What began as an attempt to dramatize Native American grievances turned into a production-side controversy almost immediately when the movie was being shot on location in 1969. The film began life under the novel’s bluntly offensive title Nobody Loves a Drunken Indian, and local Pueblo residents in and around Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Santa Clara (Puye Cliffs) and Santo Domingo objected vocally to both the title and certain aspects of the production. The protests were concrete: physical presence and complaint from community members who felt the film trafficked in degrading stereotypes at a time when real-world grievances—land, water and treaty issues—were erupting into activism across the country. Producer Jerry Adler had deliberately hired British director Sir Carol Reed on the premise that a director without Hollywood baggage might avoid clichés, but that goodwill did not blunt local anger.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · 1970s
On-location protests force a title change as Flap shoots on pueblos in 1969
Flap (film) / 1970s
What began as an attempt to dramatize Native American grievances turned into a production-side controversy almost immediately when the movie was being shot on location in 1969. The film began life under the novel’s bluntly offensive title Nobody Loves a Drunken Indian, and local Pueblo residents in and around Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Santa Clara (Puye Cliffs) and Santo Domingo objected vocally to both the title and certain aspects of the production. The protests were concrete: physical presence and complaint from community members who felt the film trafficked in degrading stereotypes at a time when real-world grievances—land, water and treaty issues—were erupting into activism across the country. Producer Jerry Adler had deliberately hired British director Sir Carol Reed on the premise that a director without Hollywood baggage might avoid clichés, but that goodwill did not blunt local anger.
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