|
Actors: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene
|
|
| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Dances With Wolves |
|---|
Lt. John Dunbar (Costner), about to have his foot amputated in a Union field hospital in Tennessee, runs away in protest and rides in a suicidal dash toward Confederate lines, accidentally leading a charge and becoming a decorated hero. Asked for whatever posting he wants, he asks to be sent to the Dakota territory. The remote Western outpost turns out to be deserted, but he makes a friend of a lonely wolf he names "Two-Socks," and gradually gets to know the local Sioux tribe, who eventually accept and name him "Dances with Wolves." One of the members of the tribe is a white woman, Stands With a Fist (McDonnell) who was taken in and raised by the Sioux after her parents were killed by the Pawnee. She and Dunbar gradually fall in love, and as the white settlers and Army move into the territory, Dunbar has to make some hard choices. This sweeping, sensitive, nuanced 1990 film, which featured a full third of its dialogue in authentic Lakota Indian dialect, was Costner's directorial debut, and won 7 Oscars, including Best Picture (the first Western so honored since "Cimarron" in 1931!), Best Direction, and Best Screenplay.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
|
After surviving a suicidal ploy to divert Confederate gunfire, Lt. John Dunbar (Costner) is rewarded with the assignment of his choice.
He selects South Dakota to see the unspoiled frontier for himself. Inevitably, he encounters some native Lakota Indians with whom he exchanges coffee and a few grunts (“good trade”).
A curiosity at first, Dunbar learns and appreciates the Lakota customs and language while becoming friendly with one brave in particular, Kicking Bird (Greene). He also becomes attracted to “Stands With a Fist” (McDonnell), a white woman the tribe adopted decades ago whom he eventually marries.
Dunbar earns more and more trust including watching over the young and participating in a spectacular buffalo hunt. But as the confident elders relate their ancestors' many victories, Dunbar warns that the encroaching white man (“as many as the stars,”) poses a far greater threat than any of their past enemies. He convinces the tribe to move into the mountains now.
As Dunbar returns to his post in full Lakota dress, he is met by a cavalry company who realize he's “turned injun, huh?” Insisting to the Captain that, “there are no hostiles here,” he is beaten, then offered the opportunity to betray the Lakota by revealing their campsite and acting as interpreter. If he complies, his “status as a traitor might be re-evaluated.”
--Angry Jim Magin, Resident Scholar
|
Infantry soldier, John Dunbar (Costner) gets transferred to a deserted fort during the civil war and discovers the true reality of how Native American Indians really act. Questioning his own ethnic background, Dunbar finds himself more an more letting go of all he knew as well as falling in love with an adopted indian/white women as well as befriending the entire tribe. Winner of 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture (1990), Dances With Wolves is a classic that will live on forever.
--Alan, Resident Scholar
|
| Analysis of Dances With Wolves |
|---|
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
books by breaking them down into many different literary
elements, all of which are searchable (click here). |
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 19th century
Ethnic/Regional/Gender story?
Yes
Culture clash?
- visiting a different culture
Culture of surrounding area:
- American Indian
- American West
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- infantry soldier
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard wavey
Events of movie makes character more...
- sensitive
- caring
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Unclothed?
- chest
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an entire race
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- infantry soldier
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 40%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- West
Prairie?
Yes
Misc setting
- fort/military installation
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- very explicit references to deaths and torture
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
- licking
- actual description of sex
- seeing breasts
- seeing nude male butt
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Folk music
Is this movie based on a
- book
|
| Most similar reviews by Gordonator ranking |
|---|
| Little Big Man
starring Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Chief Dan George, William Hickey, Richard Mulligan, Martin Balsam, Cal Bellini, Carole Androsky, Thayer David, Jeff Core
|
| The Trail to Hope Rose
starring Lou Diamond Phillips, Ernest Borgnine, Lee Majors
|
| The Barber of Siberia
starring Oleg Menshikov, Julia Ormond, Richard Harris, Alexei Petrenko
|
| The Last Samurai (2003)
starring Tom Cruise
|
| Anna and the King
starring Jodie Foster, Chow Yun-Fat
|
|
Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 David Loftus
SCHOLARS:
|
|
Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
|
