Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves is a 1990 epic film which tells the story of a United States cavalry officer in the 1860s who befriends a band of Sioux Indians, sacrificing his career and ties to his own people. The film is unusual in that much of the dialogue is in the Lakota language with English subtitles.

Production

The movie's screenplay was adapted by Michael Blake from his novel of the same title. It was Kevin Costner who, in early 1986 (when he was relatively unknown), encouraged Blake to turn an idea for a story into a novel. Dances with Wolves was rejected by numerous publishers but finally published in paperback in 1988. The film was directed by Costner.

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. ^*

Synopsis

The movie opens during the US Civil War, where Union officer Lt. John Dunbar has learned that his injured foot is about to be amputated. Rather than face this, he decides to commit suicide by riding directly at enemy lines. However, his action has the effect of rallying his comrades who storm the Confederate position. Dunbar is dubbed a hero and offered his choice of posting.

He requests a tranfer to the western frontier. Arriving at the desolate Fort Sedgewick, he finds it deserted except for a semi-tame wolf whom Dunbar dubs 'Two Socks' on account of his coloring. He also encounters the local Indian tribe (initially when two attempts by them to steal his horse fail ignominiously).

Initially both sides are suspicious and wary, but when Dunbar helps to defend the settlement against a Pawnee raiding party, he is accepted. He finds himself more and more drawn to the lifestyle of his Indian neighbours, and eventually is accepted as a member of the tribe, marrying Stands With A Fist, a white woman who was raised by the tribe after her parents were slain by Pawnee who is mourning the death of her Sioux husband when first meet. Dunbar himself is given the name 'Dances With Wolves', after members of the tribe witness him playing with Two Socks.

However, Dunbar's idyll soon ends when Fort Sedgewick is re-occupied by Army troops, who arrest him as a deserter. He is rescued by members of the tribe, but realises that if he stays with them, he will bring the unwelcome attention of the whites, and decides that he and Stands With A Fist must leave.

Cast

It stars Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant, Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Tantoo Cardinal, Robert Pastorelli and Charles Rocket. It has been released in both a 181-minute theatrical version and a 236-minute Special Edition version for television and video.

Awards

Dances with Wolves was the winner of seven Oscars:

Academy Award for Best Picture — Jim Wilson and Kevin Costner
Academy Award for Directing — Kevin Costner
Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay — Michael Blake
Academy Award for Best Cinematography — Dean Semler
Academy Award for Film Editing — Neil Travis
Academy Award for Sound — Russell Williams II, Jeffrey Perkins, Bill W. Benton, and Gregory H. Watkins
Academy Award for Original Music Score — John Barry

It was also nominated for another five Oscars:

Academy Award for Best Actor — Kevin Costner
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor — Graham Greene
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress — Mary McDonnell
Academy Award for Best Art Direction — Jeffrey Beecroft and Lisa Dean
Academy Award for Costume Design — Elsa Zamparelli

The film also won the award for best picture at the Golden Globes.

Versions

Dances With Wolves has been released to DVD on five occations. The first on 17 November 1998 on a single disc. The second on 16 February 1999 as a two disc set with a DTS Soundtrack. The third on 20 May 2003 as a two disc set (Special Extended Edition). The fourth on 25 May 2004 as a single disc in Full Frame. There is also a three disc set with the 226 minute feature on two and special features on the third, including a lengthy making-of documentary.

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)

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'

2003 Release (2 Disc) (Special Extended Edition)

Disc 1 & 2: Movie

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

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)

200? Release (3 Disc)

Disc 1 & 2: Movie
Disc 3: Special Features

Run Time: 226 minutes
Audio Tracks: English/Lakota
Director's commentary
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

Dances With Wolves DVD Covers
First Edition 1 Disc Set	Second Edition 2 Disc Set	Third Edition 2 Disc Set	Fourth Edition 1 Disc Set

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.

Trivia

Dances with Wolves was very successful commercially, becoming the highest grossing Western of all time with nearly $184 million in U.S. box office sales ^*.

The film was often praised for its accuracy in the portrayal of Native Americans, because it went beyond the simple primitive savage motif of typical Hollywood fare.

Mary McDonnell, then 38, was extremely nervous about shooting her love scene with Kevin Costner.

Production was so lengthy and mismanaged that the tabloid press began calling it "Kevin's Gate," a reference to the film "Heaven's Gate," which was then known as the most extravagently mismanaged film production.

References

Blake, Michael. ‘’Dances with Wolves’’. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0449000753

External links

Michael Blake's official web site.

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