Windwalker | |
---|---|
He conquered love and death...now he walks the winds of eternity!
|
|
Directed by | Kieth Merrill |
Produced by |
Arthur R. Dubs Thomas E. Ballard |
Starring |
Trevor Howard Nick Ramus James Remar |
Music by | Merrill Jenson |
Cinematography | Reed Smoot |
Distributed by | Pacific International Enterprises |
Release date
|
|
Running time
|
108 min. |
Country | United States |
Language | Cheyenne, Crow, English |
Windwalker is a 1981 western adventure film, based on a novel by Blaine M. Yorgason, starring Trevor Howard and Nick Ramus. It was shot in various outdoor locations in Utah. To maintain authenticity to the story, the film's dialogue is subtitled in English with Cheyenne and Crow languages spoken. The film was directed by Academy Award-winning director Kieth Merrill and written by Ray Goldrup. The music was composed by Merrill Jenson.
Windwalker is an aged Cheyenne warrior. As a husband and father, he helplessly watched the killing of his wife Tashina and the kidnapping of one of his twin sons during a raid by rival Crow warriors. After many years of searching for his lost son unsuccessfully, Windwalker dies during the winter months of 1797 in what will become the state of Utah. After Windwalker's funeral, his remaining son Smiling Wolf leads his family south to join the rest of the tribe; on the way they are attacked by a band of Crow warriors, and despite fighting them off Smiling Wolf is badly wounded and the family is forced to hide.
The Great Spirit reawakens Windwalker, and after battling the forces of nature and his own physical frailty he rejoins his family. Using Cheyenne medicine to heal Smiling Wolf's wounds, Windwalker leads the family to a sacred Cheyenne hiding cave. From there, he and Smiling Wolf's two young sons prepare booby traps for the Crow raiding party, all of which work perfectly leaving only the raiding party leader and one other warrior.
The Crow warrior is captured and taken to the cave, where he is revealed to be Windwalker's long-lost son. With his family safe and his son restored to him, Windwalker confronts his old enemy and offers him peace, but the Crow refuses, forcing a final battle. The restored son fights the Crow leader in his father's place and is victorious. With his family safe and restored, Windwalker is now free to proceed to the afterlife, where he is reunited with Tashina.