Wednesday, July 27, 2005
INTO THE WEST: history needs fascinating characters
Year: 2005
Genre: Western miniseries, made for television
Cast: Irene Bedard, David Paymer, Craig Sheffer, Chaske Spencer, John Terry, Sheila Tousey
Director: Jeremy Podeswa
Writer: William Mastrosimone
The sixth and final episode of Into the West, "Ghost Dance," reunites many (though not all) of the surviving characters around the tragic events at Wounded Knee. Jacob and Thunder Heart Woman return, enlisting Robert and Clara's help to search for Margaret, who begins photographically documenting the Indians' treatment on the reservation.
Meanwhile, a false Messiah spreads an intoxicating doctrine among the dispirited tribes, promising the white men will disappear. It's an indecipherable blend of Lakota spirituality, Christianity, and Eastern mysticism. One group of Lakota after another adopt the loud and distinctive Ghost Dance, and wear "bullet proof" Ghost Shirts.
Headline hungry journalists translate the Indians' peaceful discontent into war cries and bloodthirsty intimidation of the local authorities. As tensions escalate out of control and troops arrive, it seems certain that tragedy is only a matter of time.
Despite their personal goals and problems, the main characters are largely passive in relation to the major historic events portrayed in Into the West: Ghost Dance. For instance, when Robert recognizes the foreboding direction things are going, he protests to the Indian agent. But it's only words, not actions, born out of frustration more than courage. When Margaret begins photographing the Indians, it feels faintly courageous, because she acts furtive. But the audience is never shown her purpose (what does she intend to accomplish with the photographs?) or the conflict (are Indians forbidden from owning cameras?). Instead of impacting and developing interaction with a plotline, these sequences attempt to flesh out the characters. The problem is that when a story shifts between multiple main characters, it cannot focus on one long enough for these single-note sequences to build significance.
The main characters' presence at Wounded Knee serves merely as witnesses, rather than significant participants. They come across as somewhat weak, passive characters lacking strong goals hooking into the centerpiece event of the episode. If they were stripped out of the story, nothing would change. Even successful documentaries understand history is only compelling when it hooks into the goals, motivations, and conflicts of courageous and relevant persons. Ken Burns' overwhelmingly popular Civil War documentary leaps to mind as a prime example.
Courageous characters are fascinating characters. Audiences (and readers) can identify with them out of their wish to be like them. They are the kind of characters who reach for the unachievable, strive for the impossible, dare the forbidden, or flirt with catastrophe. Even if they fail, the fact they were brave enough to try is sufficient to capture the audience's interest. History is full of such people. It is unfortunate Into the West was not.
I began watching Into the West looking for another How the West Was Won or Centennial. After the series has ended, I'm still looking.
Genre: Western miniseries, made for television
Cast: Irene Bedard, David Paymer, Craig Sheffer, Chaske Spencer, John Terry, Sheila Tousey
Director: Jeremy Podeswa
Writer: William Mastrosimone
The sixth and final episode of Into the West, "Ghost Dance," reunites many (though not all) of the surviving characters around the tragic events at Wounded Knee. Jacob and Thunder Heart Woman return, enlisting Robert and Clara's help to search for Margaret, who begins photographically documenting the Indians' treatment on the reservation.
Meanwhile, a false Messiah spreads an intoxicating doctrine among the dispirited tribes, promising the white men will disappear. It's an indecipherable blend of Lakota spirituality, Christianity, and Eastern mysticism. One group of Lakota after another adopt the loud and distinctive Ghost Dance, and wear "bullet proof" Ghost Shirts.
Headline hungry journalists translate the Indians' peaceful discontent into war cries and bloodthirsty intimidation of the local authorities. As tensions escalate out of control and troops arrive, it seems certain that tragedy is only a matter of time.
Despite their personal goals and problems, the main characters are largely passive in relation to the major historic events portrayed in Into the West: Ghost Dance. For instance, when Robert recognizes the foreboding direction things are going, he protests to the Indian agent. But it's only words, not actions, born out of frustration more than courage. When Margaret begins photographing the Indians, it feels faintly courageous, because she acts furtive. But the audience is never shown her purpose (what does she intend to accomplish with the photographs?) or the conflict (are Indians forbidden from owning cameras?). Instead of impacting and developing interaction with a plotline, these sequences attempt to flesh out the characters. The problem is that when a story shifts between multiple main characters, it cannot focus on one long enough for these single-note sequences to build significance.
The main characters' presence at Wounded Knee serves merely as witnesses, rather than significant participants. They come across as somewhat weak, passive characters lacking strong goals hooking into the centerpiece event of the episode. If they were stripped out of the story, nothing would change. Even successful documentaries understand history is only compelling when it hooks into the goals, motivations, and conflicts of courageous and relevant persons. Ken Burns' overwhelmingly popular Civil War documentary leaps to mind as a prime example.
Courageous characters are fascinating characters. Audiences (and readers) can identify with them out of their wish to be like them. They are the kind of characters who reach for the unachievable, strive for the impossible, dare the forbidden, or flirt with catastrophe. Even if they fail, the fact they were brave enough to try is sufficient to capture the audience's interest. History is full of such people. It is unfortunate Into the West was not.
I began watching Into the West looking for another How the West Was Won or Centennial. After the series has ended, I'm still looking.
