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Eddie Muller Presented TELL THEM WILLIE BOY IS HERE by Abraham Polonsky at the 24th FICM

As part of the 24th Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), the film Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969), directed by American filmmaker Abraham Polonsky, was screened at Cinépolis Centro.

The screening was attended by Daniela Michel, founder and director of the FICM, and American writer and critic Eddie Muller, creator and president of the Film Noir Foundation.

"It is a great luxury for us, as an audience, to be able to welcome and hear from the ever-enthusiastic Eddie Muller as part of this program, which highlights the work of a highly significant figure in American cinema: Abraham Polonsky."

For his part, Eddie Muller provided context regarding the historical and political relevance of Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here—a film that marked Polonsky’s return to directing after more than two decades of ideological persecution during the McCarthy era: "After that film (Force of Evil, 1948), he was blacklisted—he was flagged by the U.S. government because he was a communist, and he never apologized for it. He was a committed Marxist, but I also want to emphasize that this stemmed from his love for his country. It was his way of saying, 'We could be doing things better.'"

Muller categorized the film as a "revisionist Western," as it sought to challenge the foundational myths of American society and shed light on the plight of Indigenous peoples: "By 1969, it had become relatively common to see a wave of films that sought to re-examine the Western genre." He was very interested in presenting a different perspective, one focused heavily on Native Americans, intending to highlight the injustices these peoples had endured.

Finally, Muller invited the audience to consider the historical context behind the on-screen representation, noting the decision to cast individuals from local communities as well as performers who had been targeted by the "blacklist." This was particularly significant, as the use of so-called "redface" makeup was common in Westerns at the time: "He made sure that all the supporting roles were filled by people who lived in these lands—Southern California—who were Native Americans. He also worked with white actors who, like him, had been blacklisted and left without work for many years."