Every documentary ever made never just presents facts and realities. The viewer is always encouraged to adopt certain attitudes and opinions about the facts and realities presented. This statement is defiantly true when it comes to the documentary “Savagery and The American Indian”. In this particular documentary various methods are used to influence the viewer such as the narrators, dramatic recreations, old footage, point of view, music, sequence of events, scene selection and the conclusion offered at the end of the documentary. These techniques are used with specific selection of detail which encourages the viewer further. All these various techniques are used to push over a message of sympathy for American Indians and generally an anti-European/pro-Indian stance.
The documentary itself discusses the development of American Indian culture and the arrival of European setters in the early 17th century and onwards. The battles, disagreements, brutality and politics behind the so called ‘eradication’ of American Indians is looked to in depth and the suffering which was inflicted on the American Indians and the pain that is still felt today. The documentary dives into the culture of the Indians and displays how it has been torn
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Then a settler marches through the scrub and shots the animal dead. We begin to trust what the narrators says and as most of their words are backed up by visuals what they say is very credible. These scenes are always peaceful and tranquil and in one particular scene the Indian man talks over the top while the camera watches a bird fly through the wilderness. This particular scene shows the settlers as heartless and cowards. The choice of displaying the death of mainly women and children portrays the settlers as praying on the innocent and the repetition of the gun shots leaves us to believe it’s a full on slaughter. Drawings of the murders flick up on the screen. This makes the connection of the Indian people to the land.
The point of view is also clear with the people interviewed. The opening scene sets the mood of the film with the use of dramatic recreation. This will help the audience quickly side with the Indians when the settlers are brought into fray of things. One particular recreation involves settlers marching to an Indian camp and murdering the Indians. The interviewee’s are seen as credible as they are professors, academics and even American Indians themselves. The narrators words also show that only one side is being considered and the reasons for the Europeans settlement has only been put down to an invasion to brutally force the Indians away even if it was for completely unrelated reason (perhaps their own survival). However it is a prime example of how the audience is attempted to be influenced to believe in certain values, in this case, to feel sympathy towards Indians and anger towards the ‘invading’ settlers. The language and selection of details by the narrators are clear evidence that the point of view is a pro-Indian one.
Approximate Word count =
2032
Approximate Pages =
8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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