Dances with Wolves

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Dances with Wolves
Directed by Kevin Costner
Produced by Jim Wilson
Kevin Costner
Written by Michael Blake
Starring Kevin Costner
Mary McDonnell
Graham Greene
Rodney Grant
Music by John Barry
Cinematography Dean Semler
Editing by Neil Travis
Distributed by Orion Pictures
Release date(s) November 9, 1990
Running time 181 Mins
(Theatrical)
236 Mins
Director's Cut
Country U.S. U.S.
Language English, Lakota, Pawnee
Budget US$19,000,000 (estimated)
Gross revenue $424,208,848
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Dances with Wolves is a 1990 epic film which tells the story of a United States Lieutenant who travels to the American Frontier to find a military post. He eventually befriends a local Sioux tribe.[1] Developed by director/star Kevin Costner over 5 years, the film (released November 9, 1990) has high production values[2] and won 7 Academy Awards (1990) and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama.[3] Much of the dialogue is in the Lakota language with English subtitles, unusual for a film at the time of its release.

In 2007, Dances with Wolves was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4]

Contents

[edit] Taglines

  • Inside everyone is a frontier waiting to be discovered.[3]
  • Lieutenant John Dunbar is about to discover the frontier...within himself.

[edit] Synopsis

The film opens during an US Civil War battle. Union Army Officer Lieutenant John J. Dunbar learns that his injured leg is to be amputated. Seeing the plight of fellow soldiers with amputated legs, Dunbar attempts suicide by riding a horse across the line of fire between the opposing Union and Confederate positions. His action has the unexpected effect of rallying his comrades, who storm the Confederate positions.

After the ensuing battle, an experienced general's surgeon saves Dunbar's leg. The commanding officer names Dunbar a hero, awards him Cisco, the horse who carried him in battle, and offers Dunbar his choice of posting.

Dunbar requests a transfer to the western frontier. After meeting with a major (Maury Chaykin) who has slipped into delusions of grandeur (apparently believing he is a king and Dunbar a medieval knight), he is paired with a drayage teamster named Timmons (Robert Pastorelli), who conveys Dunbar to his post. After their departure, Dunbar is unaware the now insane major committed suicide with a pistol.

After a scenic journey, Dunbar and Timmons arrive with fresh supplies at the desolate Fort Sedgwick, finding it deserted except for a lone wolf that Dunbar befriends and dubs Two Socks from the coloring of its front legs. Dunbar, while waiting for reinforcements to arrive, sets in order the deserted post.

Meanwhile, the teamster Timmons, while returning to their point of departure, is ambushed by Pawnee Indians and scalped. Timmons' death and the suicide of the major who sent them there prevents Union officers from knowing of Dunbar's assignment to the post, effectively isolating Dunbar. Dunbar remains unaware of the full situation and its implications. He notes in his journal how strange it is that no more soldiers join him at the post.

Dunbar finds himself drawn to the lifestyle and customs of his Indian neighbors. He becomes a hero among the Sioux and is accepted as an honorary member of the tribe after he helps them locate a migrating herd of buffalo, which they depend upon as a source of food, material, and clothing.

Dunbar further helps defend the settlement against a Pawnee raiding party, providing the Sioux warriors with surplus rifles and ammunition from the fort. He eventually is accepted as a full member of the tribe, and is named Shungmánitu Thánka Ob' Wachi (the eponymous "Dances with Wolves". Shungmánitu Thánka literally large coyote), after the scouts witnessed him frolicking with Two Socks, the wolf that follows Dunbar. He falls in love with Stands With A Fist (Mary McDonnell), a white female who initially served as an interpreter between Kicking Bird and Dunbar, and the two even secretly have sex while Stands With A Fist is mourning her dead husband, who had died in battle; the two eventually marry, and Dunbar spends more time communing with the tribe than manning his post at Fort Sedgwick.

Dunbar's idyll ends when he tells Kicking Bird that white men will continue to invade their land in 'numbers like the stars'. They tell Chief Ten Bears, who decides it is time to move the village to its winter camp.

As the packing finishes, Dunbar realizes that his journal, left behind at the deserted fort, is a blueprint for finding the Sioux, revealing that he knows far too much about their ways. He returns to retrieve it, but finds Fort Sedgwick is re-occupied by reinforcing Army troops, who shoot Cisco and arrest and beat Dunbar as a deserter.

In an interrogation, Dunbar explains to Lt. Elgin (whom Dunbar met earlier in Maj. Fambrough's office) that he had a journal with orders about his posting to Fort Sedgwick. Elgin asks one of the soldiers that first arrived at the fort, Spivey, if there was a journal, but the man lies that he hasn't seen it. In actuality, Spivey carries the journal in his pocket. Afterwards, Army officers and troops escort Dunbar from Sedgwick to Fort Hayes where he is to be hanged. They happen upon Two Socks and the soldiers start taking pot shots at him, which Dunbar tries to prevent. The soldiers kill the wolf who won't leave because he is faithful to Dunbar.

Soon after, Wind In His Hair and other warriors from the tribe attack the column of men, rescuing Dunbar. Smiles A Lot retrieves Dunbar's journal floating in a stream.

After returning to the winter camp, Dunbar realizes that as a deserter and fugitive, he will continue to draw the unwelcome attention of the Army and endanger the welfare of the tribe if he stays with the Sioux. Under the protests of his Sioux friends, Dunbar decides that he must leave the tribe, saying he must speak to those who would listen. His wife accompanies him.

As Dances With Wolves Dunbar and Stands With A Fist leave the camp, Wind In His Hair cries out that Dances with Wolves will always be his friend. Shortly, a column of cavalry and Pawnee army scouts arrive to find their former camp site empty.

[edit] Cast

Dances with Wolves illustration featuring Kevin Costner and Rodney A. Grant.
Dances with Wolves illustration featuring Kevin Costner and Rodney A. Grant.

[edit] Production

Originally written as a spec script by Michael Blake, it went unsold in the mid-1980s. It was Kevin Costner who, in early 1986 (when he was relatively unknown), encouraged Blake to turn the screenplay into a novel, to improve its chances of being adapted into a film. The novel manuscript of Dances with Wolves was rejected by numerous publishers but finally published in paperback in 1988. As a novel, the rights were purchased by Costner, with an eye to his directing it.[5] Actual filming lasted from July 18 to November 23, 1989. Most of the movie was filmed on location in South Dakota, but a few scenes were filmed in Wyoming. Filming locations included the Badlands National Park, the Black Hills, the Sage Creek Wilderness Area, and the Belle Fourche River area. The buffalo hunt scenes were filmed at the Triple U Buffalo Ranch near Pierre, South Dakota As were the fort Sedgwick scenes, the set being constructed on the property. [6]

Because of budget overruns and production delays, and the general perception, after the fiasco of Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate, then considered one of the most mismanaged Westerns in film history, Costner's project was satirically dubbed "Kevin's Gate" by Hollywood critics and skeptics during the months prior to its release. [7]

The language spoken in the film is a fairly accurate, if simplified, version of the actual Lakota language. Lakota Sioux language instructor Doris Leader Charge (1931-2001) was the on-set Lakota dialogue coach and also portrayed Pretty Shield, wife of Chief Ten Bears, portrayed by Floyd Red Crow Westerman.[8] However, since Lakota contains both masculine and feminine forms of speech, the filmmakers decided to simplify the language by using the feminine form for all Lakota speech in the film. Native speakers of Lakota were reportedly highly amused by hearing warriors and other men in the film speak as if they were women.

According to the "Making Of" documentary on the Special Edition Dances With Wolves DVD, not all of the buffalo were computer animated and/or puppets. In fact, Costner and crew employed the largest domestically owned buffalo ranch, with two of the domesticated buffalo being borrowed from Neil Young, and used the herd for the hunting scene. The hunt chase was filmed live and Costner did his own stunts for the shots. The only computer animation and puppetry special effects that were used were for the shots of the buffalo falling.

Despite portraying the adopted daughter of Graham Greene's character Kicking Bird, Mary McDonnell, then 37, was actually two months older than Greene, and less than two years younger than Tantoo Cardinal, the actress playing her adoptive mother. In addition, McDonnell was extremely nervous about shooting her sex scene with Kevin Costner, requesting it be toned down to a more modest version than what was scripted.[9]

[edit] Possible inspiration

Lt. John Dunbar's career trajectory, including his Indian Wars posting as reward for accidental heroism in the U.S. Civil War, is nearly identical to Captain Wilton Parmenter's (Ken Berry) in the 1960s TV show F Troop. Both enjoyed unusually chummy relationships with the local tribes.

[edit] Reception

Dances with Wolves became the highest grossing Western film of all time, with nearly $184 million in U.S. box office sales.[10] The film is often praised for its different portrayal of Native Americans, because it went beyond the typical Hollywood portrayal of either the "noble" or the "blood-thirsty savage." However, at the time of its release, some film historians criticized Dances with Wolves for having overly graphic violence and sexual content—for which, they claimed, it should have received a R, and not PG-13, rating. Nonetheless, for his effort, Costner was made an honorary member of the real-life Sioux people.[11] In 2007, the Library of Congress selected Dances with Wolves for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.[4]

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting rated Dances with Wolves an A-III rating, recommending viewing only by adults.[12]

[edit] Awards

Won:

Nominated:

[edit] Sequel

The Holy Road, a well-received sequel novel by Michael Blake, the author of both the original Dances With Wolves novel and the movie screenplay, was published in 2001. [13] It picks up eleven years after "Dances With Wolves." John Dunbar is still married to Stands With A Fist and they have three children. Stands With A Fist and one of the children are kidnapped by a party of white rangers and Dances With Wolves must mount a rescue mission. As of 2007, Blake was writing a film adaptation, although Kevin Costner was not yet attached to the project. [14] In the end, however, Costner stated he would not take part in this production.[citation needed]. Viggo Mortensen has been rumored to be attached to the project, playing Dunbar [15]

[edit] Versions

Dances with Wolves has been released to DVD on four occasions. The first on November 17, 1998 on a single disc. The second on February 16, 1999 as a two disc set with a DTS Soundtrack. The third was released on May 20, 2003 as a two disc set (Special Extended Edition). The fourth was released on May 25, 2004 as a single disc in full frame. There is also the definitive director's cut three disc set with a 236 minute version on two discs and special features on the third, including a lengthy making-of-documentary.

[edit] 1998 Release (1 disc)

Disc 1: Movie

  • Format: anamorphic, closed-captioned, color, THX, wide screen, NTSC
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  • Run Time: 181 minutes
  • Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)

[edit] 1999 Release (1 disc) (DTS)

Disc 1 & 2: Movie

  • Format: anamorphic, closed-captioned, color, wide screen, NTSC
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  • Run Time: 181 minutes
  • Audio Tracks: English (DTS), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
  • Commentary by: director Kevin Costner and Jim Wilson

[edit] 2003 Release (2 discs) (Special Extended Edition)

Disc 1: (2 sided) Movie
Disc 2: Special Features

  • Format: anamorphic, closed-captioned, color, THX, wide screen, NTSC
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  • Run Time: 236 minutes
  • Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
  • Commentary by: Kevin Costner and producer Jim Wilson, director of photography Dean Semler and editor Neil Travis
  • New extended version with never-before-seen additional scenes (236 minutes)
  • New "The Creation of an Epic" retrospective documentary
  • Original making-of featurette
  • Original music video
  • New Dances photo montage with introduction by Ben Glass
  • New Poster gallery

[edit] 2004 Release (1 disc)

Disc 1: Movie

  • Format: closed-captioned, color, NTSC
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Run Time: 181 minutes
  • Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)

[edit] 2004 Release (3 discs) (Special Edition - Director's Cut)

Disc 1 & 2: Movie
Disc 3: Special Features

  • Run Time: 236 minutes
  • Audio Tracks: English/Lakota
  • Commentary by the Director (Costner)
  • New "The Creation of an Epic" retrospective documentary
  • Original making-of featurette
  • Original music video
  • New Dances photo montage with introduction by Ben Glass
  • New Poster gallery

[edit] Soundtrack

For more information: Dances with Wolves (soundtrack).

John Barry composed the Award-winning score, which became a very popular film score. Pope John Paul II once referred to it as among his favorite pieces of music.[16] It was issued in 1990 initially and again in 1995 with bonus tracks and in 2004 with the score "in its entirety."

[edit] References

 This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2008)

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Dances with Wolves: Overview" (plot/stars/gross, related films), allmovie, 2007, webpage: amovie12092.
  2. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named allmov
  3. ^ a b "Dances with Wolves" (overview), IMDb, 2007, webpage: IMDb-99348.
  4. ^ a b 2007 list of films inducted into the National Film Registry
  5. ^ "Dances with Wolves". IMDB. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  6. ^ "Dances with Wolves" - Southdakota.midwestmovies.com
  7. ^ "Dances with Wolves". IMDB. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  8. ^ "Dances with Wolves". IMDB. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  9. ^ "Dances with Wolves". IMDB. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  10. ^ "All-time USA Box office". IMDB. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  11. ^ Svetkey, Benjamin (1991-03-08). "Little big movie". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  12. ^ Dances with Wolves. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting.
  13. ^ Blake, Michael (2001). The Holy Road, Random House. ISBN 0-375-76040-7
  14. ^ Blake, Michael. "The official website of Michael Blake". Danceswithwolves.net. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  15. ^ "Hollywood.com". Hollywood.com (2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-11.
  16. ^ Hollywoodland. David Wallace. 2003.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] External links

Awards
Preceded by
Driving Miss Daisy		 Academy Award for Best Picture
1990		 Succeeded by
The Silence of the Lambs
Preceded by
Born on the Fourth of July		 Golden Globe for Best Picture - Drama
1990		 Succeeded by
Bugsy
v • d • e
Academy Award for Best Picture

Chariots of Fire (1981) · Gandhi (1982) · Terms of Endearment (1983) · Amadeus (1984) · Out of Africa (1985) · Platoon (1986) · The Last Emperor (1987) · Rain Man (1988) · Driving Miss Daisy (1989) · Dances with Wolves (1990) · The Silence of the Lambs (1991) · Unforgiven (1992) · Schindler's List (1993) · Forrest Gump (1994) · Braveheart (1995) · The English Patient (1996) · Titanic (1997) · Shakespeare in Love (1998) · American Beauty (1999) · Gladiator (2000)

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