Winter In The Blood

Very rarely do we see stories projected on the silver screen that are completely centered on Native Americans. The independent film industry is starting to change that and we are starting to see a Native American Renaissance in film. One of my favorites is a story of an American Indian man from Idaho who trekked with his boyhood friend to retrieve his estranged father's ashes in Arizona; Smoke Signals.

In 1940 a man was born to parents of both the Blackfeet nation and the Gros Ventre nation. That man was James Welch born in Browning Montana on the Blackfeet reservation and spent his formable years growing up on the Fort Belknap reservation (Gros Ventre) of north central Montana. His parents and he moved to Minneapolis where he finished up his high school education and moved back to Montana to study literature and liberal arts at Northern Montana College in Havre and at the University of Montana in Missoula. In 1974 James Welch wrote his first novel; Winter In The Blood about a man, who remains unnamed throughout the novel, and his struggles of identity on the Fort Belknap reservation. The narrator and protagonist takes us on his journey across the Hi-line of Montana in search for his girlfriend who has left him and taken his cherished rifle and electric razor. Having lost his older brother, Mose, at age 12 and his father 8 years later, he struggles with his identity while living with his mother, her new husband Lame Bull and aging grandmother on their ranch near Dodson.

On his journey to find his girlfriend, Agnes, he visits the towns of Malta, Harlem and Havre. We find him drinking beer in the local bars and sleeping with local women all along the way. In Havre he finds Agnes in a bar called the Gables across the highway from a bar called The Palace. On a personal note; these are real bars in Havre and my great uncle used to own the Gables. The Palace Bar still serves drinks from a huge and ornate mahogany bar, but the Gables is long gone and a large US Bank now stands in its place.

The protagonist confronts Agnes in the Gables bar and is ambushed by her brother who knocks him out. After deciding to leave her and Havre, we find him back at the ranch only to find that his mother, step father and grandmother are not there. Knowing that his grandmother has passed away he rides down to an old blind man's cabin 3 miles from his place. This man, Yellow Calf plays a vital role in helping our protagonist find himself.

This story interspersed with flashbacks of his brother, Mose, and his death all leads him to find himself and to change his drifter ways. It is a great story that can only be told by someone who has lived here and has a deeper understanding of Native American life on the Hi-line and James Welch certainly has painted a very powerful story of alienation and self-discovery in Winter In The Blood.

The Native American Renaissance will be greatly enhanced as this novel is currently being put to film here on the Hi-line by Missoula filmmakers Alex and Andrew Smith. The Smith twins knew James Welch personally while growing up in Missoula. Their most popular film was also filmed in Montana near Great Falls called The Slaughter Rule which they both wrote and directed.

The casting for Winter In The Blood is very impressive and has been conducted in a way to make use of Montana actors as well as Native American actors. The lead character, whom the Smith brothers have named Virgil in their script, hails from the Fort Belknap Reservation, Chaske Spencer who is best known for his recurring role in the Twilight saga as Sam Uley. Virgil's girlfriend, Agnes, will be portrayed by Twilight actress Julia Jones of the Choctaw tribe. Another Montanan from the Blackfeet nation, Lily Gladstone will play a minor role as one of the girls that Virgil takes to bed in Havre and who cared for him after Agnes' brother knocked him out in the Gables; Marlene. The big star, in my opinion, is Gary Farmer who will play Virgil's stepfather Lame Bull. Gary Farmer also played the role of Victor Joseph's father, Arnold, in Smoke Signals.

The producers and directors all agreed to forgo the tax breaks that would come from filming in Canada and have chosen to film entirely in the areas depicted in the book. This movie is set to be the biggest addition to the Native American Renaissance and to Montana films. The support from people across the state also contributed to this remarkable film getting off the ground. The production needed a $60,000 kicker to even go in to production and that was achieved via donations from across the state. This is a purely Montana-inspired and Montana-made movie and it will elevate the Native American entertainment industry to new heights. It is a great honor to be right here, right now...on The Hi-line.