At S.L. Theater
Chief will attend 'Indian' premiere
Deseret News, 26 August 1977, page 22A
Chief Dan George, Oscar nominee for "Little Big Man," will make a personal appearance in Salt Lake City for the world premiere of "Indian," a new documentary by Utah producer Kieth Merrill.
The premiere is scheduled at the Regency Theater Sept. 13 at 9 p.m., and the regular runs of the production will follow later.
Also attending the premiere will be Ray Tracey, principal character in the picture; Linda Pease, Montana Indian girl who has a role in the film; Merrill Jensen, BYU graduate who composed the music for the show, and Kieth Merrill.
An invitation has been extended to Robert Redford to attend and he has tentatively agreed, according to announcement from the Utah Native American Consortium, which is sponsoring the premiere. He makes a brief appearance in the movie.
The documentary was produced by the same team that made "American Cowboy," which was the Oscar-winning documentary a couple of years ago. Kieth Merrill heads the team. His staff includes Reed Smoot, cinematographer for "Cowboy," who has received much mention for his camera work.
Chief Dan George has been in Utah on several occassions, including in 1975 when he appeared in the film, "A Different Drum," produced at BYU. He has been in several network television productions and other movies since winning international attention for his role in "Little Big Man."
"Indian" deals with contemporary Indians in urban settings as well as some on reservations, but the focus is on their lives in society today. Tracey traveled 27,000 miles in search for the answers to the questions about himself. He said he wanted to find out who he was, where he belongs, if there is a purpose with his life, and other features.
The film documents this Indian odyssey - the random and diverse experiences of Tracey as he searches for his roots in the fathers before him. His experience is played out against the wisdom of traditional Navajo philosophy, translated and recorded as the voice of his grandfather, whispering from the dust.