User Reviews

After Indian chief's brother Wilfred Lucas leaves to hunt game, Native American outsider Guy Hedlund seeks admission to the tribe, but is cast away. The rejected renegade vows vengeance for the "insult" and returns to kill Indian chief Frank Opperman. Obviously, Mr. Hedlund is one brave Indian. The tribe sends "smoke signals" out to inform brother Lucas, who returns to enact his own revenge. Director D.W. Griffith's "Biograph" regulars look stately in their Indian dress, swaying in the California mountain breeze. A year later, bit-playing Florence La Badie and bashful Blanche Sweet were big movie stars.

**** The Indian Brothers (7/17/11) D.W. Griffith ~ Wilfred Lucas, Guy Hedlund, Frank Opperman, Alfred Paget

Griffith dispenses with leading ladies for this tale of revenge set amongst US Native Americans (known as Red Indians back in the day...). After a renegade is snubbed by the tribe to which he asks to be admitted, he kills the chief and is then pursued by the Chief's son. A decent horse chase sequence livens up an otherwise ordinary plot.

Although Griffith is best remembered for the racism of BIRTH OF A NATION, his pleas in his works were not intended primarily as statements of the superiority of races, but as pleas for people to be left alone to solve their own problems. In such works as BROKEN BLOSSOMS, INTOLERANCE and, yes, even BIRTH OF A NATION, he argues that people should be left alone to solve their own issues. Here, he makes the point that even when a member of a group violates its structure -- here, when an Indian kills a chief of his tribe -- that group should judge him and stand strong against outsiders -- the renegade steals a horse from another tribe and is rescued by his tribesman who brings him back home to be judged for his crime against his own tribe.

Visually, this is not one of Griffith's best movies from this period, which only illustrates how fast and how far he had brought his movie making in only three years. The compositions are beautiful, but not, for him, ground-breaking and the story is, as might be expected for a two-reeler, straightforward.

Indian Brothers, The (1911)

*** (out of 4)

Western from Griffith has a renegade Indian (Guy Hedlund) killing an Indian Chief (Frank Opperman) after being insulted but the Chief's brother (Wilfred Lucas) goes out for revenge. This isn't the best film Griffith did in the genre but it's still an entertaining little movie due in large part to the beautiful scenery of California back in 1911. The film goes by pretty fast and it seems to have Griffith saying that people should take care of their own problems. As is to be expected, all the Indians are being played by white people and I'm sure this will upset some but this was the common thing in 1911. Lucas is very good in the role of the brother but it's Hedlund who really steals the show with his maniac-like performance as the renegade. Griffith is able to build some nice suspense during the "hunt" scenes.

In this Indian picture some of the customs of the red men are clearly set forth. A renegade seeks admission to a tribe and is offered a squaw's dress. No greater insult could be offered and he promptly kills the chief and makes his escape. The chief's brother goes after him to avenge the killing. The renegade has stolen a horse from, and has been captured by another tribe, but upon the chief's presentation of his claims the renegade is given up. He is profuse in his thanks for his rescue, but when they arrive at the dead chief's funeral pyre he soon understands why he was rescued, and pays the penalty with his life. - The Moving Picture World, July 29, 1911