The Sons of the Great Bear) on DVD

Westerns with a Twist
Apaches / Chingachgook - The Great Snake / The Sons of the Great Bear
Actors: Gojko Mitic, Milan Beli, Colea Rautu, Gerry Wolff, Rolf Hoppe
Genres: Action & Adventure, Westerns, Indie & Art House, Drama

NR 2006 4hr 33min

WESTERNS WITH A TWIST — Like Spaghetti Westerns, the Red Westerns are classic American Westerns created far, far from the American West - in this case, by Communist East Germany's legendary DEFA Film Studios. Turning the tr... more »aditional American cowboy and Indian movies on their head, these beautifully shot films make the Native Americans the heroes, and cast the American Army and white settlers as villains - with obvious Cold War overtones.

3 DVDS INCLUDES:

APACHES

The year is 1822, and the Mimbreno Apache Indians enter into an agreement with a Mexican mining company, relinquishing all mining rights and pledging the safety of the copper town of Santa Rita del Cobre. In return, the company guarantees the livelihood of the Indians, whose hunting grounds are fast disappearing. Unfortunately, American companies are also interested in the precious metal deposits, and the Apaches are ultimately massacred under their orders. On the eve of the Mexican-American war, Ulzana, a young Apache warrior, sets out to avenge the extermination of his tribe. APACHES was filmed in Romania and Uzbekistan.

94 minutes, color, 1973, in German w/ English subtitles

THE SONS OF GREAT BEAR

When gold is discovered on lands belonging to a clan of the Dakota Indians, the area's ruthless white settlers attempt to drive the Indians away, ultimately murdering the clan's chief in front of his son, Tokei-ihto. Tokei-ihto refuses to move to a reservation in an infertile area with his tribe and is incarcerated. When the Dakota Indians have been defeated and resettled, he is released, and Tokei-ihto immediately sets out to avenge his father's murder and reclaim his clan's ancestral lands. THE SONS OF GREAT BEAR was filmed in Montenegro and East Germany.

93 minutes, color, 1965, in German w/ English subtitles

CHINGACHGOOK: THE GREAT SNAKE

Based on James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Deerslayer. When English troops attempt to seize the French colonial settlements in North America in 1740, the local Indian tribes become involved as mercenaries - the Huron on the French side, and the Delawareans on the English side. Wahtawah, the daughter of the Delawarean chief, is promised to the young warrior Chingachgook, but before the nuptials can take place, the Huron raid the Delawarean camp and run off with Wahtawah. Together with his friend Deerslayer, Chingachgook sets out to free Wahtawah from her captors - and to convince the Huron that the war between the whites ought not concern the Indians. CHINGACHGOOK: THE GREAT SNAKE was filmed in Slovakia and Bulgaria.

86 minutes, color, 1967, in German w/ English subtitles

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Movie Details

Actors: Gojko Mitic, Milan Beli, Colea Rautu, Gerry Wolff, Rolf Hoppe
Genres: Action & Adventure, Westerns, Indie & Art House, Drama
Sub-Genres: Action & Adventure, Westerns, Indie & Art House, Love & Romance
Studio: First Run Features
Format: DVD - Color,Widescreen,Anamorphic - Subtitled
DVD Release Date: 10/24/2006
Release Year: 2006
Run Time: 4hr 33min
Screens: Color,Widescreen,Anamorphic
Number of Discs: 3
SwapaDVD Credits: 3
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 1
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Languages: German
Subtitles: English

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Movie Reviews

East German "Osterns" - a piece of cold war history :)

nadjacs | New Jersey, USA | 04/04/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As soon as I learned that there was such a thing as these "Red Westerns" or "Osterns" (from the German word for East), I knew I had to watch them, and I was not disappointed. They are somewhat heavy-handed in their cold war propaganda, and the costumes (particularly the wigs) leave something to be desired, and this combines to make the movies a bit more comedic than intended, but the acting is fine and I personally found them enjoyable movies.

The subtitles are generally well-done (readable and relatively accurate), and the dialogue is clearly spoken, so they would also be good for students of German.

If you like these you may also want to check out the Czech "Lemonade Joe"."