Little Big Man is a
1970 American
Western film directed by
Arthur Penn and based on the
1964 novel by
Thomas Berger. It is a
picaresque comedy and
drama about a
Caucasian boy raised by the
Cheyenne nation during the 19th century. A major part of the film involves contrasting the lives of
American pioneers and
Native Americans.
The movie stars
Dustin Hoffman,
Chief Dan George,
Faye Dunaway,
Martin Balsam,
Jeff Corey and
Richard Mulligan. It is considered a
Revisionist Western, with Native Americans receiving a sympathetic treatment uncommon for
Western films in previous decades. Many of the
United States Cavalry soldiers are depicted as villains.
Despite its
satiric and comedic approach, the film has
tragic elements and a clear social commentary about
prejudice and injustice.
Little Big Man is considered an example of
anti-establishment films of the period, subtly protesting America's involvement in the
Vietnam War by portraying the
U.S. Military negatively. Arthur Penn has also stated in an interview featured on a
TCM promo that elements of the film were comments on
American genocide depicting events "closest to The
Holocaust."