Best quote: "Let us smoke awhile." [Narrator] "With Ten Bears, it was always more than awhile." - Ten Bears and Dances With Wolves (John Dunbar)
A classic film only comes around once in a blue moon, but in the early 1990's there were two. The first on was JFK; the second one is this film: Dances With Wolves.
The film is set just after the American Revolution in a time when no one knew what to expect on the grassy plains.
Lt. John Dunbar (Kevin Costner), a war hero, has his choice of posts. He chooses a fort in the outermost regions of the frontier. Living alone, with only his horse and a wolf, "Two Socks," to keep him company, Dunbar awaits reinforcements from back east. But they do not come.
One day he is attacked by Sioux warriors, but manages to survive. Intrigued, Dunbar decides to visit the Native camp to learn about them... and they wish to learn about Dunbar.
It is very hard for Dunbar and the head Native, “Kicking Bird” (Graham Green), to communicate, but they do so cautiously. Dunbar helps out the Sioux, and in turn they help him out. They form an uneasy alliance that will stand all sorts of tests.
The Western genre had been deemed "dead" for many years, and it wasn't until movies like Dances With Wolves and Unforgiven that it came alive again. But Dances With Wolves didn't just ignite the western craze; it blew it into our subconscious. This film should make you cry. It should make you wonder. If nothing else, it should make you feel sick for the way the white man treated the Native Americans.
The Natives were here in North America living their lives like we live ours: gathering food, making clothing, shelter. They only wanted to live a normal life, but that was lost when the white man came. The white man slaughtered Buffalo, their food supply; at times, they killed the Natives for no reason at all.
BUT WHY?
Kevin Costner did an outstanding job with Dances With Wolves. Not only was he a brilliant director, but his acting was superb. He was truly robbed of the Oscar for acting (but he was rightfully given it for direction).
And as Graham Green stated on The Red Green Show, "Dances with Wolves. Great Movie. They should have given the Oscar to the Indian."
Few, if any movies can truly be called a "masterpiece." Casablanca is one of them; It's a Wonderful Life and JFK are some more. But Dances With Wolves is more than a masterpiece. It is a film that has been begging to be told for decades. It is what many movies can only dream of achieving; it is a movie that should be viewed by everyone.
Plot: 
Undeniably one of the best movies of the 1990's, and one of the best of all time. Certainly one of the BEST best Pictures.
Visual Effects:
Brilliant cinematography. The shots are varied and are well done.
The Buffalo hunt is one of the truly great scenes captured on film.
Sound:
The musical score is exceptional, and the sound effects are very good as well. John Barry's score is terrific.
Character Development:
We first see suicidal John Dunbar, ready to die; we then see frontier seeking John Dunbar; next comes interested in the Native Americans John Dunbar; then comes newly named Dances With Wolves, and finally married Dances With Wolves.
John Dunbar truly progresses in his learning of the Sioux culture. “Stands With A Fist” and “Kicking Bird” go through almost all the same motions, learning about the white man.
The development of John Dunbar is without parallel in this film, but don't forget that the others change as well, including the members of the Sioux tribe. They were enemies at first, but this quote says it all:
"Dances With Wolves! I am Wind In His Hair! Do you see that I am your friend? Can you see that you will always be my friend?"
Atmosphere:
It is so easy to get lost in this western epic, and not just because it's a damn good film.
Realism:
This is as real a film as you can get but there are some things wrong; hardly noticeable, though... but still there. Full marks, anyway.
Warren’s Rating:
Movies it beat out for Best Picture:
Awakenings, (1990); Ghost, (1990); The Godfather: Part III, (1990); Goodfellas, (1990)
10/10Is the movie worth your time to watch?
13-10-03
