"Tecumseh" is a GDR movie from 1972, so this one has its 45th anniversary next year long after the country stopped existing. It is another film from the East German Indian movie series that served as an alternative to the Pierre Brice West German approach. The lead actor is Gojko Mitic as usual and once again the title of the film just has his character's name. Rolf Römer is one of the two writers and he also appeared as an actor in here, possibly his most known work, even if this is not the only GDR Indian film in his body of work. Hans Kratzert directed this pretty long film and it turned out basically the usual. I still believe Mitic is a better actor than Pierre Brice, but these East German films have nobody who has half of Lex Barker's charisma and the plots and stories are also nothing memorable at all. Of course, visually it is fine with the vast landscapes, but this alone (and Mitic's solid performance) simply won't cut the cake. This film dragged on several occasions and the final outcome is mostly forgettable, if not disappointing. Watch something else instead unless you really adore Indian-themed western films.

Tecumseh was an Indian chieftain who united many tribes in the early 19th century in order to fight back the white Americans. Tecumseh finally became an officer in the English army and fell in a battle. Despite this historical background, the movie romanticizes the biography quite a bit - with a love story in between and a typical 70s easy listening soundtrack. Earlier movies with "Tecumseh" star Gojko Mitic seem rather grim in comparison, "Weisse Wölfe" for example. A strength of "Tecumseh" lies in the dialogs, because all Indians speak in whole sentences instead of the broken words other screen-writers often put in their mouths. Obligatory for the East German "Indianerfilm" genre is the ideological background of honorable natives vs. imperialist aggressors, in this case led by governor Harrison (Wolfgang Greese) who is only interesting in snatching as much land from them as possible. However, this leaves room enough for a few characters to be torn between, especially Simon as a friend of Tecumseh who turns into an enemy.