THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD 1995
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1997 Timothy Voon
Cast: Hal Scardino, Litefoot, Lindsay Crouse, Richard Jenkins, Rishi Bhat, David Keith Director: Frank Oz Screenplay: Melissa Mathison based on the book by Lynne Reid Banks
When a kid with not so perfect teeth locks a toy Indian in his magical cupboard, WELLA we have a walking, talking, child bearing, lactating Indian Squaw. No that's not right. How about a turban wearing, pipe smoking, Indian snake charmer? Nope. What we have is a genuine hunter-gathering, soul searching Iroquois Indian, who is a widower.
On his birthday, a nine year old boy (Scardino) receives two presents of note. A toy cupboard (ten by five inches), and a plastic Iroquois Indian (two by three centimetres). Any one who can't add, like myself, will know that the Indian if divided by three, to the square root of two, will fit nicely into the toy cupboard; and too my surprise, and everybody elses, like a chemistry experiment where lead becomes gold, the toy Indian when placed in the cupboard comes alive (flesh and blood, but real small).
Wow, Ooooh, it's magical. For anybody who is wandering whether this also works on toy T-Rexes, Darth Vader dolls, monopoly money etc. Yep, it sure does, as long as it can fit inside that magical cupboard. We have all played with toy soldiers, cars, and planes as children. Remember Ken and Barbie, well I liked ripping Barbie's head off. So let's stick her in the cupboard and we have for ourselves a walking headless Barbie... now that's food for thought!
Besides being a relatively entertaining children's movie, where the imagination gets a little carried away (I mean really where did the cupboard come from, the 'Twilight Zone'?). This movie does deal with important issues where the child grasps the concept of the responsibility for human life. The child becomes the parent, for his living, talking little Indian, and by the end of the movie realises that he cannot toy with the life of another for his own selfish pleasure. So if you want a pet, get a puppy, they don't talk back, and they sure don't shoot arrows at you when unhappy.
So kids, jump into bed with mom and dad, and watch the 'Cowboys and Indians' at play. Don't click your heels three times and wish you were in Kansas, and don't say 'Open Sesame' or 'Abracadabra', or you may end up with 'Dorothy and the Forty Thieves'. If it's Indians you want, remember to turn the key to the cupboard clockwise, then anticlockwise; but don't do it too often or you'll scare your little Iroquois Indian to death.
Indian Feel Scale: 0% Pocahontas / *THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD* / Dances With Wolves 100%
Timothy Voon e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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