Some of the better Westerns produced in the last few years have stressed the more human side of the American Indian, rather than portraying him as a red Capone on horseback. The best of these, as I recall, was The Broken Arrow, in which the hero married an Apache girl. The Big Sky, a screen adaptation of A. B. Guthrie's excellent historical novel, is the latest movie to benefit from sympathetic treatment of Indians.

The Big Sky, in a manner not overly dramatic and sometimes exciting, traces the voyage of a group offur traders from St. Louis up the Missouri River to the Blackfoot country. This was the first attempt to batter with the normally hostile tribe, and the group had to contend with a rival fur company as welf.

This perhaps sounds like a standard Western plot. But is interesing portrayal of both Indians and fur trappers make The Big Sky quite a bit better than average. Kirk Douglas, in a role cast from the mold of James Fenimore Cooper's "Hawkeye," strikes a good balance between heroism and humor. And the leading lady is a real Indian.

The second feature, Secret People, should be avoided.