First Look At Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer in The Lone Ranger

[Moonshadow]

I thought I read somewhere that this Tonto is a shaman, which would explain his look, I think.

[Wich2]

>But The Ranger shot ol' Tonto coz it seems
He found out what "kemosabe" means!<

[Haunted hearse]

I thought I read somewhere that this Tonto is a shaman, which would explain his look, I think.

Again Tonto is supposed to be Apachean (which includes the Navajo people).  Which Apachean Shaman would have worn the get up Depp's dressed up in?  I guess next we'll be told Al Jolson's get up in "The Jazz Singer" was based on studying the make up of a traditional Medicineman from the Congo.

[Moonshadow]

Again Tonto is supposed to be Apachean (which includes the Navajo people).  Which Apachean Shaman would have worn the get up Depp's dressed up in?  I guess next we'll be told Al Jolson's get up in "The Jazz Singer" was based on studying the make up of a traditional Medicineman from the Congo.

He might not be an Apache in this. It sounds like different sources quote different tribal associations for Tonto. I don't recall him being a shaman either. Everyone knows there will be changes whenever some iconic character or show is revived by Hollywood. That much is a given.

I think the bigger question is, will it respect the source material? I'm a life-long Trekkie, and I had my concerns about JJ Abrams' Star Trek film before it came out. But I saw it, and I liked it. It wasn't my Trek, but it was entertaining and it got people talking about Star Trek again. it also got a whole new generation interested in Trek. As a fan, I could tell that the people involved respected the original show.

If I were a hard core Lone Ranger fan, I'd be more concerned by Depp's comments about how this movie "is very funny...there's a boatload of humor," than by the bird on his head or the lack of the powder-blue suit on the Ranger (that definitely would not work with today's movie goers).

[Opera Ghost]

according to Wiki
The radio series identified Tonto as a chief's son in the Potawatomi nation. His name translates as "wild one" in his own language. For the most part, the Potawatomi did not live in the Southwestern states, and their regalia is different from that worn by Tonto.[clarification needed] The choice to make Tonto a Potawatomi seems to come from station owner George Trendle's youth in Mullett Lake, Michigan. Located in the northern part of the Midwest, Michigan is the traditional territory of the Potawatomi, and many local institutions use Potawatomi names. Other sources [6] indicate that Camp Kee Mo Sah Bee belonged to the father-in-law of the show's director, James Jewell. According to author David Rothel, who interviewed Jewell a few months before his death[6] Kee Mo Sah Bee and Tonto were the only two words that Jewell remembered from those days. Tonto's name, according to an NPR news story on the Lone Ranger, was inspired by the name of Tonto Basin, Arizona.,[3] though this source is otherwise unconfirmed.

OG

[poseablemonster]

I think it looks good so far.  I'll watch this one.

[Wich2]

What he said.

Surely not as disappointing as Supe's new suit...

[poseablemonster]

Indeed, Craig.

I like the look of the characters so far.  This has the potential to be very good.

[Sean]

I thought all Native Americans looked like this:

[Wich2]

They smoked peace-pipe - but they didn't inhale!

[Haunted hearse]

Men, hold your fire - or at least, take a minute to aim better.

This is a real Indian:



-Craig

Wrongo!  This is a real Indian.

This is a real Native American playing Tonto.

This is a white dude using a lot of makeup to change his racial identity.

And this is Johnny Depp as Tonto.

Any questions?

[AlwaysWitty]

Any questions?

How come no one can tell the difference between an actor playing a cartoonish negative stereotype and an actor who takes his part seriously and wishes to pay respect to that character's culture? I mean, Tyler Perry is black, and he's done more to trash black people than Johnny Depp could do playing a Native American.

Don't get me wrong, there are real Native American actors who could have done just fine in the role, but if I remember right, what made those black-face portrayals so offensive had more to do with the fact that blacks were being turned into live-action cartoon characters, perpetuating racist stereotypes that existed outside of cinema. This is hardly the same thing, if that's your point.

And if you really think about it, Johnny Depp was born in Kentucky, so technically, he is a Native American.

[Wich2]

>How come no one can tell the difference between an actor playing a cartoonish negative stereotype and an actor who takes his part seriously and wishes to pay respect to that character's culture?<

That's a very good question, BBW. Any answer, nay-sayers? How about an Englishman playing House, is that okay? Or one playing The Melancholy Dane? Do we stop Yankee Downey from playing Holmes?

>This is a real Native American playing Tonto ... Any questions?<

A few, Hh, yes:

Did you know Jay Silverheels' real name was Harold J. Smith - and that he was a Canadian Indian? So, was it alright for him to play a U.S. Indian?

Did you know that Depp has some Cherokee or Creek ancestry?

And what is your honest opinion of this Indian?



-Craig

[Haunted hearse]

Jar jar Binks was played by a black Comic.  Would his character be less ofensive, if it had been done by a white actor?  Depp's portrayal of Tonto somehow reminds me of the character played by Robert Downey jr. in "Tropic Thunder".

  The whole reason Tonto was created, was for the purpose of the radio show, that the Lone ranger would have somebody to talk to.  By the time Jay Silverheels came on board, the character had been rebooted so that Tonto was an Apache, because the Lone Ranger would have been more likely saved in Texas by a Native American who was from the area, rather then a Native American who came from Michigan.  But Depp is an innovative actor.  Maybe his Tonto can be employed by GM, and was test driving an experimetal Buick sedan in Texas, when he located the injured Reid.  Or better still, set the Lone Ranger's story in Michigan.  If you're going to make changes in the story to be withit, don't stop with minor things like putting dead birds on the sidekick's head.

[Wich2]

That's all dandy.

But you asked for questions, and didn't answer any of mine. I'm especially interested on your opinion of the last Indian whose pic I posted.

>If you're going to make changes in the story to be withit, don't stop with minor things like putting dead birds on the sidekick's head.<

Now, I'm confused. Your beef seems to be that the project is not respectful enough, or Tonto not "Indian" enough - so how can you be miffed at a more accurate Indian image for the character? (And I think we all know it's VERY unlikely that he looks like that very often in the film; for that matter, I'll wouldn't be surprised if The Ranger drops much of his Texas Ranger suit, as he becomes more Lone...)

And just for the record, I'm pretty well posted on the radio series. I've heard many of them, including pre-Beemer and non-broadcast ones; I've met the long-time announcer (and one time Ranger!), Fred Foy; and I was just at a rehearsal the other day with my friend Elaine Hyman, who appeared on the show.

-Craig