Dances with Wolves (1990)
Tatanka? Tatanka.
THE SUMMARY: A Civil War-weary soldier heads to the frontier to find his post abandoned, so he flips teams and becomes a Rachel Dolezal of the Indians by marrying the actual Rachel Dolezal of the Indians. It’s too long, and at times too indulgent in ‘white devil’ themes, but overall, it’s a beautiful presentation of the way of life that predated the modern west, with a fair look at all sides of the conflict that built what it is today.
FROM MOVIE-PICKER TOM N: Starring and directed by Kevin Costner, Dances with Wolves is a must-watch for anyone who likes movies about the Wild West and the relationships (both good and bad) between settlers and Native Americans. It has beautiful scenery shot on the American plains, and an amazing soundtrack.
THE BEST:
Everyone is both an enemy and a friend: With the possible exception of the later fights between the Army and the Sioux, this movie does a good job of showing the merits and faults of both cultures. It’s less about ‘good guys’ against ‘bad guys,’ and more about a search for understanding between two peoples destined for conflict as the United States expands westward.
Early in the movie, the Sioux are hostile aggressors. Wind in His Hair yells at Dunbar to leave. The tribe discusses white people as a ‘poor race.’ As opposed to the modern narrative of nothing but evil white people slaughtering Indians for sport, early conflict is avoided primarily because of Dunbar’s goodwill (as well as Kicking Bird’s), goodwill that is validated by Wind in His Hair shouting his loyalty at the end of the movie.
Likewise, the rival Pawnee are as strong a threat to the Sioux as the US Army is. The villainous portrayal of the Pawnee is disputed by some historians as inaccurate, but whether this specific conflict is historically correct or not, I appreciate the demonstration that long before a single white person ever arrived, there were longstanding blood feuds between these people that were settled with barbaric violence.
The politics and the warfare of the west is much more complex than evil whites against peaceful natives, and Dances with Wolves is a thoughtful depiction of it.
A high effort for authenticity: Dances with Wolves employed several Indian consultants not just for costuming and visuals, but for language. The producers hired Doris Leader Charge, a Lakota professor on the Rosebud Indian reservation in South Dakota, to translate the script and to coach actors in speaking the language. Leader Charge also performed in the movie as Ten Bears’ wife, Pretty Shield. Usually I’m annoyed with subtitled movies, but in this case, I’ll allow it - it’s a high effort for an authentic presentation of the side of the story that until this point, we didn’t often see or hear.
A reminder of true hardship: As tough as things get, it won’t get abandoned-on-the-Dakota-prairie bad. The hostility of the environment, and the hostility of the warrior inhabitants - the movie is a reminder of the toughness it takes to venture into wild unsettlement and start a new life with nothing. It’s what made the west so exciting and terrifying, the force that both attracted and killed thousands. The people who built what we have were much tougher than we are, and it’s always wise to consider our complaints in their context.
The Pawnee attack scene
Tatanka
The Yellowstone influence and the tributes: As a big fan of Yellowstone, I halfway expected to see some bizarro mashup on the prairie where John Dunbar runs into JD Dutton from 1883 and they Spiderman-point at each other while Dunbar realizes he’s somehow actually JD’s great-great grandson. It’s not just the actor crossover - Costner’s work 30 years ago is strongly influential on the series in which he stars now. 1883’s buffalo hunt is clearly a nod to Dances with Wolves - the scenes are nearly identical. It’s also notable that Kicking Bird returns as Spotted Eagle in 1883, the Indian man who guides JD to Elsa’s gravesite and the future home of the Dutton ranch in Paradise Valley, Montana. Incidentally, in this story Spotted Eagle is a Crow, and the Lakota Sioux are the villains who have mortally wounded Elsa.
THE WORST: Most of these gripes are petty, and what this movie does well is more significant than what it doesn’t, but I do think these faults are worthy of mention.
Yes, it’s too long: If there’s anything more annoying than a movie that’s too long, it’s reading or listening to me bitch about it at similar length. But yes, Dances with Wolves is too long. I get there’s a recurring theme of Dunbar sacrificing himself, but the Civil War backstory is minimally relevant and could easily be cut down to get to the point of the movie - the west. Struggle with communication is a key theme of the movie, granted, but I don’t need to see ten minutes of charades just to figure out each other’s names. And like many westerns, there’s a lot of time spent just admiring the landscape. Yes - I’ve seen the grasses of the prairie, when the sun is rising, when the sun is setting, when it’s raining, and under all conditions. Get moving, cowboy.
There’s little reason for a nearly three hour presentation (excluding credits). Cut it down, and get to the point, and this movie teeters on a Five Wicky for me.
Somewhat unsatisfying ending: The ending was anti-climactic. Dunbar sacrificing himself for the sake of the tribe makes sense, but I wish there was more detail than just riding off into the bitter Dakota winter. Did he return to white settlement or did the Army find him? If so, was he prosecuted and hanged as promised? Or did he and Stands with a Fist take their survival skills to build a new settlement of their own? Dunbar mentions he and his wife are trying to have a baby, but that premise goes nowhere. For a movie that ends on the theme of sacrifice, I would like to see what the sacrifice actually earned.
The ‘80s feathered hair: It looks like an impromptu wedding at a metal concert. What exactly was the Indian salon technique to achieve this look? The longer the movie goes, the more primped the white hairdos become.
Thank God they updated the terrible poster/cover art: It has nothing to do with the movie’s content itself - I just think the original promotional graphics for Dances with Wolves were hilariously bad. For a movie with so many dramatic and compelling scenes (see the header photo above), they originally chose to promote it with an image of buffalo so foggy you have to squint like it’s one of those 3D optical illusions to see them, plus a horribly cropped photo of Costner that doesn’t even look like he’s in Dunbar character. Don’t judge a book (or movie) by its cover, but in this case, I’m surprised more people didn’t, and the movie went on to win Best Picture and numerous other awards.
The wedding scene
Someone should be fired
THE RATING: 4/5 Wickies. Somewhat drawn out, but overall a compelling look at the relationships and conflicts that built the west.
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NEXT WEEK: The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
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