Hollywood has a weird way of handling history. Sometimes it's a love letter, and other times it's basically a fever dream with better lighting. When you look back at the 1955 film Chief Crazy Horse, you're stepping into a time capsule of "pro-Indian" Westerns. It was a period where the industry started feeling a little guilty about decades of depicting Indigenous people as nameless villains. Honestly, it’s a fascinating, messy, and deeply emotional piece of cinema that gets a lot right about the spirit of the man, even if it fumbles the details.
Why the Chief Crazy Horse Movie Was Ahead of Its Time
You’ve gotta remember that in the mid-50s, the "Western" was king. Most of these movies were about heroic cowboys shooting at "savages" in the distance. But George Sherman, the director, decided to do something different. He wanted to tell the story of Tȟašúŋke Witkó (the real Lakota name for Crazy Horse) from the perspective of the Lakota people.
That was huge.
The movie starts with a prophecy. A dying Chief Conquering Bear talks about a "Chosen One" who will unite the Sioux and lead them to a great victory, but will eventually be betrayed by his own people. It sets a heavy, somber tone. You aren't watching a generic action flick; you're watching a tragedy. It tracks his rise to power, his marriage to Black Shawl, and the inevitable clash at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
The Victor Mature Problem
Let’s address the elephant in the room: Victor Mature. He was a massive star back then, known for Samson and Delilah. He was also very Italian-American. Casting him as one of the most iconic Lakota leaders in history is... well, it’s peak 1950s Hollywood.
Critics at the time, like Bosley Crowther from the New York Times, weren't exactly thrilled. Crowther called the film "monotonous" and felt the battles were just "hit-and-holler" clashes. But if you look past the casting, Mature actually brings a weirdly effective solemnity to the role. He doesn't play it like a caricature. He plays Crazy Horse as a man burdened by destiny.
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Is it historically accurate? Not really. Mature was 42 years old playing a man who died at 36. He wore a warbonnet with red-painted feathers that no actual Lakota warrior would have likely touched. But for audiences in 1955, seeing a Native American character portrayed with dignity and complex motivations was a revelation.
The Heartbreak Behind the Scenes: Suzan Ball
There’s a tragic layer to this film that most people don't know about. Suzan Ball, who played Crazy Horse’s wife, Black Shawl, was dying while they were filming.
She had developed cancer in her leg after an injury. In early 1954, just months before production started, she had her right leg amputated. She was only 21. She did the entire movie with a prosthetic limb. If you watch closely, you'll notice she rarely takes more than a few steps in a single shot. For longer walking scenes, they used a body double filmed from behind.
She died in August 1955, only four months after the movie hit theaters. Knowing that adds a crushing weight to her performance. When her character, Black Shawl, worries about the future of her people, that's not just acting. That's a young woman facing her own end.
Gold, Greed, and "Little Big Man"
The plot kicks into high gear when gold is discovered in the Black Hills. This is where the film sticks closest to the actual history—the breaking of treaties.
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The villain isn't necessarily the U.S. Cavalry, but rather greed. The movie introduces a character named Little Big Man (played by Ray Danton), who acts as a rival to Crazy Horse. In the film, he’s a renegade who sells out his people for gold. In reality, the historical Little Big Man was a complex figure who was actually a friend of Crazy Horse before eventually becoming a tribal policeman at the agency where Crazy Horse was killed.
The movie simplifies the politics for the screen, but it captures the vibe of the era:
- The sacredness of the Black Hills.
- The betrayal of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie.
- The desperate, last-stand feeling of the Great Sioux War.
The Battle of the Little Bighorn (On a Budget)
If you're expecting a Braveheart-style epic battle, you might be disappointed. Because of budget constraints, the 1955 film handles the Battle of the Little Bighorn in a very "theatrical" way.
Instead of showing thousands of warriors clashing, they use a lot of stock footage and tight shots of horses galloping. Some versions of the film even use a montage of clouds with battle sounds over them to represent the scale of the fight. It's a bit of a letdown if you’re a military history buff, but the film is more interested in the aftermath—the fact that victory didn't actually save the Lakota. It just made the end come faster.
Where Can You Watch It Now?
If you're curious to see it for yourself, it's actually pretty easy to find. It’s often listed under the title Valley of Fury in international markets.
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Currently, you can rent or buy it on:
- Apple TV
- Amazon Video
- Google Play / YouTube
It also pops up on Roku and Starz from time to time. Just don't go in expecting a documentary. Go in expecting a 1950s melodrama that actually tried to give a hero’s treatment to a man Hollywood usually ignored.
Actionable Insights for History and Film Buffs
To get the most out of your viewing of Chief Crazy Horse, keep these three things in mind:
- Compare the Prophecy: Watch the opening scene with Conquering Bear. Then, read the real historical accounts of Crazy Horse’s "Vision Quest." The film turns a spiritual experience into a plot device, but the themes of self-sacrifice are actually quite accurate to his real-life philosophy.
- Watch the Landscapes: It was filmed on location in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The scenery is authentic, even if the costumes aren't. It gives you a real sense of why that land was worth fighting for.
- Research the 1996 Remake: If the 1955 version feels too "Old Hollywood" for you, check out the 1996 TNT film Crazy Horse starring Michael Greyeyes. It was part of a series of "historically accurate" telepics and features an almost entirely Indigenous cast. It makes for a great "before and after" comparison of how Native history is told on screen.
Understanding the legacy of Crazy Horse requires looking at how we've remembered him—from the 1950s cinema screens to the massive mountain carving still being worked on today in Custer County. The 1955 film isn't perfect, but it was a step toward telling a story that needed to be heard.