Saturday, August 3, 2024

Buffalo Bill: Inventor of the Wild West (2024)

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buffalo Bill: Inventor of the Wild West is a documentary film which premiered in 2024. In that year, it was shown on French and German television (arte).

 

This film is about the life of the famous American soldier, bison hunter, and showman William F. Cody, who is also known as Buffalo Bill (1846-1917).

 

Here is some basic information about this film:

 

** Writer and director: Markus Auge

** Audio: multiple languages or French or German

** Subtitles: English or French or German

** Run time: 88 minutes

 

Several persons are interviewed in the film

Here are the names of the participants

Listed in alphabetical order

 

** Michael Darby – he is the owner of Hotel Irma, Cody, Wyoming

 

** Alexander Emmerich – he is a German historian – University of Augsburg – author of several books

 

** Sam Hanna – he is a curator at the Buffalo Bill Museum

 

** Jeremy Johnston – he is a curator at the Buffalo Bill Museum

 

** Ernie Lapointe (born 1948) – he is the great-grandson of Sitting Bull

 

** Jeffrey B. Means – he is a Native American – a member of the Oglala Sioux tribe – and an American historian, University of Wyoming

 

Julia Stettler – she is a park ranger at Acadia National Park, Laramie, Wyoming

 

Louis S. Warren – he is an American historian – and the author of a book about Buffalo Bill

 

This film covers the life of William F. Cody, who is also known as Buffalo Bill, from the beginning in 1846 to the end in 1917. A brief survey of his life can be divided into ten chapters:

 

# 01. The beginning = his childhood

# 02. He is an Indian scout for the US army

# 03. He is a buffalo hunter

# 04. He is the subject of numerous dime novels

# 05. He is the organizer of a wild west show which performs for thirty years - at first in the US and later in Europe

# 06. He is a businessman who makes investments

# 07. He is the founder of a city in Wyoming which he names after himself = Cody

# 08. He is the founder of a hotel in Cody which is named after his youngest daughter = Irma

# 09. His family = his wife and his four children

# 10. The end = his death, his burial, and his legacy

 

What do reviewers say about this film?

 

On IMDb it has a rating of 69 percent.

 

The rating is quite good, as you can see. But in my opinion, it is not good enough. As far as I can tell, this film is what I call an ABC product. It is:

 

** Accurate,

** Balanced, and

** Comprehensive

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).

 

If you are interested in modern history – in particular the history of the United States – this film is definitely something for you.

 

It is highly recommended.

 

REFERENCES

 

# 1. The following items are available online

 

Ijeoma Olou,

"What the True Story of Buffalo Bill Reveals about the Myth of the Wild West,"

Time

12 November 2021

 

Steve Friesen,

“The Top Books and Films about Buffalo Bill Cody,”

History Net

02 April 2024

 

Steve Friesen is the former director of the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave in Golden, Colorado

 

# 2. Books in English

 

Buffalo Bill:

An Autobiography

By William F. Cody

(first published in 1879)

 

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West:

Celebrity, Memory, and Popular History

By Joy S. Kasson

(2000 = hardcover)

(2001 = paperback)

 

Buffalo Bill:

The Man Behind the Legend

By Robert A. Carter

(2000 = hardcover)

(2002 = paperback)

 

Buffalo Bill’s America:

William Cody and the Wild West Show

By Louis S. Warren

(2005 = hardcover)

(2006 = paperback)

 

Buffalo Bill:

Scout, Showman, Visionary

By Steve Friesen

(2010)

 

Buffalo Bill on the Silver Screen:

The Films of William F. Cody

By Sandra K. Sagala

(2013)

 

Buffalo Bill Cody:

A Man of the West

By Prentiss Ingraham

Edited with an introduction by Sandra K. Sagala

(2019)

 

Prentiss Ingraham (1843-1904) was a colonel in the Confederate army during the American Civil War.

He was also a prolific writer. He wrote more than 100 dime novels about the adventures of Buffalo Bill.

He was also the ghostwriter of several works published by Buffalo Bill.

 

# 3. Books in German

 

Der Wilde Westen:

Mythos und Geschichte

By Alexander Emmerich

(2009)

 

Die Indianer Nordamerikas:

Geschichte, Kultur, Mythos

By Alexander Emmerich

(2011)

 

# 4. Movies

 

Buffalo Bill

(1944)

Rating on IMDb = 64 percent

This movie is available on YouTube

 

Buffalo Bill – Hero of the Far West

(1964)

Rating on IMDb = 45 percent

 

Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or

Sitting Bull’s History Lesson

(1976)

Rating on IMDb = 61

Rotten Tomatoes = 65 percent (the critics)

Rotten Tomatoes = 48 percent (the audience)

 

*****


A poster for

Buffalo Bill and his

Wild West Show

 

*****


The famous showman 

William F. Cody

also known as

Buffalo Bill

(1846-1917) 


*****


 

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