Review: Wounded Knee 1973 comes alive in 'Good Day to Die

Monday, October 3, 2011  

"The story of the 1973 Wounded Knee takeover comes alive in "A Good Day to Die," a documentary film, produced by Lynn Salt, Choctaw, and David Mueller. Funded by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, based in Brooks, California the film traces the life of Dennis Banks and his vast contributions to Indian causes.

The film is filled with countless interviews with American Indians and non-Indians, including, actor Wes Studi; Clyde Bellecourt, Ojibwa, co-founder of the American Indian Movement; LaDonna Harris, Comanche, former wife of Senator Fred Harris; George Tennyson, former US Marshall; among many others.

The documentary film has won six awards and received resounding endorsements by those who have viewed it. Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns liked the film so much that he watched it twice and made this comment:

"A wonderful, sorrowful, compelling film. From classrooms of fear and forced assimilation, to the climactic standoff at Wounded Knee, it is an essential chapter in the all too infrequently told tale of those who can truly call this continent home.""

Get the Story:
The Message Went Out, "It's Okay to be Indian" (Native News Network 9/30)