Dances with Wolves (1990)

Director:

Kevin Costner

Writers (WGA):

Michael Blake (screenplay)
Michael Blake (novel)

Release Date:

21 November 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Western

Tagline:

Inside everyone is a frontier waiting to be discovered.

Plot:

Lt. John Dunbar, exiled to a remote western Civil War outpost, befriends wolves and Indians, making him an intolerable aberration in the military.

Plot Keywords:

Frontier | Outpost | Wolf | American Civil War | Army

Awards:

Won 7 Oscars. Another 30 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

Kevin Costner	...	Lieutenant Dunbar
Mary McDonnell	...	Stands With A Fist
Graham Greene	...	Kicking Bird
Rodney A. Grant	...	Wind In His Hair
Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman	...	Ten Bears (as Floyd Red Crow Westerman)
Tantoo Cardinal	...	Black Shawl
Robert Pastorelli	...	Timmons
Charles Rocket	...	Lieutenant Elgin
Maury Chaykin	...	Major Fambrough
Jimmy Herman	...	Stone Calf
Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse	...	Smiles A Lot
Michael Spears	...	Otter
Jason R. Lone Hill	...	Worm
Tony Pierce	...	Spivey
Doris Leader Charge	...	Pretty Shield
Tom Everett	...	Sergeant Pepper
Larry Joshua	...	Sergeant Bauer
Kirk Baltz	...	Edwards
Wayne Grace	...	Major
Donald Hotton	...	General Tide
Annie Costner	...	Christine
Conor Duffy	...	Willie
Elisa Daniel	...	Christine's Mother
Percy White Plume	...	Big Warrior
John Tail	...	Escort Warrior
Steve Reevis	...	Sioux #1 / Warrior #1
Sheldon Peters Wolfchild	...	Sioux #2 / Warrior #2 (as Sheldon Wolfchild)
Wes Studi	...	Toughest Pawnee
Buffalo Child	...	Pawnee #1
Clayton Big Eagle	...	Pawnee #2
Richard Leader Charge	...	Pawnee #3
Redwing Ted Nez	...	Sioux Warrior
Marvin Holy	...	Sioux Warrior
Raymond Newholy	...	Sioux Courier
David J. Fuller	...	Kicking Bird's Son
Ryan White Bull	...	Kicking Bird's Eldest Son
Otakuye Conroy	...	Kicking Bird's Daughter
Maretta Big Crow	...	Village Mother
Steven Chambers	...	Guard (as Steve Chambers)
William H. Burton	...	General's Aide
Bill W. Curry	...	Confederate Cavalryman
Nick Thompson	...	Confederate Soldier
Carter Hanner	...	Confederate Soldier
Kent Hays	...	Wagon Driver
Robert Goldman	...	Union Soldier
Frank P. Costanza	...	Tucker
James A. Mitchell	...	Ray
R.L. Curtin	...	Ambush Wagon Driver
Justin	...	Cisco
Teddy	...	Two Socks - a Wolf
Buck	...	Two Socks - a Wolf
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Horton	...	Captain Cargill - extended version
Jim Wilson	...	Doctor (uncredited)

Directed by
Kevin Costner

Writing credits (WGA)
Michael Blake		(screenplay)
Michael Blake		(novel)

Produced by
Bonnie Arnold	....	associate producer
Kevin Costner	....	producer
Jake Eberts	....	executive producer
Derek Kavanagh	....	line producer
Jim Wilson	....	producer

Original Music by
John Barry

Cinematography by
Dean Semler		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
William Hoy
Chip Masamitsu
Steve Potter		(as Stephen Potter)
Neil Travis

Casting by
Elisabeth Leustig

Production Design by
Jeffrey Beecroft

Art Direction by
William Ladd Skinner		(as Wm Ladd Skinner)

Set Decoration by
Lisa Dean

Costume Design by
Elsa Zamparelli

Makeup Department
Tammy Ashmore	....	assistant makeup artist
David Atherton	....	key makeup artist
Linda Bowman	....	assistant hair stylist
Patricia Carrisosa	....	first assistant makeup artist
Elle Elliott	....	chief hair stylist
Tea Jay Glass	....	assistant makeup artist
Terri Goett	....	assistant makeup artist
Tamara Guthrie	....	key hair stylist
Karin Hayes	....	assistant makeup artist
Heather Matisoff	....	assistant hair stylist
Beth Miller	....	assistant hair stylist
Deborah Mills-Whitlock	....	assistant hair stylist (as Deborah Mills-Gusmano)
Francisco X. Pérez	....	chief makeup artist (as Frank Carrisosa)
Linda Peterson	....	assistant hair stylist
Joani Yarbrough	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Michael J. Harker	....	post-production supervisor (4 hour and TV versions)
Derek Kavanagh	....	unit production manager
Robert Fitzgerald	....	post-production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Linda Brachman	....	second second assistant director (as Linda J. Brachman)
Stephen P. Dunn	....	second assistant director
David Fudge	....	dga trainee (as David A. Fudge)
John Huneck	....	second unit director
Doug Metzger	....	first assistant director (as Douglas C. Metzger)
Philip C. Pfeiffer	....	second unit director

Art Department
Ron Ashmore	....	lead painter
Steven K. Barnett	....	on-set dresser
Dave Best	....	foreman: Fort Hayes
Ivica Bilich	....	second assistant propmaster
Chuck Bludsworth	....	second assistant propmaster (as Charles Bludsworth)
Bradford Booth	....	stand-by greens (as Brad Booth)
James Allen Bradley	....	swing gang (as James A. Bradley)
Steve Burg	....	illustrator
John C. Cameron	....	assistant property master (as John Cameron)
Patrick Cassidy	....	leadman (as Patrick T. Cassidy)
Paul Clark	....	greens laborer
Jay B. Curry	....	swing gang
Monte Curry	....	local foreman
Robert Des Jarlais	....	stand-by carpenter
Bill DeYonge	....	local foreman
Al Eylar	....	construction foreman
Reed A. Finch	....	carpenter
Charles Fogg	....	greens laborer
Kerry J. Frosh	....	carpenter
Dawna Gravatt	....	labor foreman
Jeff Hartmann	....	swing gang foreman
Paul Arthur Hartman	....	set dresser (as Paul Aurther Hartman)
Darryl Hayes	....	swing gang
Jim Hill	....	construction foreman
Marvin Holy	....	stand-by carpenter
J.R. Kussman	....	props assistant
Dayna Lee	....	set dresser
Patrick Mollman	....	carpenter
Len Morganti	....	illustrator (as Leonard Morganti)
Andrew Precht	....	model maker
Richard Puga	....	scenic painter
Dave Roden	....	mill man
Thomas Michael Ryan	....	foreman: Fort Hayes
Jim Steere	....	scenic painter
Scott A. Stephens	....	property master
Robert A. Sturtevant	....	shop foreman (as Bob Sturtevant)
Patrick Thoms	....	stand-by scenic painter (as Patrick S. Thoms)
Stephanie Waldron	....	greens supervisor
Ward Welton	....	head scenic painter
Dwain Wilson	....	on-set dresser (as Dwain F. Wilson)
Ben Zeller	....	construction coordinator
Carl Zeller	....	crew boss
Greg Aronowitz	....	fabricator for props master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Albert Aquino	....	boom operator (as Alberto Aquino)
Barbara Barnaby	....	supervising adr editor
Bill W. Benton	....	re-recording mixer (as Bill Benton)
Joel Berkovitz	....	foley editor
Mary Jo Devenney	....	production sound mixer
Rubén Domingo	....	assistant sound editor (as Ruben Domingo)
John Duvall	....	foley editor
Ed Fassl	....	sound editor
Robert Fitzgerald	....	sound designer
Robert Fitzgerald	....	supervising sound editor
Albert Gasser	....	sound editor
Howard Gindoff	....	sound editor
Timothy A. Hoggatt	....	foley mixer (as Tim Hoggat)
Larry Hoki	....	recordist
Chris Jargo	....	adr editor
Doc Kane	....	adr mixer
Lee Loesch	....	cableman
Linda Moss	....	sound editor
Andy Napell	....	re-recording mixer
Dan O'Connell	....	foley artist
Jeffrey Perkins	....	supervising re-recording mixer
Jeff Rosen	....	sound editor
Hari Ryatt	....	supervising sound editor
Gina Spiro	....	assistant adr editor
Alicia Stevenson	....	foley artist
Bruce Stubblefield	....	sound editor
Justine Turner	....	assistant sound editor
Gregory H. Watkins	....	re-recording mixer (as Greg Watkins)
Russell Williams II	....	production sound mixer (as Russell Williams)
Kevin B. Barron	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Matt Colleran	....	dubbing recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Howard Berger	....	buffalo effects supervisor
Michael Bolan	....	special effects assistant
Joseph E. Knott	....	special effects assistant
Robbie Knott	....	chief special effects
Robert Kurtzman	....	buffalo effects supervisor
Gregory Nicotero	....	buffalo effects supervisor (as Greg Nicotero)
Shannon Shea	....	buffalo effects supervisor
John K. Stirber	....	first assistant special effects
Nick Benson	....	special effects (uncredited)
Scott Oshita	....	special effects (uncredited)
John Teska	....	special creature effects: stunt buffalo, KNB (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Robert D. Bailey	....	matte camera crew (as Robert Bailey)
Paul Curley	....	matte camera crew
Rocco Gioffre	....	matte painting crew
Matthew Yuricich	....	matte painting crew
Monty Phillips	....	digital artist (uncredited)

Stunts
James Augare	....	stuntman
William H. Burton	....	stuntman
Steven Chambers	....	stuntman (as Steve Chambers)
Jason Charger	....	stuntman
Leonard Charger	....	stuntman
Danny Costa	....	stuntman
Loren Cuny	....	buffalo hunting stunts
Ricky DeHorse	....	stuntman
Duffy Ducheneaux	....	stuntman
Robbie Dunn	....	stuntman (as Robby Dunn)
H.P. Evetts	....	stuntman
Billy Joe Fredericks	....	buffalo hunting stunts
Jeff Fredericks	....	buffalo hunting stunts
Pete Fredericks	....	buffalo hunting stunts
Terrance Eugene Fredericks	....	stuntman
Rusty Hendrickson	....	stuntman
Kanin Howell	....	stuntman
Norman Howell	....	stunt coordinator (as Norman L. Howell)
Norman Howell	....	stunt double: Mr. Costner (as Norman L. Howell)
Shawn Howell	....	stuntman
Tim Jacobs	....	buffalo hunting stunts
C.L. Johnson	....	stuntman
Dan Koko	....	stuntman
Gumbo Lamb	....	buffalo hunting stunts
Wade Livermont	....	stuntman
Bruz Luger	....	buffalo hunting stunts
Jody Luger	....	buffalo hunting stunts
Alvin William 'Dutch' Lunak	....	stuntman (as Alvin 'Dutch' Lunak)
Steve Martin	....	stuntman (as Steven Earl Martin)
Cliff McLaughlin	....	stuntman
James Pratt	....	stuntman (as Jim Pratt)
Erik Rondell	....	stuntman
Fred Skaggs	....	buffalo hunting stunts
Tater Ward	....	buffalo hunting stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Lee Blasingame	....	first assistant cameraman
Michael C. Blundell	....	electrician (as Michael Blundell)
Bryon Bower	....	grip
Jerry G. Callaway	....	camera crew member: buffalo hunt
Doug Cowden	....	grip
Mark Davison	....	first assistant cameraman
Tony DeVito	....	grip
Michael Dunson	....	grip (as Mike Dunson)
Lyle Ehlers	....	grip
Leigh Feitelberg	....	loader
Blair Forward	....	video playback operator
Michael E. Gips	....	camera crew member: buffalo hunt
Ben Glass	....	still photographer
Raymond Gonzales	....	electrician
Kim Heath	....	best boy grip
John Huneck	....	director of photography: second unit
Jimmy E. Jensen	....	assistant cameraman (as Jimmy Jensen)
David McGill	....	camera crew member: buffalo hunt (as David B. McGill)
Fred L. McLane	....	assistant cameraman
J. Michael Muro	....	Steadicam cinematographer (as James Muro)
J. Michael Muro	....	camera operator (as James Muro)
John Murphy	....	dolly grip
Carol A. Ogihara	....	camera crew member: buffalo hunt (as Carol Ogihara)
William 'Bear' Paul	....	key grip
William Eddie Paul	....	grip (as William Edward Paul)
Víctor Pérez	....	gaffer (as Victor Perez)
Philip C. Pfeiffer	....	director of photography: second unit
Joe Sanchez	....	assistant cameraman (as Joseph Sanchez)
David Sanderson	....	camera crew member: buffalo hunt
Robert Schoenhut	....	camera crew member: buffalo hunt (as R. Holy Bear Schoenhut)
Cory Shiozaki	....	camera crew member: buffalo hunt
S. Phillip Sparks	....	additional camera operator
Kenneth W. Thornton	....	camera crew member: buffalo hunt
Henry Tirl	....	assistant cameraman
Dudley J. Voll	....	second assistant cameraman
Marc Wostak	....	best boy electric

Casting Department
Susan Brown	....	casting assistant
Catherine 'Kitty' Duffy	....	extras casting assistant
Rene Haynes	....	extras casting
Ka-Mook Nichols	....	extras casting assistant (as Darlene 'Ka-Mook' Nichols)
Jory Weitz	....	casting: New York (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ron Beebe	....	costume assistant
Birgitta Bjerke	....	costume supervisor
Julia Gombert	....	assistant costume supervisor
Barbara Gordon	....	set costumer
Cathy Smith	....	costume construction
Zara Turgel	....	costume assistant (uncredited)
Ronald Walkshorse	....	wardrobe assistant (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Robert C. Lusted	....	assistant editor
Eric O. Schusterman	....	apprentice editor
Albert Coleman	....	assistant editor (tv version) (uncredited)
Mike Stanwick	....	color timer (uncredited)

Music Department
John Barry	....	conductor
John J. Coinman	....	music supervisor (as John Coinman)
Cliff Kohlweck	....	music editor (as Clif Kohlweck)
Susan McLean	....	scoring recordist
Greig McRitchie	....	orchestrator (as Greig McRichie)
Shawn Murphy	....	music scoring mixer
Porcupine Singers	....	performers: traditional music
David Foster	....	music producer (uncredited)
Mark McKenzie	....	additional orchestrator (uncredited)
Malcolm McNab	....	musician: solo trumpet (uncredited)

Transportation Department
J. Wesley Adams	....	driver (as James Wesley Adams)
J.R. Allen	....	driver
Dan Dooley	....	driver
Dana Duffy	....	driver
Bernie Duffy Jr.	....	driver
Courtney Field	....	driver
Ron M. Field	....	driver
Phil H. Fravel	....	driver
Carter Hanner	....	driver
Craig M. Hofstrand	....	driver (as Craig Hofstrand)
Wayne Jones	....	transportation co-captain
Scott Kelly	....	driver
Jolene Kusser	....	driver
Todd A. MacDonald	....	driver (as Todd 'Dumbo' MacDonald)
Brian Maguire	....	driver
Ron R. Merritt	....	driver
Robert Molitor	....	driver
Michael Nielsen	....	driver
Matt O'Toole	....	driver
Jim Petti	....	driver (as James Petti)
Jonathan A. Rosenfeld	....	transportation captain (as Jonathan Rosenfeld)
Gary Shuckahosee	....	driver (as Gary Shuckhosee)
David Siegel	....	transportation coordinator
Brian Steagall	....	driver
William Robert Stevens	....	driver (as William Robert 'BS' Stevens)
Chris Summerell	....	driver

Other crew
David L. Aaron	....	title designer
Terry Albright	....	production assistant
Scotty Augare	....	wrangler
Gregory Avellone	....	assistant: Kevin Costner
Larry Belitz	....	technical advisor
Tom Byrnes	....	production assistant
Andy Cannon	....	historic re-enactment coordinator
Brenda J. Carroll	....	stand-in
Allison Conant	....	assistant: Kevin Costner
Cindy Costner	....	wagon master
R.L. Curtin	....	wrangler
Thomas A. Davila	....	assistant accountant
Lynda Donahue	....	production assistant
Alune DuBray	....	additional wolf trainer
Fred Dubray	....	additional wolf trainer
Mark Eilers	....	production assistant
Bob Erickson	....	wrangler
Tutt Esquerre	....	craft service (as Tutt A. Esquerre)
Jan Evans	....	script supervisor
Lynne Ferry	....	assistant production coordinator
Edward Gorsuch	....	production assistant
Peter Haas	....	unit publicist (as Peter W. Haas)
Doris Hartley	....	production coordinator
Stacy Hartley	....	production secretary (as Stacey Hartley)
John T. Haun	....	production accountant
Rusty Hendrickson	....	head trainer
Rusty Hendrickson	....	head wrangler
Tim Hill	....	craft service
Chris A. Hipple	....	assistant location manager
Roy Houck	....	consultant: bison
Beth Ann Irion	....	production assistant
Jay Ivers	....	first aid
Kymberly Jenkins	....	production assistant
Jacqueline C. Johnson	....	production assistant
Jay Johnson	....	title designer
Sean Kavanagh	....	staff assistant
Duane Lammers	....	consultant: bison
Doris Leader Charge	....	dialogue coach
Doris Leader Charge	....	translator: Lakota
Alvin William 'Dutch' Lunak	....	wrangler (as Dutch Lunak)
Moira McLaughlin	....	production assistant
Tim Merrill	....	video documentaries
H. Jane Nauman	....	assistant location manager
Gary E. Pfaff	....	helicopter pilot
Gayle Phelps	....	wolf trainer
Paul 'Sled' Reynolds	....	wolf trainer
Rhonda S. Richards	....	production assistant
Angela Robinson	....	script supervisor: second unit
Don Robinson	....	stand-in
Chris Romberg	....	post-production accountant
Donna Bond Sanders	....	production assistant
Dawn Renae Schmitz	....	assistant accountant
Ingrid Semler	....	wrangler (as Ingrid 'Tilly' Semler)
Burton Sharp	....	group adr coordinator
L. David Silva	....	staff assistant (as David Silva)
S. Fox Sloan	....	animal wrangler: small animals
Cathy Smith	....	technical advisor
Chris Summerell	....	shotmaker operator
Mark Thomason	....	stand-in
Roy Vavra	....	wrangler
Richard Wagner	....	first aid (as Dr. Richard Wagner)
Fran L. Wells	....	production assistant
Dan Wesson	....	animal wrangler: small animals
Tristan Whalley	....	international publicist
Albert White Hat	....	dialogue coach
Albert White Hat	....	translator: Lakota
Tim Wilson	....	location manager
Rick Wyant	....	wrangler
Steve Zukowski	....	craft service (as Steven Zukowski)
Frans J. Afman	....	financial services (uncredited)
Michelle Hartly	....	assistant production coordinator (uncredited)
Dane Pizzuti Krogman	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Robert Lamkin	....	caterer (uncredited)
Steve Martin	....	animal trainer (uncredited)
Robert Zarem	....	publicist: Zarem Inc. (uncredited)

Thanks
Roy Houck	....	special thanks: Triple U Standing Butte Ranch
Kay Ingles	....	special thanks: Triple U Standing Butte Ranch
Gary Keller	....	special thanks: South Dakota Film Commission
Bill Lindström	....	special thanks
George S. Mickelson	....	special thanks (as Honorable Governor George S. Mickelson)
Linda Mickelson Graham	....	special thanks (as Mrs. George S. Mickelson)
Kevin Reynolds	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Tig Productions (presents)
• Majestic Films International

Distributors

• Orion Pictures Corporation (1990) (USA) (theatrical)
• AMLF (1991) (France) (theatrical)
• Avsar Film (1991) (Turkey) (theatrical)
• Egmont Film (1991) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Hoyts Distribution (1991) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Neue Constantin Film (1991) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Plånborg Film (1991) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Pioneer (1992) (UK) (laserdisc)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1993) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Pioneer (1993) (UK) (laserdisc)
• Image Entertainment (1994) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Image Entertainment (1996) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Image Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Image Entertainment (1999) (USA) (laserdisc) (widescreen)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Flashstar Home Vídeo (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Flashstar Home Vídeo (2003) (Brazil) (VHS) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• Aquarius TV (2004) (Greece) (TV)
• LW Editora (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• Prooptiki Bulgaria (2005) (Bulgaria) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (VHS)
• Buena Vista International (1990) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Abril Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (????) (Australia) (VHS)
• Gativideo (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• IDA films (2009) (Spain) (video)
• Image Entertainment (199?) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (director's cut)
• Movies Select Video (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Orion Home Video (199?) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• RCA/Columbia-Hoyts Home Video (199?) (Australia) (VHS)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2003) (Sweden) (DVD) (director's cut)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Towa Video (199?) (Japan) (video) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• 777 Bison Ranch  special thanks
• Badlands National Park  special thanks
• Black Hills National Forest  special thanks
• Captions  video subtitles by
• Cinema Research  titles and optical effects (as Cinema Research Corporation)
• Completion Bond Company  completion guarantee provided by
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production (uncredited)
• Epic Records  soundtrack available on (as Epic Cassettes, Compact Discs and Records)
• For Stars Catering  caterer
• Homestake Mining Company  special thanks
• Indian Images  additional props (uncredited)
• Indian Learning Center  special thanks
• Institute of Range and the American Mustang  special thanks
• International Recording  sound re-recording (as International Recording Corporation)
• K.N.B. Effects Group  mechanical animal effects (as KNB Effects Group)
• Kawasaki  mule utility vehicles (as Kawasaki U.S.A.)
• Living Legends  additional wolf trainer
• Matsuno Design Group  main title artwork
• Musco Light Inc.  musco lighting (uncredited)
• Pierre and Rapid City Chambers of Commerce  special thanks
• Prep Shoot Post  post-production accounting
• Sinte Gleske College  special thanks (uncredited)
• Sioux Indian Nation  special thanks
• Soundbusters  sound editing
• South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks  special thanks
• South Dakota Film Commission  special thanks
• South Dakota Job Services  special thanks
• South Dakota Law Enforcement  special thanks
• Storm Mountain Center  special thanks
• Triple U Standing Butte Ranch  special thanks
• Verendrye Museum  special thanks
• West River Video Productions  special thanks
• Western Costume Company  additional costumes (uncredited)
• Zarem  publicity (uncredited)

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

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Badlands National Park, Interior, South Dakota, USA

Company:

Tig Productions

Trivia:

Mary McDonnell was supposedly very nervous about shooting the love scenes with Kevin Costner, and, per her request, the scene was toned down considerably.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Kicking Bird takes Dunbar to the "Sacred Place" (which in the "The Making of 'Dances With Wolves'" is said to be the Black Hills) Mount Moran (The Grand Tetons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming) stands prominently on the right side of the panorama.

Quotes:

Major Fambrough: [raises a pistol to his head] The king is dead... long live the king.
[pulls the trigger]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Friends: The One with All the Rugby (#4.15)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Fire Dance

I love this movie!

It's hard for me to believe that fourteen years have passed since I first saw this movie. I was only ten at the time, and this was the first movie I ever saw that was both an eye-filling and a mind-filling spectacle.

It was also one of only two theater-going experiences that I ever had with my late grandmother, and I always think of her when I watch this movie. It always takes me back to an earlier time in my life no matter how many times I see it.

This is one movie that could only have been made in the post-Vietnam era, when Americans began to question the moral integrity of their country. How else to explain, in the opening sequence depicting the Civil War, the utter cynicism of the soldier who speaks with Costner's Dunbar character? Or Dunbar's later observation that "there was no dark political objective" to the Sioux battling the Pawnee?

The scene in which Dunbar receives his orders from the mentally ill major also seems to speak of Vietnam, the point being I think that while an entire generation of young men was being cut down in the Civil War the West was being managed by those who were not fit for duty in the larger conflict. Maury Chaykin, in that one scene, gives one of the most memorable and haunting performances I've seen in any film.

This movie's depiction of Native Americans is not nearly as politically correct as it may seem to those who watch it only once or only at a superficial level. In the very first scene depicting Indians, in fact, a Pawnee brave shoots one of the white characters full of arrows and then scalps him. The unrepentant villainy of Wes Studi's character, in particular, recalls the moral simplicity of countless earlier Westerns.

Even the most sympathetic Indian character in the movie, Kicking Bird, is not kind to Dunbar merely to be friendly but because he believes he can get useful information out of the white soldier about the other whites who are encroaching on Sioux territory. The interaction between Dunbar and the Sioux is powerfully effective precisely because the Sioux remain true to themselves. They are not cartoonishly hostile like the Indians depicted in old Westerns, but they are not soft or naïve either.

While this movie draws its inspiration from American epics as diverse as The Birth of a Nation (1915) and The Searchers (1956), its originality lies not only in its respect for Native Americans but also in its intensely personal treatment of the main character. Few other three-hour epics (Lawrence of Arabia and Braveheart come to mind ) have developed their protagonists as fully and dynamically as this movie develops Costner's Dunbar character.

Even after fourteen years, the Dunbar character's arc, going from a suicidal soldier in the opening sequence to an adopted Sioux who in the final scenes puts the needs of his people ahead of his own, is still one of the most remarkable I've seen in any movie. Costner's performance won no awards that I know of, but it provides the movie's indispensably tight focus. He's completely convincing every step of the way, if a bit too clumsy and self-effacing at times, hitting his head in the dark and fainting after a confrontation in a heavy-handed attempt to demystify the West.

Another quality this movie shares with The Searchers is that it associates the physical challenges of the frontier with the testing of the soul. The Dunbar character cleans out the watering hole at the fort because he refuses to lose his humanity like the men before him who abandoned the fort. Later he cannot decide whether he feel more or less at home in the presence of the Sioux, because he is struggling to remain true to himself even as he remains unsure of who he is.

This movie probably disappoints viewers who are looking for sheer entertainment. It's a quiet, thoughtful story, and although there is action in it the focus is on how the action transforms the characters (particularly Dunbar) rather than on the action itself. You won't see any computer-generated comic-book characters in this movie, but you will see real people having real conversations, and you'll see Costner and costar Mary McDonnell engaging in such intimate and convincing love scenes that you'll forget they're acting!

If I could rate the musical score for this movie by itself I'd give it a perfect 10, because it's one of the best I've ever heard, able to stand on its own but fitting the movie like a glove. It is sentimental without being schmaltzy, noble without being pretentious. Best of all, it captures the hesitant emotions of the story, the sense of curiosity overcoming fear and becoming trust.

Only this movie's extreme length works against its total success, particularly in the special edition that runs nearly four hours. The three-hour theatrical version is still long, but it's difficult to say what should have been left out of it.

Some people still resent the fact that Costner won the Best Director Oscar over Scorcese's Goodfellas. There's no question that Scorcese is the better director, but I believe the direction of Dances With Wolves is better than that of Goodfellas. If you disagree with me try this test: imagine that Scorcese did this movie, and Costner directed Goodfellas. It's a question of which directing job is better, not which director is better.

Unlike most epics, this movie ends exactly as it should. The final images, such as the journal floating down the river, the white man and the Native American speaking English to each other, and the brave shouting his farewell from the top of a cliff, are so beautiful and dreamlike that they manage to be both joyful and sad. This is a movie that looks into the very fabric of this country's past, and asks us to do the same.

Rating: 10 (Good job, everybody.)