Movie Review: ***^White Buffalo (1977)

This movie stars Charles Bronson as Bill Hickok and Will Sampson as Crazy Horse.  However they are both keeping their names hush hush; Hickok because of his part, and Crazy Horse because he is told not to use his name until he kills the white buffalo.  Part of this movie were not very well done, including the White Buffalo attack of the Indian village that killed Cray Horse's child.  Even Tony noticed that.  It was flashes of the buffalo and then blood.  However is is because of this incident Crazy Horse is given his task of killing the white buffalo and his name is changed to "worm" until he does so.  At the same time, Hickok has ben seeing the white buffalo in his dreams.  Hickok if joined by his friend, Charlie Zane (Jack Warden). 
There are also several cameos: Slim Pickens as the stage coach driver, John Carradine as the undertaker, Kim Novak as the female interest and Clint Walker as the man who wants to kill Hickok.
However this movie is more than three men chasing a white buffalo, which can cause earthquakes and avalanches.  It turns out in the end to be about relationships, and personal growth, for both Crazy Horse and Hickok.  Zane, the old timer, does not go along, and in the end Hickok loses a friend in Zane and gains one in Crazy Horse.

Movie Review: ***^Donovan's Reef (1963) (John Wayne and Lee Marvin)

This is really a pretty good movie, but honestly I don't get why Guns Donovan (John Wayne) and Boats Gilhooley (Lee Marvin)( are always fighting.  This is something that is a tradition from the war.  However, as for our current story Donovan has a bar Donovan's Reef.  Donovan entertains the daughter of the local doctor's (Jack Warden) (and also Navy friend) Ameilia Dedham (Elizabeth Allen), claiming to be the father of the doctor's children so as to preserve the doctor's good name.  The doctor is away visiting other islands.  Daughter is visiting in order to establish the poor character of her father, to cut him out of the shipping business.  Shipping is also Donovan's business, but on a local basis in the islands.   The doctor, Donovan and Gilhooley are all left overs form the war.  They were marooned on the island and the locals helped them stay clear of the Japanese, and so they decided to stay.  Dr. Dedham started a new family, and felt the islands needed him more than his family in Boston.
Turns out the doctor's oldest island daughter of the doctor is also the local princess.  Her mother died in childbirth to a younger sibling.  She is due to honored as the princess upon her birthday.  The doctor eventually returns, but by this time Donovan and Ameilia have fallen for each other.  Haver Ameilia does not want her children to have a bartender for a father.  However this problem has already been resolved as the bar has been gifted to Gilhooley.
This movie is more a year in the life of the characters involved.  There is reconciliation and family love and attachment.  So I guess the theme is one of family.  There is another suitor, the local mayor, who hearing that Ameilia is rich wants to become her husband.  However he is found out to be a heel.   This is a romantic comedy, and Wayne excels in this genre.  However, similar to other movies he does the spanking thing in this one as well.  In todays society spanking is no longer funny.