The Emmys went Western this morning, as the
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced 17 nominations for
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, the epic HBO movie based on Dee Brown’s non-fiction best-seller, and 16 for
Broken Trail, the AMC miniseries starring
Robert Duvall and
Thomas Haden Church. Here at the C&I Corral, we're proud to say that both productions were previewed in Cowboys & Indians cover stories. But, of course, we're not bragging or anything. Well, not much.
Wounded Knee loomed large in the marquee category of Outstanding Made for Television Movie,
Broken Trail rode tall among the Outstanding Miniseries nominees, and, not surprisingly, Duvall was nominated as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie.
In
several other categories, however, the Westerns will be competing against each other for top honors. For example, Church will face off against
Wounded Knee co-stars
August Schellenberg (as Sitting Bull) and
Aidan Quinn (Sen. Henry Dawes) for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie;
Greta Scacchi (
Broken Trail) and
Anna Paquin (
Wounded Knee) are rivals for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie; and
Walter Hill (
Broken Trail) and
Yves Simoneau (
Wounded Knee) are among the honorees for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special.
Speaking of Hill: After Thursday's early-morning Emmy announcement, the veteran filmmaker (whose feature credits include the Westerns
Wild Bill, The Long Riders, and
Geronimo: An American Legend) seemed at once grateful and flabbergasted that Television Academy voters would be so appreciative of
Broken Trail. "What can I say?” he told the
Associated Press. “They're too kind. We were on so long ago, we were on last June, so I've been surprised and very pleased that people remember."
Dick Wolf, executive producer of
Wounded Knee, said the clutch of nominations for his HBO movie was a validation of a very difficult project: "Anybody who says it's not nice or it doesn't mean anything to get this many nominations, it's the ultimate sour grapes because it sure feels great.”
(A complete list of all Emmy Award nominations is available
here.)
While promoting We Own the Night overseas, Robert Duvall takes time to talk about his love of Westerns: "The English have Shakespeare, the French have Moliere and the Western is definitely ours. When I was a kid I went to my uncle's ranch in Montana for two summers -- he had a big cattle and sheep place out there. And you know when I first went to Hollywood I would take out a horse every day -- bareback, English saddle, western saddle -- and I learned to jump a horse, so I would have a seat on a horse, because most actors can draw a pistol but they can't ride a horse. So I wanted to do Westerns and it served me well. So I think Westerns are our thing. People say they don't sell but they do sell and as soon as you make them they say, "When are you going to do another one?"
