What began on location in 1969 as a novelistic attempt to dramatize reservation life quickly turned into a running controversy when local Native communities reacted violently to the production’s original name. The picture was shot in and around real pueblos — Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Madrid, Puye Cliffs (Santa Clara Pueblo) and Santo Domingo Pueblo — under the working title Nobody Loves a Drunken Indian. That title, combined with the script’s comic-heavy depiction of tribal drinking and bumbling protest antics, prompted protests from local Indians while filming was underway. The production hastily retitled itself Nobody Loves Flapping Eagle during shooting and ultimately shortened the release title to Flap after additional pressure.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · 1970s
Local Pueblo Backlash Forces Title Changes During Flap's 1969 Shoot
Flap (film) / 1970s
What began on location in 1969 as a novelistic attempt to dramatize reservation life quickly turned into a running controversy when local Native communities reacted violently to the production’s original name. The picture was shot in and around real pueblos — Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Madrid, Puye Cliffs (Santa Clara Pueblo) and Santo Domingo Pueblo — under the working title Nobody Loves a Drunken Indian. That title, combined with the script’s comic-heavy depiction of tribal drinking and bumbling protest antics, prompted protests from local Indians while filming was underway. The production hastily retitled itself Nobody Loves Flapping Eagle during shooting and ultimately shortened the release title to Flap after additional pressure.
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