영화 <부러진 화살>에 나타난 백인과 인디언 공존 담론

Abstract

In 1950, Delmer Daves directed Broken Arrow, a film based on Elliott Arnold’s novel Blood Brother. The film can be situated on the avant-garde in its portrayal of Native Americans because it changed its perspectives on the indigenous people from “extremely negative stereotypes” and “savage barrier” to “sympathetic” neighbors and American citizens. Tom Jeffords and Cochise, representatives of whites and Apache Indians respectively, succeed in reaching peace treaty in spite of oppositions from both parts of nationalists like Geronimo and Ben Slade. The agreement is challenged in many ways. On one hand, the two races possess too different value systems to compromise in reality. For example, the whites pursue “civic nationalism” in which their membership is identified by holding the same political agenda such as individualism, equality, and freedom while the Apache Indians support “ethnic nationalism” where all people come from the same ethnic origins. On the other hand, even though they have agreed to live “like brothers for the future,” they are not completely free from racial conflicts and miscegenation. When Tom Jeffords finally gets married to an Indian girl Sonseeahray, their romance doesn’t last long because of racial prejudices from the whites as well as the Indians. Finally, the film contrives to keep the dichotomous divisions towards the Indians: the good and the bad. In spite of these limited approaches, the film Broken Arrow is a monumental one in the sphere of the westerns.