Stolen Women, Captured Hearts: A Case of the Stockholms (Movie Review) - Part 1

I have recently watched this video on YouTube: two young white women (one of them being Anna, the main character in the film played by Janine Turner) on a wagon train are approached by a band of Sioux (Lakota) warriors, who were about to kill them on the spot, until Tokalah (the other main character in the film, played by Michael Greyeyes) decided he saw Anna in a 'vision' and decides to spare her life and that of her travel companion (who was giving birth at the time in the wagon).  The Natives then go, and the two women are allowed to continue on to Fort Hayes.

When Anna does make it to Fort Hayes, she befriends another woman by the name of Sarah (Jean Louisa Kelly), and marries Daniel Morgan (Patrick Bergin) - the marriage arranged by her brother, Stewart, played by Ted Shackleford.  After just one week of marriage to Daniel (and living in his homestead), Anna and Sarah are then taken by Tokalah and his band of warriors (one of the 'partners in crime' being Waxanhdo, played by Rodney Grant - well-known as 'Wind in his Hair' in Dances with Wolves).

For around about a year, they are forced to live with the Sioux, learning their language and customs, and with Anna adapting more easily than Sarah, and then one thing led to another, with Anna eventually falling 'in love' with Tokalah.  The 'climax' (excuse the pun) is a 'love scene' between the two, after an attempted escape by the two women (and the only reason Anna went with Sarah was so she wouldn't cheat on her husband).

So, what did I think of the film?  In terms of casting and script writing - I was impressed.  The cast were superbly chosen for their roles - what adds to the 'thrill' of it all is the fact that they were all so good-looking, especially the Native Actors (especially the scantily-clad Michael Greyeyes).  However, because I watched the uploaded version on YouTube, the voices and actions were out-of-sync, and the Spanish (or were they Portugese) subtitles got in the way of the real subtitles.  Because of that, I felt compelled to buy the proper version on DVD c/o Amazon.

The true story, as I understand, would have made for 'grittier' viewing, so this film is obviously a sensationalised (and sexualised) version of that story.  The YouTube video upload had sparked alot of commentery from both sides of the fence regarding the White vs Native debate - and personally, I thought some of the comments were quite derogatory, both towards White people and towards Native North Americans; and both in general and as pertaining to that particular situation.  In other words, could people not have a discussion on the issue without it degenerating  into a whole lot of racist and sexist/sexual name calling?

Nevertheless, it touched a raw nerve and the title pretty much says it all - not only were the women taken from their homes (and one of them from her 'proper' marriage, obviously her heart being 'captured' by some warrior, oozing with raw sex appeal, while her real husband is obviously 'plain and boring' by comparison).

(continued in the next entry)