Little Big Man

The film Little Big Man will be shown at the Newport Public Library on Tuesday, March 8, at 6:30 p.m. This 1970 film is based on the novel by Thomas Berger.

At the age of 121, Jack Crabbe (Dustin Hoffman) tells the story of his life. When he was ten years old, his family was killed by the Pawnee Indians.  Cheyenne Indians saved him and raised him as one of their own.  Throughout his life, Crabb is torn between the two worlds.  He has close associations with Wild Bill Hickok and General George Custer.  He marries twice; Olga, a Swedish woman who is abducted by Indians, and Sunshine, an Indian woman who bears him a child.

Dustin Hoffman and Chief Dan George

The film is sprinkled with tragic and comedic vignettes. After the brutal murder of his second family, Crabb seeks revenge by leading Custer into the Battle of Little Big Horn. After the battle, Crabb's adopted father, Old Lodge Skins (Chief Dan George) dresses in full Chief's regalia and declares "It is a good day to die," and prepares to end his life with dignity. He lies down at the Indian Burial Ground to wait for death. Instead, it begins to rain. Old Lodge Skins is revealed to still be alive, and says, "Sometimes the magic works, and sometimes it doesn't."