September 12, 2007

Bury My Heart looks good, but...

'Wounded Knee':  A Powerful Tale Lost on ImpactThe program that earned the most overall Emmy nominations this year was not "The Sopranos" or "Grey's Anatomy." It was "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," an HBO film based on Dee Brown's well-known book about the displacement of the American Indian in the late 1800s. The movie tallied an impressive 17 nods, which raises expectations when one sits down to watch the DVD ($26.98), released today to undoubtedly ride the wave of publicity leading up to Sunday's Emmy Awards. Unfortunately, those expectations are only halfway met.

"Wounded Knee" is beautifully filmed and was clearly made with a great deal of reverence for the time period and for Native Americans. But that sense of respect overwhelms the production, making it a commendable effort rather than a deeply moving one. While watching it, you're more likely to feel like sitting up straight than shedding a tear.
Comment:  These are my sentiments also.

2 comments:

writerfella said...

Writerfella here --
The Emmy Awards loom. In 72 hours, we will know. But writerfella predicts at this juncture that BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE will win HBO an uncomfortable (for its critics) number of honors. When projects win, critics lose. But isn't that the name of the game?
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'

Rob said...

Turns out Bury My Heart won only one of the six major Emmys it was nominated for. That may be an uncomfortable number for you, but it isn't for me.