Billy Two Hats (1974)
Not the strongest and most loved Western I’ve seen, drawn into it by Gregory Peck, a chase film between two outlaws and a determined but wounded sheriff who wont give up until he has his men. At least in Billy Two Hats (1974) we have a fairer representation of the Native American‘s in the way they were treated by whites and others who took them in, such as Peck’s character Arch Deans who sees his Kiowa companion as an equal in the saddle and as a friend.
By this time in cinema, Native Americans are finally receiving better treatment on screen, however old habits die hard, the racism of the time is still there, and was in the late 1800′s. All round a fairer representation. Life for the Native Americans has been shook up with the appearance of the Apache‘s who attack the heroes.
A short movie that has layers of respect and friendship to others who we meet along the way. The ugly face of racism never falls away, yet theres’s a recognition that change has come about, and the country is moving on.
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