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 | American Civil War | Wolf | 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

Runtime:

181 min | USA:224 min (extended version) | USA:236 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | Sioux | Pawnee

Colour:

Colour

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:

Kevin Costner's spreading out of his arms while doing his suicide run at the start of the film was a completely spontaneous gesture that took his stunt coordinator by surprise.

Goofs:

Factual errors: During the hunt scene, the Lakota are repeatedly shown immediately bringing down the stampeding buffalo with single arrow shots. Bowhunting does not work that way. In reality, the hunters would have to track the wounded animals, sometimes for miles, until they bled out.

Quotes:

John Dunbar: Nothing I have been told about these people is correct. They are not thieves or beggars. They are not the bogeymen they are made out to be. On the contrary, they are polite guest and I enjoy their humor.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Gilmore Girls: 'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous (#7.4)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Fire Dance

Not in top 250?

What the heck are people thinking! There are way too many Costner bashers on the internet. This was a revolutionary motion picture at its time, never has a story about the American indians ever been told with such emotion and grace. What a sham. For the record Costner is not that bad of an actor.

9/10