Incident at Oglala - The Leonard Peltier Story (1992)

Robert Redford is the executive producer (and narrator) of this fine, eye-opening documentary about the violent events that took place in 1975 on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Indian activists ended up in an extended standoff with FBI agents, and the result was several deaths, including two federal men whose killing (according to many people) was never clearly attributed to a specific gunman. Nevertheless, the government laid blame for the tragedy on Leonard Peltier, a Sioux political leader who has long been a focus for supporters believing he took the fall, possibly heroically, for others. Peltier has spent many years in prison, and Apted's film, which is hardly ambiguous in its commitment toward Peltier's hoped-for freedom, is persuasive in both its detail and its case against brutal federal policies toward Indians. Whatever one's position on the Peltier question, this is a compelling piece of work. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com

Real history

this tells the mostly true story of the american indian movememt not the propaganda the government puts out. even if some goals of the movement were not achieved there was at the time a awakening of Indian pride thru the takeover of the town of wounded knee,so. dak. in 1973. that was a scary time in so. dak. September 11, 2008

It started because of the theft of a pair of Cowboy boots

In 1975, Pine Ridge was one of the poorest and most neglected Indian reservations in the US. It was a hopeless place. When the FBI came to claim a tribal member for the theft of a pair of cowboy boots, battle broke out.

This award-winning documentary, narrated by Robert Redford, tells of the struggle between the various factions among the reservation populations. Pine Ridge literally was having a civil war between traditional and government supporting Indians. The latter had 'goons' or death squads who were detailed to suppress traditional Indian opposition. The narrative describes the values that formed AIM (American Indian Movement) and what the organization's actions were.

A portion of what is covered is the 1972 Wounded Knee protest. Both sides of the conflict are covered.

This is a riveting documentary detailing the lives of people who were prepared to die to save their sovereign nation and a way of life.

Rebecca Kyle, July 2008
July 28, 2008

Meticulous, classic Michael Apted documentary

Meticulous, classic Michael Apted documentary...drama without a smidgen of sensationalism. Call me a nerd, but I was blown away by the editing. I could not even begin to conceive myself of how I'd go about piecing together a linear timeline of an incredibly convoluted, complex story (best represented by the notorious 18,000 pages of FBI paper...if you get my drift). But Apted and crew go about it methodically and choose to follow a particular timeline (resting heavily on Robideau and Butler, who appear at great length in the film) that gave me new insight into the story.

Also notable was John Trudell's presence; Apted knows how to bring out people's candid personalities so effortlessly, and the end result is that their hearts end up speaking as much as their words (as cheesy as that sounds...I don't know how else to say it. But if you've seen the 7up series, you know what I mean.) SO great to see ubiquitous people I've heard about for so long in the flesh [well, virtually, of course...although I HAVE met Bruce Ellison, who was still plugging away at this case 13 years later]. On that note, the detailed testimonies by lawyers and judges connected to the case did added a lot--notable in particular was the Iowa jury foreman. (One bright spot in the story that usually gets lost among the shadows.)

[A side note: Not sure what to conclude of the Iowa story, but it did strike me as interesting that the implication was that if Peltier had been tried simultaneously and not stuck in Canada, he, too, would have been found not guilty. But then, who knows what the FBI cronies would have done--they needed SOMEONE to punish...for the first time I considered that while Leonard is a scapegoat, perhaps he is that in the most pure of ways--he took on the wrath of terrorists for his people; not that things got so much better later, but other AIM members like Russell Means or Trudell or Butler/Robideau staying alive does cause me to step back and consider a weird sort of miracle. Actually, most of these guys say on the film that they were sure they were dead many times. Just the fact that they're standing there is crazy. And perhaps they are there because of Leonard. Anyway, that was something positive that I got.] January 17, 2008

Revealing

I was impressed by the way this film was able to get candid interviews from the people involved. Redford must have been seeking the real truth without prejudice, or he would not have gotten so much honesty from everyone he interviewed.

Watch this film closely. I think if you do that you will see, as I did, that some of the people he talked to know exactly what happened, they are just not saying.

Whoever Mr. X is, he is a coward. How can he allow Peltier to languish in prison for his crimes? This is an outrage.

In any case, the people of Pine Ridge were in a crisis situation when this happened and any and all reactions to a couple of white men in pursuit in a nice car on the rez is understandable. An Indian was also killed in this exchange of gunfire, and no one was ever charged for the crime. Being white does not mean your life is worth more. Give me a break.

As for Leonard Peltier, as far as I am concerned, if he is 100% guilty and committed two executions at point blank range in 1975, he should still be paroled today. Whatever he did or did not do, the man is totally rehabilitated. He is a light to the Oglalas, and he ought to be free. He is also a diabetic and may not have long to live.

He's in jail because (in my opinion) there is some power struggle going on over land in South Dakota and over the relationship of Indians (NATIVE Americans) to the rest of us. I don't fully understand it, but I know that by now, any white man convicted of the same crimes probably would have been paroled.

This is an injustice. August 29, 2007

A must see movie

This true story about Leonard Peltier, an American Indian, who is still in prison for crimes he did not commit will open your eyes to the unjust treatment of Native Americans by our government. The government's logic...Somebody had to pay for the killing of 2 white agents. So they pin it on Leonard Peltier, a Native American. FREE PELTIER!!! June 1, 2007

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