Flaming Star is a 1960 Western film directed by Don Siegel and starring Elvis Presley, Steve Forrest, and Barbara Eden. The film tells the story of Sam Burton, a rancher in Texas who has a second wife, Neddy, who is Native American. They have a son together, Pacer, who is half-white and half-Indian.
As tensions rise between the white settlers and the Kiowa tribe, Pacer finds himself caught between two worlds and torn between his loyalty to his father's family and his Native American heritage. When a Kiowa raiding party kills several settlers, including Neddy, Sam and Pacer's world is turned upside down.
Pacer is torn between his loyalty to his father and his people, the Kiowa. He tries to negotiate a truce between the two sides but is unsuccessful. In the end, he must choose which side he will fight for in the upcoming conflict, his white father's or his Native American mother's.
The film was a departure for Elvis Presley, who played a serious dramatic role as Pacer Burton. The movie deals with sensitive racial issues that were rarely addressed in Hollywood at the time and still resonate today. The film was praised for its nuanced portrayal of the moral complexities of the conflict between settlers and Native Americans. Flaming Star was also notable for its beautiful cinematography and haunting score, composed by the legendary musician, Victor Young.