The Heart Stays

WHEN I SAW THAT TOUCHING SCENE BETWEEN SHANNON & ANDREW , IT REMINDED ME SO MUCH OF THE SCENE IN "ON GOLDEN POND" WHERE CHELSEA SAYS "GOODBYE" TO NORMAN, & SINCE HENRY FONDA WAS SO FRAIL AT THE TIME OF THE FILMING OF THAT SCENE, YOU GOT THE SENSE THAT IT REALLY WAS THE LAST "GOODBYE" FOR THEIR CHARACTERS. (ALTHOUGH I SAW THE TV VERSION, AND A COUPLE OF STAGE PRODUCTIONS OF "ON GOLDEN POND," I DIDN'T THINK THAT THEY WERE QUITE AS GREAT BECAUSE THE ACTORS IN THOSE PRODUCTIONS- CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, JAMES EARL JONES, & KEIR DULLEA WERE A LITTLE TOO ROBUST TO PLAY NORMAN). I HOPE THAT MR PROUDSTAR GETS THE CHANCE TO PLAY NORMAN SOMEDAY, & I WOULD LIKE TO SEE EITHER DELANNA STUDI (WHO PLAYED HIS WIFE, CARRIE) OR IRENE BEDARD (WHO PLAYED HIS SISTER-IN-LAW, CECILIA) PLAY NORMAN'S WIFE ETHEL BECAUSE BOTH OF THESE ACTRESSES ALSO CONVEYED SO MUCH DIGNITY INTO THEIR CHARACTERS. I ALSO THOUGHT THAT SIERRA SPIRIT KIHEGA'S AGONIZED PORTRAYAL OF SHANNON'S YOUNGER SISTER, ERIN, GAVE A REAL SENSE OF THE INNER CONFLICTS OF HER CHARACTER. HOWEVER, ONE PROBLEM THAT I HAD WITH "THE HEART STAYS" WAS WHEN ERIN STARTED A FIGHT WITH THE SECURITY GUARD AT SHANNON'S COLLEGE, & I ALSO DIDN'T LIKE THE NEGATIVE DEPICTION OF THE BORDER PATROL POLICE OFFICERS IN THE FILM. I THINK WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT SECURITY GUARDS, POLICE OFFICERS, CORRECTION OFFICERS,, & FIRE FIGHTERS ALL ENDANGER THEIR LIVES TO KEEP THE REST OF US SAFE. THAT MAKES THEM THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE OF ALL. ALSO, THE INITIAL DEPICTIONS OF SHANNON'S COLLEGE ROOMMATE & HER MOTHER ARE TROUBLING. THE FILM IS JUSTIFIED IN SHOWING THE RACIST SIDE OF HER MOTHER'S CHARACTER, BUT SHANNON'S DESCRIPTION OF THEM AS "WHITE TRAILER TRASH' & HER CLAIM THAT "YOU CAN HAVE ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD & STILL NOT HAVE ANY CLASS" ARE TROUBLING- ESPECIALLY WHEN WE LEARN THAT THEIR LAST NAME- MORTIMEER- IS A TRADITIONALLY JEWISH NAME. ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I DIDN'T LIKE "BILLY JACK" IS THAT THE TWO MAIN VILLAINS IN THAT FILM HAD A VERY JEWISH SURNAME- "POSNER." APPARENTLY, NOONE TOLD THE CREATORS OF "BILLY JACK" THAT BIGOTRY AGAINST JEWS IS JUST AS BAD AS BIGOTRY AGAINST NATIVE AMERICANS!

ONE MORE POINT ON ANDREW'S DRINKING: ALTHOUGH ANDREW IS AN ALCOHOLIC , JOHN PROUDSTAR NEVER TURNS HIM INTO A CARICATURE OF A DRUNK, BUT RATHER INSTILLS A GREAT DIGNITY INTO HIS CHARACTER , & IS ENORMOUSLY TOUCHING IN THE SCENE WHERE SHANNON SAYS GOODBYE TO ANDREW- ESPECIALLY WHEN HE TELLS HER HOW PROUD HE IS OF HER . AND, WHEN SHANNON TELLS ANDREW SHE LOVES HIM & HE RESPONDS BY TELLING HER THAT "YOUR MOTHER LOVES YOU VERY MUCH, TOO" IN A VERY STOIC DELIVERY. AND, WHAT MAKES THIS SCENE EVEN MORE POIGNANT IS THAT MR PROUDSTAR KEEPS HIS FACE AWAY FROM MS. STANDINCLOUD WHEN HE DELIVERS THAT LINE. I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS MR. PROUDSTAR'S IDEA TO AVOID LOOKING AT MS. STANDINDCLOUD WHEN HE DELIVERED THAT LINE, OR IF IT WAS DIRECTOR DIANE FRAHER'S IDEA, BUT WHOSE EVER IDEA IT WAS, IT WAS DEFINITELY A GOOD ONE!

IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE A NATIVE AMERICAN FILM TOLD FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF NATIVE AMERICANS. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD FILMS MADE WITH PRO-NATIVE AMERICAN VIEWPOINTS UCH AS "RUN OF THE ARROW," "LITTLE BIG MAN," "DANCES WITH WOLVES," "THE LEGEND OF WALKS FAR WOMAN," & "TAZA, SON OF COCHISE," BUT THEY WERE MADE FROM WHITE POINTS OF VIEW. (AND IN THE CASE OF "TAZA, SON OF COCHISE," IT WAS KIND OF HARD TO ACCEPT ROCK HUDSON AS A NATIVE AMERICAN). AND HOLLYWOOD FILMMAKERS HAVE HISTORY OF MAKING VIOLENTLY ANTI-NATIVE AMERICAN FILMS SUCH AS JOHN FORD'S TWO NOTORIOUSLY RACIST EPICS, "STAGECOACH" & "THE SEARCHERS," & JOHN HUSTON'S EQUALLY RACIST "THE UNFORGIVEN." AND THERE WERE ALSO GENOCIDAL JOKES ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS IN "MY LITTLE CHICKADEE," "SON OF PALEFACE," & "SAVAGE SAM." THE ONLY OTHER REALLY GOOD MOVIE FROM A NATIVE AMERICAN POINT OF VIEW THAT I CAN THINK OF AT THE MOMENT IS "SMOKE SIGNALS," AND, LIKE "SMOKE SIGNALS," THIS FILM DOES GIVE EVERYONE A SENSE OF WHAT IS LIKE FOR A YOUNG NATIVE AMERICAN PERSON TO TRY TO GET AHEAD IN A SOCIETY WHERE THE AUTHORITY FIGURES WITH WHOM SHE HAS TO DEAL ARE MAINLY WHITE. AND THAT SENSE OF STRUGGLE IS BEAUTIFULLY CONVEYED IN THE LUMINOUS PERFORMANCE GIVEN BY NATHALIE STANDING CLOUD AS SHANNON. WE FIRST GET A SENSE OF SHANNON'S STAMINA WHEN MS. STANDINGCLOUD USES A FORCEFUL DELIVERY OF HER LINES IN THE SCENE WHERE SHE TRIES TO CONVINCE HER FATHER, ANDREW (JOHN PROUDSTAR) WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO HER TO GO TO COLLEGE & BECOME A WRITER. I THINK SOME PEOPLE MAY BE TROUBLED BY THE WAY THAT THE OTHER NATIVE AMERICAN CHARACTERS FOCUS SO MUCH ON ANDREW'S DRINKING, BUT I THINK THAT SOME MEMBERS OF AN ETHNIC GROUP TEND TO CRITICAL OF OTHER MEMBERS OF THEIR GROUP. (FOR EXAMPLE, I THINK OF ANY GROUP THAT'S MORE CRITICAL OF THE IRISH THAN THE IRISH, WHICH IS WHY YOU STILL HEAR SOME UPPER CLASS IRISH COMPLAIN ABOUT THE "SHANTY IRISH" & YOU STILL HEAR WORKING CLASS IRISH PEIPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT "THE LACE CURTAIN IRISH).

It is refreshing and hopeful to see a movie with a majority of Native American actors, writers. and so forth... What also comes alive wonderfully here are the Indian/Christian amalgamated traditions: feather blessing mixed with Holy water and the sign of the cross, all supporting one another. The problem with The Heart Stays is the stereotypical to hurtful writing, things are said here although true in history would not be done today... Dartmouth University would not stop funding it's Native American Literature program because of bias and even worse, Indian men are all drunks ... Imagine if you will what would happen it a White man said such things? Come now, my American Indian friends, you can do better. I hope to see more of the lead actress here, Sierra Spirit Kihega, whose unparalleled American Indian beauty and sensitive style light up every scene she is in.