Books to Movies: Y is for Why Authenticity?

How authentic does authentic need to be?

Windwalker, the novel, was written by Blaine M. Yorgason. The movie stars two white dudes, in part because the initial principal actor, a Native American who would play the older Windwalker, got ill. (Windwalker's son is played by a Native American.)

And yet...

The movie feels quite "authentic," if such a thing matters and isn't kind of arrogant in the first place (the idea of "pure" cultures is an idea that really needs to go; there is no such thing; everything is impacted by something else).

But still, even by today's standards, it is more honest than many films. The film's characters use the Cheyenne and Crow languages (aside from the narrator's English). The story is told without reference to outside white people, not even as a lesson about how white people are supposed to think or as a showcase for how the "good" white people behave or how the "bad" white people are punished (I've said before--I'll say again--it's amazing how many white academics have managed to make the history of the world all about them, either in terms of white behavior or in terms of explaining white behavior, feeling guilty for white behavior, blaming white behavior, defining groups in contrast to white behavior...).

The setting is especially authentic as in it uses the actual American West, rather than, say, someplace in Eastern Europe. 

Most importantly, the movie is quite beautifully shot. I honestly expected something more kitschy and, well, uh, 80's looking. It's possible that the free version on Amazon has been remastered; if so, someone did a loving job. The movie is kind of slow but appealing. 

As for the book...

Despite an introduction by two Native Americans, John C. Rainer, Jr. and Verenda Dosela Rainer, Cheyenne and Apache, I had my doubts about the book. For one, the "all Indians love nature" motif is one of those "that culture is so much better than our culture" tropes I tend to be skeptical of on principle. For another, the protagonist's poetry/dialog, which encapsulates a series of learning experiences, is not exactly my choice for fiction.

However, the love of nature is a love of all nature, not just the sweet side. The starving wolves, the cold and slippery snow, the old man's initial struggles and final illness are matter-of-factly conveyed. If one is going to embrace creation, one should embrace all of it.

The learning experiences are the product of the protagonist's personality. They are part of the story rather than sermons aimed at the reader. The book is more Siddhartha than after-school special. (Still not my type of thing, but I give it kudos for doing its job.)

In fact, the end is quite touching. I got weepy as the old man reached the end of his life. As the book's introduction states, "[The Windwalker] is the story of age, its wisdom and memories."

Both book and movie exemplify a quality that I think ultimately communicates itself through any medium: the love of the author (director, scriptwriter) for the topic. 

That love is the ultimate authenticity.