HEy there my trusted friends and family, Harry here with our top spy in the world of Native American Cinema, KIOWA SCOUT! To read her original take on the John Woo project, WINDTALKERS Click Here and to read about the conflict between it and WHISPER THE WIND, as well as what that film is about, just continue on down the page. Once again you'll find GREAT work from our wonderful Kiowa Scout!
Hello Harry,
Kiowa Scout here with another report from Indian Country. So far, this year looks to be the year of the Codetalker! First, the Pentagon awarded the Medal of Honor to the last surviving Comanche Codetalker on behalf of his fallen comrades.(Comanches served in the European Theatre of WWII.) Then, John Woo announced the production of a major motion picture about the Navajo codetalkers starring A-list actor, Nicolas Cage. Less than a month later, Hasbro announced the creation of a Navajo Codetalker GI. Joe. That's not all. I was just given some scoop on a second major motion picture about the codetalkers called "Whisper the Wind".
"Whisper the Wind" started out as a prize-winning screenplay by first-time scribe Glen Craney. Craney won the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science's prestigious $25,000 Nicholl Fellowship. Gale Ann Hurd (Aliens, Terminator 2, Armageddon) serves on the Nicholl Fellowship selection committee along with notables Jack Lemmon and past award recipient, Allison Anders (Gas, Food, Lodging). Past winners of the fellowship include: Max Adams ("Excess Baggage"), Andrew Marlowe ("Air Force One") and Jim McGlynn ("Traveler"), all releasing films in 1997.
Craney spent six months on the Navajo reservation researching the subject. The story follows four Navajo males from their reservation childhood, through boot camp to the end of the war. Navajos will be cast in LEAD roles and the reservation will serve as a filming location as well.
Apparently, Ms. Hurd was so impressed by Craney's script that she optioned it through her Pacific Western Productions company. She plans to market this as a niche film along the lines of 1992's "Waterdance". Readers may or may not recall the movie starring Eric Stoltz, Wesley Snipes, and Helen Hunt. It was a character study set in a physical rehab center revolving around a group of disabled men. It was critically acclaimed but did not do well at the box office.
"Whisper the Wind" differs from "Windtalkers" substantially. Windtalkers will have a huge budget, big name talent, and lots of mainstream press. However, Whisper will have an award-winning script, an Indian production company as co-producer, culturally appropriate casting, and most importantly, the exclusive cooperation of the Navajo Codetalkers Association.
Wow! This is great! An Indian owned and operated production company is involved in the development of a major motion picture with the Queen of Blockbusters herself, Ms. Gale Ann Hurd. Ms. Valerie Red-Horse (Red-Horse Native Productions) was the first Indian woman accepted into Redford's screenwriting workshop. She also produced, wrote, directed, and starred in the first film totally financed by Indians. This woman has paid her dues and is ready to blaze a trail straight up to that old Hollywood sign on the hill!
Ms. Hurd is executive producing Red-Horse's sister documentary on the making of "Whisper the Wind" along with the codetalkers' story told through their own voices. "True Whispers" will premiere as a work in progress at the Mountain Film Festival in Telluride in late May. Kiowa Scout was allowed a peek at the doc. It was very well done and quite an emotional experience for me on a personal level.
I was deeply moved by the individual stories of the Navajo codetalkers. As I stated in my previous article, those Indians born on the reservation had no birth certificates. Boys as young as 14 signed up to serve Uncle Sam! Navajo parents turned their boys over to the Army with a thumbprint because they could not write in English.
People ask how Indians could offer up their lives for a country that only fifty years earlier had wanted them exterminated. The answer is simple. Indians are bound inextricably to this land. We live here. We will always live here, regardless of who is the landlord. Our veterans hold a special honored place in our hearts. The documentary allows us to see the simple but profound character of these men. They not only faced death, but also the intolerance, bigotry, and cruelty perpetrated by their fellow countryman. This was indeed a journey endured alone by most Indian soldiers.
Two films on the same subject could very well be a good thing, but the road to fruition is so rife with potential potholes and pitfalls that it's scary. Let me begin my examination of these events by noting that the Codetalkers deserve all the attention and notoriety that they can get. They were true American heroes and this recognition is long overdue but gratifying to see, nonetheless.
The Navajo codetalkers have signed on the white man's dotted line to consult for two years exclusively with Indian production company, Red-Horse Native Productions. The association has received $10,000 so far, and will be paid a minimum of $100,000 for its endorsement of "Whisper the Wind". The language of the contract clearly prohibits the Navajo Codetalkers Association from consulting with or endorsing any other movie.
An Indian actor friend of mine auditioned for "Windtalkers" and was asked by the production team for a friendly critique of their script. He pointed them towards the Codetalkers association. The codetalkers expressed serious concerns about the film, mainly the use of their story to feature a non-Navajo as the lead character. (Read my last article for a rundown of that particular script.) The president of the association wrote a letter to Nicolas Cage giving voice to this concern. Cage turned the letter over to producer Terence Chang.
Chang sent copies of the "Windtalkers" script to be reviewed and critiqued by the codetalkers. Unaware of the "Whisper the Wind" contract, Terence Chang (producer), John Woo (director), and Eric Kops (vice-president, MGM national publicity) met with members of the veterans' group to listen to their concerns about accuracy. A Santa Fe lawyer representing the veterans said that the codetalkers will honor their contract with the "Whisper" producers but would like to be able to negotiate some way to work with the "Windtalkers" project as well. MGM's legal department is currently examining the codetalker contract.
So, the codetalkers find themselves caught in the middle of some good, old-fashioned Hollywood competition. This appears to be a classic case of David vs. Goliath. But which party is 'David' and which is 'Goliath'? Admittedly, MGM has many advantages. Yet, the exclusive consulting contract is most definitely a business coup for Hurd, et al. On the other hand, it doesn't leave much for MGM and Woo to work with. How is Woo supposed to follow the admonishments of the Navajos for cultural accuracy without their cooperation? Obviously, Woo is left with two unsavory options, try to solicit clandestine (dishonest) assistance from the Navajos or produce a film ripe with stereotypes and inaccuracies.
Sonny Skyhawk, President of American Indians in Film and Television has worked diligently throughout the past year to address the lack of diversity in Hollywood. He worked especially hard to reach agreements with the television networks to bring Indians into the industry. Mr. Skyhawk approached the codetalkers as he sought to work as a consultant on John Woo's "Windtalkers". As traditional men, I believe that the Navajo elders would want to help Skyhawk as an individual as well as to ensure that the film honors their culture. It had to have been emotionally painful for these elders to refuse the polite and thoughtful request of a fellow honorable Indian man. But, that's Hollywood, right? Win, no matter the cost. Just how much of our traditional Indian social values must be sacrificed in order to achieve Hollywood success? This is a very sad thing for me to see.
However, Kiowa Scout does see a viable option for MGM, Woo, and Mr. Skyhawk. Navajos were not the ONLY codetalkers! The Pima had codetalkers in the Pacific, and the Comanche and Choctaw were in Europe. You could find other codetalkers and bring out their unique culture in a film. (I happen to personally know the surviving Comanche codetalker and he loves to talk.) Hollywood has already told the story of one Pima warrior's WWII experiences. I believe that Tony Curtis' best dramatic role was in the little known 1961 film "The Outsider". He played war hero Ira Hayes of the Pima tribe. Hayes gained fame in the Pacific campaign when he, along with fellow American soldiers, raised the US flag over Iwo Jima while the battle still raged. The act of raising the flag was captured by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal and became the image on the biggest-selling American postage stamp of all time as well as the famous Marine Corps war monument. (This movie positively screams for a remake!)
As for the Codetalker Rivalry, it's far too late to cry over spilled milk. Now that Hollywood is involved with telling this story, beware the carnivorous nature of the industry. Regardless of artistic expression or merit, Hollywood measures success with numbers, the more the merrier. That philosophy is in direct juxtaposition to traditional American Indian values; the two lifeways will never gel. Nevertheless, Pandora has opened her box. The far more important question remains unanswered. How are the best interests of the Navajo veterans' story being served? All we can do is hold on, and hope for the best.
AH-HO!
(Thank you)
PS. Look for continuing coverage as these two films progress.
