IMDb > Dances with Wolves (1990)
Dances with Wolves
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Dances with Wolves (1990) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 7 NEW)
Dances with Wolves (1990) -- Lt. John Dunbar, exiled to a remote western Civil War outpost, befriends wolves and Indians, making him an intolerable aberration in the military.
Dances with Wolves (1990) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
Dances with Wolves (1990) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)
Dances with Wolves (1990) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)
Dances with Wolves (1990) -- Moviesbox.us - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   65,000 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 6% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Kevin Costner
Writers (WGA):
Michael Blake (screenplay)
Michael Blake (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for Dances with Wolves on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
21 November 1990 (USA) more
Tagline:
Inside everyone is a frontier waiting to be discovered. more
Plot:
Lt. John Dunbar, exiled to a remote western Civil War outpost, befriends wolves and Indians, making him an intolerable aberration in the military. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won 7 Oscars. Another 30 wins & 20 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(69 articles)
Watch This: Movie Titles That Slip Into the Dialogue
 (From Cinematical. 5 November 2009, 2:32 PM, PST)

Avatar: James Cameron Accused of Plagiarism
 (From SoundOnSight. 29 October 2009, 2:06 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Lt. Dunbar's worst fears have come true. more (281 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
181 min | USA:224 min (extended version) | USA:236 min (director's cut)
Country:
USA | UK
Language:
English | Sioux | Pawnee
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
This is the last movie that editor Neil Travis cut using physical film. He has since moved on to digital editing, using Montage and Avid. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: The tribe members do not use proverbs or formulaic expressions, which characteristically function to preserve knowledge and tradition in an oral (pre-writing) culture. more
Quotes:
General Tide: [after Dunbar's suicide attempt at the enemy lines] You rest easy, son. You'll keep your leg, as God is my witness, you'll keep it. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "The Critic: The Pilot (#1.1)" (1994) more
Soundtrack:
Fire Dance more

FAQ

When John Dunbar is sent to Fort Hays after his suicide attempt, what is the meaning of his senior officer saying to him "I have just pissed in my pants and nobody can do anything about it."
more
54 out of 84 people found the following comment useful.
Lt. Dunbar's worst fears have come true., 8 July 2003
10/10
Author: TOMASBBloodhound from Lincoln, NE USA

This film is a sweeping epic that you'll never forget whether you liked it or not. It tells the tale of love, loyalty, friendship, and self-realization in a magnificent setting among a great people, and during a time of strife. This film put Kevin Costner on the map as a Hollywood star. He could use a hit like this one right about now.

The first thing a viewer is struck by is the amazing landscape of western South Dakota. If any of you have never been out that way, do your self a favor and check it out. It will blow you away. The musical score is also very beautiful. The Indians look so authentic that they almost blend into the scenery even as we get to know them as individuals. It's hard to imagine that Plains Indian culture could have been depicted more realistically.

The story deals with Lt. John Dunbar (Costner), a disillusioned Civil War vet who asks to be transferred to a western post so he can see the west "before it's gone". He is then sent to a deserted fort where he finds himself in the precarious position of being the only white man in a land of Indians who seem intent on stealing his horse. He decides to try to get to know the local Sioux tribe and eventually becomes one of them. In finding a place in their society, he finds himself, so to speak.

Dances With Wolves is a very good film. I think it belongs in the top 250 to be sure. It is a little slow at times, but so what? A lot of great films are. Other than Dunbar, there are really no positive white characters. This is understandable considering the subject matter, but the barbarism of some of the soldiers seemed a little over the top. Other than that, no real gripes.

For me, the most memorable scene was when Dunbar and Kicking Bird were discussing the number of whites who would be coming into the territory.

Dunbar: You've often wondered about how many white people will be coming. There will be a

lot, my friend.

Kicking Bird: (in English) How many?

Dunbar: Like the stars. It makes me afraid for all of the Sioux.

Unfortunately, this fear has come true. All one has to do is drive out to White Clay, Neb. and see them sitting there. Along the street. Drunk by mid morning. The descendants of people like Kicking Bird and Wind in His Hair. These men would have been out hunting buffalo or battling with their enemies 150 years ago. Now, there is nothing for them to do. They have two choices: Stay on the reservation and live out a life in poverty while keeping their traditions alive, or try to make it in the cities and cast off their traditional ways. A tough choice to be sure. Watch the movie Thunderheart to get an idea of what these reservations are like. It's not a pretty picture.

The destruction of Indian Culture was not the goal of the United States. It is merely a CONSEQUENCE of the idea of Manifest Destiny. The Sioux are a magnificent people. What has happened to them could be summed up in one word: tragic.

10 of 10 stars

So sayeth the Hound.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Dances with Wolves (1990)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Too short Mitch_Connor85
7.9??? adriancoyote
Things wrong with this movie PopcornWithMovies
Did the Indians killed his donkeys? bodinsoul-1
Dunbar's tribal name a private joke? DobertReNiro
One of the most rewarding..... Mitch_Connor85
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