From The New York Times: Starring: the Oneida Nation in the Revolutionary War
LOS ANGELES — “We used to have petroglyphs,” said Ray Halbritter, the nation representative of the Oneida Indian Nation and the chief executive of its Nation Enterprises.
In a telephone interview on Friday, Mr. Halbritter was explaining his nation’s reasons for dabbling in the movie business by agreeing to finance a planned picture about the Oneidas, their long-ago chief Han Yerry, and their alliance with American colonists during the Revolutionary War, even when others in the Iroquois Confederacy backed the British.
An independent production that is expected to cost $10 million, “First Allies,” as the film is called, is expected to begin shooting in central New York this fall. It will be directed by Kees Van Oostrum, a well-known cinematographer (whose credits include “Gettysburg”), based on the book “Forgotten Allies: The Oneida Indians and the American Revolution,” by Joseph T. Glatthaar and James Kirby Martin. Mr. Halbritter and a pair from Hollywood, Alex Siskin and Sidney Ganis, will have various producing roles.
The idea, said Mr. Halbritter, is partly enterprise-driven: The nation would be pleased to make some money on an investment of assets derived from its casino and other businesses. But the Oneidas, he added, are also looking for something more effective than traditional storytelling to bridge what he sees as a gap between the nation’s fewer than 1,000 members and a world with which it has had property disputes and other run-ins for years.
“I had an aunt and uncle who burned to death, and the fire department wouldn’t send a truck,” said Mr. Halbritter, referring to an incident that occurred decades ago.
Among other things, “First Allies” is meant to remind the rest of America that the Oneidas, at considerable cost, helped give birth to the United States by fighting alongside the colonists, particularly at the battle of Oriskany, which will figure in the movie. “They were very close to George Washington,” Mr. Halbritter said of his Oneida ancestors.
Mr. Ganis, who spoke separately on Friday, said the major roles had not yet been cast. He and Mr. Siskin are lining up Native Americans for the native roles, but are looking for a Hollywood star to play Nicholas Herkimer, an American militia general who died of wounds received at Oriskany in 1777.
Mr. Ganis said it was Mr. Siskin’s idea to approach the Oneidas about financing a film about themselves. Meetings followed. Before agreeing to commit, Mr. Halbritter, no pushover, suggested changes to a script that had been written by Bob Burris. “It’s almost like he’s a studio chief,” said Mr. Ganis.
