Eagle_C73
Irresistible love story about a Native American who, as a little boy, had a premonition of meeting a white woman with a book, and later in his life, as a young warrior, encounters the lady of his vision fighting a caravan of white Europeans. This is the time when Native Americans were being invaded, and slaughtered.
Tokalah, the young warrior played gracefully by Michael Greyeyes, sees his soulmate in the back of a wagon with another woman, and decides to let them go. At this moment, the audience is just hypnotized with his intense dark eyes.
The film was inspired on a true story, pictured in the non-fiction book "Pioneer Women: Voices from the Kansas frontier", but of course director Jerry London gave it a twist, and the result is an all-time romantic classic.
Anna, played by Janine Turner, is later introduced by her brother, a local preacher, to a man he thinks will be a good husband to his sister. She marries him. It was the way things were for women back then, when they didn't have a life of their own because it belonged to fathers, brothers or husbands.
One day Anna together with a girlfriend, Sarah, is kidnapped by a group of Sioux, leaded by Tokalah. They took both women to live with their tribe, where they stayed for a year or so. Sarah hated her captivity, and hated the Sioux, but Anna got used to her new life, made friends, learned a new culture, and started to feel happy with her new way of living.
With time, and patience, Tokalah just enchanted her with the power of his presence, his bravery, and at the same time he shows her he is a caring man, who even learned the "white language" just to get to know her better.
Sarah convinces Anna to escape, but the Sioux went after the girls. Tokalah refuses to kill them or let them go, because he said he couldn't let Anna go. At that moment, he told all the rest to leave, and when finally alone with Anna, he showed her how hurt he was, and after an argument, they finally kiss for the first time!
This is a beautiful story about true love, about how humans can connect when there is no prejudice, about how the heart can overcome any cultural difference, distance, or time.
Canadian actor Michael Greyeyes is perfect as Tokalah, because of his origin as Plains Cree from the Muskeg Lake First Nation, in Saskatchewan. He is not only incredibly handsome in this role, but also exudes masculinity and energy as a Native American warrior. His chemistry with the beautiful Janine Turner surpasses the screen.
Eventually Anna and Sarah where found by General George Custer, and returned to their old life. Custer made prisoner a tribe elder to force the liberation of the women. Even though courageous Tokalah resisted, Anna and Sarah decided to leave when he was shot, and several members of the tribe were killed.
Anna back with her husband was giving up, very unhappy, when she received the visit of Sarah, who seemed a childish and empty character until this point. After a brief talk, Sarah told her friend to go back with the Sioux. Those were the words Anna needed to hear to regain her confidence, and finally left everything behind.
When she arrived at the tribe, everything was burned and destroyed. Custer massacred the Sioux. I thought the movie was going to have a heartbreaking end, but not at all. Then she sees Tokalah! He was praying, sad and discouraged. At first he thought she was his vision again, but finally they touched, and hugged each other. Gorgeous, and poetic way to put an end to the film! Mesmerizing, pure romance! This movie reminds you what true love is all about, while showing a beautiful, and decent representation on Native Americans' way of life, and suffering.
