Review of Dances with Wolves (1990) by James F — 03 Mar 2010

To be honest, it seems pretty cool these days to bash Kevin Costner. I mean, lets face it, the guy hasn't made a decent film in quite a while and after he made this he pretty much disappeared up his own ass.......but for me, this movie is a real stand out piece of cinema.

Regardless of how you feel about Costner, I think it would be pretty harsh not to hail this movie regardless of its Oscar's and his first time directing, as anything short of a masterpiece.

I always think of Dances With Wolves as one of the first and probably only films to show Native Americans in a sympathetic light, as a people more than angry savages getting dispatched by cowboys in a hail of gunsmoke, and to me, thats a pretty noble thing to do, especially when it doesn't guarantee a big box office return.

And this film is noble, its one man's journey as he watches the last of the frontier disappear and choosing to fight with a people and a culture he knows he can't save. It shows friendship in the face of diversity and beliefs totally at odds with what society has told him to believe is true.

Quite simply, Dances With Wolves is one man, Lt John Dunbar's journey as he comes face to face with the Sioux Indians and discovers himself and an alien race in the process. That these people are in fact kind and learned, cultured and intelligent, that they are scared and they know their time is up. He tries to fight this oncoming tide of settlement but much like the Sioux, he knows times are changing and they won't have time to adapt, perhaps even survive.

I'll make no bones about the fact I love this movie, that I've seen it a dozen times and love it a little more each time I do. I'm totally biased. It's beautifully shot, it has some heart warming scenes and some savage, vicious ones. Some of the acting in it is first rate and as I said before, for a first time director its quite an achievement.

At three hours its not a short film, but for those who might enjoy it, a four hour version also exists. Originally shown on television over two nights, this version is out there and its well worth tracking down if you want to know more. It expands so much more of background its well worth watching, to why the soldier fort is abandoned at the beginning to Lt Dunbar trying to explain his "going native" to the newly arrived commanders. It bridges quite a few gaps that don't really have the time to get fleshed out in the original.

So there you go, a totally biased, totally kissing the ass of its subject film review. Just my two cents but I hope you liked it nonetheless.......