▁S itting ▁Bull , ▁had ▁been ▁elected ▁the ▁first ▁ever ▁chief ▁of ▁Al berta ' s ▁Nak oda ▁( St oney ) ▁First ▁Nation , ▁after ▁three ▁bands ▁had ▁am alg am ated ▁the ▁year ▁before . ▁ ▁Crit ical ▁reception ▁A ▁preview ▁showing ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁in ▁May ▁ 1 9 7 6 ▁received ▁a ▁mixed ▁reaction ▁from ▁the ▁press . ▁Following ▁this , ▁Alt man ▁rec ut ▁the ▁film ▁slightly ▁by ▁removing ▁a ▁few ▁of ▁the ▁Wild ▁West ▁show ▁acts . ▁ ▁Charles ▁Cham pl in ▁of ▁the ▁Los ▁Angeles ▁Times ▁wrote ▁that ▁"[ Alt man ' s ] ▁films ▁are ▁sometimes ▁pret ent ious ▁and ▁sometimes ▁ex as per ating , ▁but ▁they ▁are ▁not ▁often ▁b oring , ▁although ▁his ▁latest , ▁' B uff alo ▁Bill ▁and ▁the ▁Indians , ▁or ▁S itting ▁Bull ' s ▁History ▁Less on ' ▁is ▁all ▁three ." ▁He ▁went ▁on , ▁" using ▁New man ▁as ▁neither ▁villa in ous , ▁hero ic ▁nor ▁rom antic ▁but ▁only ▁as ▁a ▁fairly ▁un inter est ing ▁l out ▁seems ▁a ▁dire ▁waste , ▁and ▁there ▁is ▁an ▁air ▁of ▁low - energy ▁dist raction ▁throughout ▁' B uff alo ▁Bill .' ▁For ▁the ▁last ▁ 2 0 ▁minutes ▁it ▁is ▁as ▁if ▁nobody ▁knew ▁how ▁to ▁get ▁off ▁that ▁dust y ▁res ervation ▁but ▁would ▁have ▁been ▁glad ▁to ." ▁Arthur ▁D . ▁Mur phy ▁of ▁Vari ety ▁wrote ▁that ▁the ▁film ▁" emer ges ▁as ▁a ▁pu er ile ▁sat ire