- John Considine
- Robert DoQui
- Mike Kaplan
- Bert Remsen
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- ScreenPix Apple TV channel, ScreenPix Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson about?
- Robert Altman turns Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show into a sardonic stage for competing versions of American history.
- What is Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson as slow, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson as mild.
- What did critics think of Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson?
- Critics broadly found the film ambitious and occasionally funny, but divisive because its low-energy satire was viewed as self-indulgent, emotionally empty, and reductive in its treatment of Native American history.
- Which films are like Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson?
- Films with a similar feel include McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Little Big Man, and The Ballad of Cable Hogue.
- How long is Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson?
- Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson runs 123 minutes.
- Where can I watch Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson?
- In United States, Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson streams on ScreenPix Apple TV channel, ScreenPix Amazon Channel .
