A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Copyright 7 April 1965 by Tejas Productions, Inc. No New York opening. U.S. release through Eagle American Films and Crown International Pictures: 8 April 1965. U.K. release through BLC/ British Lion: 5 August 1966. No Australian theatrical or TV release. 91 minutes. Cut to 77 minutes in the UK.SYNOPSIS: Nishko, the son of the chief of the Arikara tribe, trains the foal of a domesticated mare and a wild stallion. When mature, the colt is torn between loyalty to his young trainer and his instinct to return to his father's herd. NOTES: Filmed in and around Cleburne, Texas, in 1963.COMMENT: A story with plenty of exciting incidents, including some amazing animal footage, all beautifully photographed. Norman Foster's direction with its over-use of close-ups is inclined to be dull, whilst the acting, not to be too unkind, is second-rate. Indian Paint holds the interest but all the same its appeal is likely to be limited. It falls between two stools, - not arty enough for the art-house circuit, yet too un-Hollywood for general release. Of the speaking players, only Hogan and Silverheels are genuine Indians.

I find it hard to believe that I watched this movie being filmed in 1963 on location and have never seen the movie.I was in a boy's camp that went out for a few days of camping. We ended up along the Brazos River, I believe and the movie company ended up right beside us. Some wild donkeys (or loose donkeys) came into our camp while we were gone on hike and at our food. The people with the movie company invited us to eat with them and that's how I met Johnny Crawford face-to-face. He was a really nice kid (he was only 3 years old than me) and we all were big Rifleman fans. We at with him and he talked to us and it was just like a bunch of kids sitting around. He didn't act stuck up or anything. I also got to meet Jay Silverheels of The Lone Ranger fame, who played Crawford's father. I had never seen a movie being filmed before and it was a magical experience for me. The one vivid memory I have is that the Native American actors had rubber-tipped arrows and lances. I couldn't figure out how they wouldn't look rubber in the movie so now I'll have to see the movie and find out.

I waited 42 years to see this movie. My mother wouldn't let me when it came out, and it has been virtually impossible to find it on video until I checked Netflix. I was very fulfilled to be able to watch my childhood hero Johnny Crawford in this movie finally. I'm sure Native Americans would not agree with much of the content in here by today's standards, but by the standards of 1964, it was fairly agreeable. The Indians were fighting one another, and there is no conflict with "the White Man." It's an improbable story of a boy and his horse but I sure enjoyed it. If you watch carefully, the horse, as both a colt and an adult, are played by several different horses.

I am surprised no one has commented in this film. Sure, it is cheesy by todays standards, and perhaps even for its time. The dialog is pretty corny, and the representation of Native American's might even be considered condescending in its naiveté, especially by our current PC standards. But what I found interesting is that it tells the story of young Indians coming of age from their own perspective. Once again this perspective isn't really theirs, its Hollywoods, but none-the-less it is a story about their life, much in the same way as "Dances With Wolves" tells the story of Indian life. Not that I am comparing the films. "Dances.." is obviously a classic and very few have even heard of "Indian Paint". Rather I am associating the themes of the films and their focus on the lives of the Indians themselves.Not an easy one to find, but if you do, give it a shot. Set your schmaltz meter to the appropriate era and it should be entertaining enough. Plus it's got Johnny Crawford. How bad could it really be?