Customer Reviews

Dances With Wolves

5 star:		(141)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Kevin Costner directed, produced and starred in the 1990 western epic "Dances with Wolves", which was based upon the novel of the same name by author Michael Blake, who also wrote the film's screenplay. Costner plays U.S. Army Lieutenant John G. Dunbar during and shortly after the U.S. Civil War. Following a victory with Union troops under his command, he requests an assignment to the western frontier and is assigned to an isolated military outpost in the Dakota Territory. John waits patiently for other troops to arrive at the outpost, but they never do. With no means to communicate with his superiors, John bides his time by taking care of the outpost and himself, as well as writing in his journal. A nearby wolf begins to take an interest in John. At first, he tries to chase the wolf away, but eventually, the wolf becomes John's unwitting companion. Later, John realizes that there is a nearby Native American Sioux tribe. Members of the tribe meet John, but since they do not have a common language to speak with one another, they are somewhat suspicious of him. Later, they invite John to visit their encampment where he sees a Caucasian woman (Mary McDonnell) living with them. She remembers a little English is able to talk with him and tells him that her name is Stands With A Fist. Eventually, John learns how to speak Sioux and is adopted by the tribe after he helps them.

Originally released at 183 minutes (three hours), the film may seem long; but the characters, story and cinematography keep most viewers fully engaged. The extended director's version is even longer at 236 minutes (four hours). The primary Sioux characters are Kicking Bird (Graham Greene, whose career in film was boosted greatly by this film), Wind in His Hair (Rodney A. Grant), the elder Ten Bears (Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman) and Black Shawl (Tantoo Cardinal). The film won seven Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director (Kevin Costner), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Music, Best Sound and Best Writing--Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Michael Blake). Kevin Costner received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, Graham Greene was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Mary McDonnell was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

Overall, I rate "Dances with Wolves" with 5 out of 5 stars not only for being a very engaging film, but also for its very positive portrayal of Native American life in the former western frontier. Some people may find the film too long, some may be offended by the negative portrayal of U.S. Army soldiers and some may be offended by the negative portrayal of Pawnee tribespeople. Unfortuneately, none of Costner's works following "Dances with Wolves" have been as good. Films that Costner only starred in such as "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (1991), "A Perfect World" (1993) and "Wyatt Earp" (1994) were entertaining; but films that he both starred in and directed were box office disasters: "Waterworld" (1995) and "The Postman" (1997). Perhaps his next directorial work (that he also stars in) will be better: "Open Range", slated for release in May, 2003.

When Dances With Wolves first came out, I had some doubts about seeing it. All of my life I had seen movies that either presented my tribe (the "Sioux" or more accurately the "Lakota") as a bunch of savages, or used non-Native American actors to portray "Indian" roles. The book, Dances with Wolves was dumb (they were Comanches???). The movie surprised me. If it hadn't been for Kevin Costner's acting, I would give this five stars. He did a great job of directing the movie, but he came across as a total idiot in the movie ( in my opinion). What I liked most about the film was the accuracy, and use of the language (which was my first tongue), as well as the Native American cast. The extended version is even better, filling in a few gaps, and expanding on a few scenes that needed it. Overall, a very good movie; I can't count how many times I have seen it.

I wont bother going into details about the film itself. If by chance you haven't already seen Dances With Wolves or haven't at least heard about it then there are already hundreds, if not thousands, of reviews already written that go into detail about the film itself. At this point I really dont think I can significantly add to whats already been said about this film. Ill simply say that it was, and still is, one of my all time favorite films.

I am writing this review urging people to buy the 20th Anniversary Blu-Ray Edition for one reason and one reason only, the soundtrack. This is not to say that the soundtrack is the only worthy upgrade in this version, quite the contrary as I think this version is outstanding in every possible way (unlike the previous releases). Its simply because its worth upgrading to just for the soundtrack alone. Its hands down one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard and until you have heard it in all its glory on Blu_Ray....well your really missing out as this is one of those rare films where the soundtrack takes the film to a completely new level and this Blu-Ray version is so superior to the previous releases that its really like hearing it again for the very first time.

I have been a HUGE fan of this score since I first heard it. In fact, its pretty much the only thing I listen to when I go storm chasing every year. I just play it again and again and again and again and I have been doing this since I first started chasing over 10 years ago. I just never get sick of it and its really become one of the staples to my entire trip. The people I chase with actually make jokes over the radio. Statements like "Oh no, he is playing it again" followed by laughter are extremely common.

Anyways this release certainly doesn't disappoint in this regard. The 7.1 DTS-HD master, running roughly over 4600kbs, is absolutely breathtaking. Actually breathtaking doesn't even properly describe just how stunning it is. Its really futile even trying to put it into words. I purchased a new audio system from ADA last year and I have never heard my set-up sound this good. I literally sat in awe for the first 30 minutes of the film. It really must be heard to be believed.

Bottom line - There are a lot of reasons to buy this Blu-Ray but for me one reason stuck out far above the others, the score. If your a fan of this film and even remotely enjoyed the score then you should be ordering this as soon as humanely possible. If you haven't seen this film and are a fan of quality scores then your missing out on one of the most iconic American scores ever produced and its never sounded better than it does on the 20th Anniversary Blu-Ray edition. Its like your standing right in the middle of the orchestra. This is really what hi-def is all about.

5 stars

"Dances With Wolves" is the epic, revisionist western directed by and starring Kevin Costner. In scope and size, this is one galliant, masterfully directed motion picture and the well-deserving recipient of 9 Academy Awards. PLOT: After surviving a suicide charge on the field of honor, Major John Dunbar travels to the west, establishing a life-long friendship with the Sioux Indians.
Originally running nearly three hours in theaters, a full hour of footage was excised to keep the already elephantine running time manageable. For years, on VHS and DVD, only the theatrical cut of this film has been made available, though Image laserdisc did release the full 3 hr. 58 min. version in a deluxe box set back in the mid-1990's. That fully restored running time is finally given the full digital treatment via this DVD release. Too lengthy to fit on one side of a DVD, MGM has spread the feature film over two sides on the first disc. Since no intermission was ever intended, the cut comes about midway through and is obtrusive to your viewing experience. However, as there is no other way to ensure the intregity of compression artifacts, this cut is, if not forgiveable, at least palpable.
MGM DVD has done a very nice job on remastering "Dances With Wolves". The original DVD from Image Entertainment had deeper contrast and black levels, but adjusting the contrast on one's television corrects the softer levels on this disc. Shadow delineation is beautifully rendered. Colors are vibrant, bold and accurate. Some minor edge enhancement occurs but shimmering and pixelization are at a bare minimum. The audio is 5.1 and pretty much the same mix as the original Image DVD.
EXTRAS: Audio commentaries that are, for the most part, interesting, an all-new production featurette, the original featurette and a host of other well-meaning, though rather lack luster extras that have merely been designed to fill up space on disc #2. I must also give MGM less than top marks for their packaging. After the handsomely bound "West Side Story" special edition I was perhaps expecting too much to think that, even though a leather bound case would be out of the question for "Dances With Wolves", at the very least we'd get something stronger in faux leather (like the "Pearl Harbor" disc packaging) than the flimsy, barely cardboard, shell we do get with its Velcro snapper. Taaa-cky!
BOTTOM LINE: This is the definitive version of "Dances With Wolves". It is the way Costner and his production team intended you to experience the movie and it is most definitely worth every penny to buy. Enjoy!

Whoa there, partner! Here is the gospel truth, according to The Digital Bits, MGM Home Entertainment, in conjunction with 20th Century Fox, will release "Dances with Wolves" on Blu-ray on January 11, 2011. This BD will present the extended cut of this Oscar-winning western starring and directed by Kevin Costner. Most of the previous DVD extras will reportedly be included, along with newly-produced material. Also, according to Blu-Ray.com, this 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-Ray release will indeed be the Director's extended cut at 236 minutes (3 hrs 56 mins), with the original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, the Video codec of MPEG-4 AVC and the resolution at 1080p.

So, we won't be getting it in time for Christmas, but we're going to be getting the best possible release (read the longest length) and even newly produced material. So, you can stop all the badgering of Amazon and MGM, partners! Mosey on over to your shoppin' basket and drop one of `em in, sign in & place your pre-order. This is just a suggestion, mind you. Amazon will eventually get around to updating their website to reflect 236 minutes for this Blu-Ray version.

Obviously, I cannot rate the video transfer and audio quality of the Blu-Ray edition until after it is released. If it does not measure up to my current rating, I will amend it after having watched the Blu-Ray version. But, my "Collector's Edition" SDVD was worth every penny which appeared to push the limits of my top of the line Samsung Blu-Ray (which up-converts SDVD discs) player and Samsung's last year's top of the line LED LCD TV, not to mention the limits of my poor old eyes.

With so much at stake, I am willing to bet MGM took the time and expense to get this one done right this time around. Mine is on pre-order and can hardly wait to saddle up one more time with this old friend.

Now, if they'd only dust off their other classic westerns, restore 'em, remaster 'em and release 'em too...but, that is a whole different story!

True Grit is finally getting the Blu-Ray treatment, but only because of the pending release in theaters on Christmas Day of an updated version with all new stars. They had to be kicked in the britches to get their attention and the original "True Grit" was an Academy Award winner for the Duke. It is a crime the way the old classic westerns are being treated by the studios. The demand for quality classic westerns on Blu-Ray is there. The studios are just not listening, nor willing to incur the expense to "do them right". I'd better step down from my soap box now, 'cause I get upset when I think about how they're ignoring us classic western collectors.

Update:11/24/10: Amazon has updated their website's listing for this Blu-Ray release from 181 minutes to 236 minutes just as I predicted they'd get around to doin'.

In 1990, actor/director Kevin Costner along with novelist/screenplay writer Michael Blake took on an ambitious project of developing a film titled "Dances with Wolves" with a budget of only $22 million. Shot in South Dakota and Wyoming, the epic western would become one of the most memorable films to be created.

With rave reviews, the film would make $424 million worldwide, would be credited for the revitalization of the Western genre in Hollywood and a film that would give Native Americans a sympathetic portrayal.

"Dances with Wolves" would win a total of 7 Academy Awards including "Best Picture", "Directing", "Writing Adapted Screenplay", "Cinematography", "Film Editing", "Sound Mixing", "Original Musical Score" and also win a Golden Globe for "Best Motion Picture Drama" and "Best Director".

In 2007, "Dances with Wolves" was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

While "Dances with Wolves" have received a number of DVD releases, from its 180-minute theatrical version in 1998, a DTS version released in 1999 and then a special edition featuring a 236 minute Director's Cut in 2003, "Dances with Wolves" receives its first released in HD via Blu-ray with "Dances with Wolves: 20th Anniversary" edition which includes the special edition features from 2003 as well as utilizing newer features with Blu-ray technology.

VIDEO:

"Dances with Wolves: 20th Anniversary" is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:35:1 aspect ratio). Having owned previous incarnations of the DVD release, especially the original 1998 DVD release, one thing I have noticed on Blu-ray is how vibrant the colors look on Blu-ray.

From the golden weeds and grass that surround the area and the blue skies up above, You can literally see the shading and detail of those long strands of grass and when it comes to showcasing the Fort or even the Indian camp and seeing the animal hide on the clothing to the tents, there is quite a bit of detail that can be seen.

Also, when you see a close up of Dunbar's face, you can see skin pores, clear stubble. Especially when you see the war paint applied on the skin surface, everything looks clear and detailed!

Blacks are nice and deep, there is a fine layer of grain.I personally didn't see any blemishes or traces of DNR or any softness. Overall, awesome PQ for "Dances with Wolves".

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"Dances with Wolves: 20th Anniversary" is presented in English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio with English Dolby Surround. As the majority of the film features dialogue, when there's action...may it be horses riding in the distance, the buffalo trampling and skidding on the ground, the rifle shots, the lossless soundtrack does a good job in making those scenes quite immersive by utilizing every channel.

Even in non-action scenes, a good number of ambiance of how things sound outdoors. So, bugs, birds, dogs, horses, everything can be heard all around you.

Dialogue is crisp and clear and the music by John Barry is fantastic via lossless!

Subtitles are provided in English SDH, Spanish and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Dances with Wolves: 20th Anniversary" comes with the following special features:

DISC 1:

* Audio Commentary - Audio commentary by Kevin Costner and Producer Jim Wilson. An excellent audio commentary which was included in the 2003 special edition release. Both Costner and Wilson provide plenty of information on various scenes, challenges they had and just really deliver with this informative commentary track.
* Audio Commentary- Audio commentary by Director of Photography Dean Semler and Film Editor Neil Travis. Another awesome audio commentary previously included in the special edition that deals directly with cinematography and editing.
* Military Rank and Social Hiearchy Guide - While watching the film, whenever a soldier of rank appears, a rank insignia on the bottom shows up and gives you details of the soldier's duties.
* Real History or Movie Make-Believe - A trivia track that can be watched during the film. The only problem is that when you go to the next question, it pauses the video for a few seconds.

DISC 2:

* A Day in the Life on the Western Frontier - (14:18) A new feature for Blu-ray in which we learn about the true story of those who migrated west to settle in the plain states. From the dangers they faced, the making of sod houses, featuring photos from that era and more.
* Original Making of Dances with Wolves - (20:58) An older making of "Dances with Wolves" featuring Kevin Costner , producer Jim Wilson and writer Michael Blake talking about their experiences of making the film and how the screenplay was written and how Costner was brought into the film.
* The Creation of an Epic: A Retrospective Documentary - (1:14:39) From the 2003 special edition, Kevin Costner, Jim Wilson, Michael Blake, Mary McDonnell and others talk about their experience working on the film. From information of novel to screen, actor becomes director, the buffalo hunt, the look and sound of "Dances with Wolves", the art of composition and the success of the film.
* Original Music Video featuring Music by John Barry - (3:52) Featuring cast and crew photos with music by John Barry.
* Second Wind - (5:18) Originally an Easter Egg on the Special Edition DVD release, this features Editor Neil Travis showcasing his presentation reel "Second Wind".
* Confederate March and Music - (2:13) Featuring a Civil War re-enactment.
* Getting the Point - (3:58) Showcasing how a bow and arrow shot was filmed.
* Burying the Hatchet - (1:12) A feature on how the hatchet scene was shot.
* Animatronic Buffalo - (2:18) The creation of the dead Buffalo scene using animatronics.
* Dances Photo Montage with Introduction by Photographer Bill Glass - (9:21) Bill Glass, who was in charge of still shots, talks about his experience and showing us the photos he took during the film via a photo montage with music by John Barry.
* Photo Gallery - Using your remote, you can cycle through photos taken during the filming of "Dances with Wolves".
* Original Theatrical Trailer - (2:35) The original theatrical trailer for "Dances with Wolves".
* TV Spot: Courage and Passion - (:32) A TV spot for "Dances with Wolves".
* TV Spot: Academy Campaign - (:32) Another TV spot for "Dances with Wolves".

EXTRAS:

"Dances with Wolves: 20th Anniversary" comes with an embossed slip case cover.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"Dances with Wolves" is an important film that will probably be the finest Kevin Costner film ever directed and film that he has starred in.

The film was not only fantastic but it shows how this crew and its talent really went all out in making sure that this film which was seen as not even possible to shoot under $20 million, was successfully made but that they really went all out for this film.

And when I say, "went all out", I mean that there were risks that were taken. The buffalo stampede and having to shoot a bow and arrow to Costner having to ride a horse in the middle of a stampede with both hands on a rifle, many people today would think that whole scene was absolutely crazy (as it would probably be done digitally). But Costner and crew made it happen!

Also, no matter how execs tried to have Costner and crew cut the film, these men stood behind their work and made sure that their film would not be butchered. Once again, a film that was seen as improbable was made possible with literally blood, sweat and tears and in the end, the film was amazingly successful.

I know that there are some people who felt that "Goodfellas" and even "The Godfather III" were deserving of the many awards that "Dances with Wolves" had won back in 1990 but really, this epic western was excellent. When I first watched it, I was surprised because Native Americans in films that do portray Indians, typically portray them as savages. This was a film that literally shows them as a group that lived off the land, that were there first and were just defending their land and their families. So, I felt that the screenplay was excellently written by Michael Blake and portrayed quite wonderfully onscreen courtesy of Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A Grant, Floyd Westerman, Tantoo Cardinal, Michael Spears and the many talent who made viewers feel this film feel quite authentic.

As for the Blu-ray release, I can tell you right now, even if you own the wonderful 2003 special edition DVD release, the picture quality and lossless soundtrack definitely warrant an upgrade. Sure, the special features are familiar features to those who own the previous special edition but to watch this in HD, I was quite impressed by the overall detail and how vibrant the film looked.

If you love this film, it's really an easy choice to make, "Dances with Wolves: 20th Anniversary" on Blu-ray is highly recommended!

Although the film is a good one, I had to write this bad review, not for the film, but for the DVD arrangement on this Collector Edition. The first disk is two sided and has part 1 of the movie on side 1 and part 2 on the other side. The second disk contains the special features. Whatever moron decided this was a good idea has no clue about collectors and what they look for. This should have been put on three disks or at least put the special features on the B side, so the movie could be watched without having to manually remove the disk from the player and turn it over. I have a multi-disk player so I can just put them in the player and select which movie I want to see, sort of like a juke box, but with this DVD's arrangement, that isn't possible. Out of over 400 DVD's this is the only one that does such a thing (other than having a full screen on one side a widescreen on the other, that's Ok). The problem isn't the kind of thing one can return it for, so this one will go in the reject pile while I look for a better version (probably not available).

Why it took this long to release 'Dances With Wolves' in Blu-ray, I will never know...perhaps there were technical difficulties, etc. I was a little disappointed with the lack of razor-like resolution that I expected, but it was still good enough to impress versus DVD. As others have said, the sound was much better (and perhaps that is primarily due to my own upgraded system).
The strongest impact for me, however, of this director's cut was seeing visuals and scenes that I don't remember seeing anywhere, even though I have been buying "enhanced" releases of Dances since VHS! There is one scene of Dunbar looking through his spy glass that is especially breathtaking. The scene is shot through a long lens and at a great distance from Dunbar. The result is massive towering cumulus clouds against a sunset blue sky that seem to rise directly out of the swell where Dunbar is standing. It was probably cut originally because it mirrors another scene on the cutting room floor in which the officer in charge of the abandoned Ft. Sedgewick is looking vainly through HIS spyglass for the relief column which never comes. The Dunbar scene only lasts a few seconds and should not have been cut from the original. The feeling of vastness and "aloneness" is overwhelming. I had to replay and freeze the image over and over again (yes, dammit, with tears in my eyes). For me, there is no doubt that these additional scenes and images are worth the price of the new edition on their own, regardless of the Blu-ray enhancement. Of course, this is coming from someone who considers 'Dances' to be the best movie ever made.

It was nice to see an extended version of the film, though I can now say after watching it that I understand why these scenes were cut out for the original version. There's nothing really you can't do without.. just lots of just random non-important scenes. Since this is a different cut of the film, the music cues are different which is hard at times. For instance, later on in the film when Kicking Bird is telling Costner about "the trail of becoming a true human being" there is beautiful score music in the background on the original version but for this extended version there's no music at all. The scene isn't nearly as powerful. I'm not complaining mind you, just letting those who are curious know more about the extended version to determine whether it's worth it or not. You decide. I love this film!

If you're buying this recently there is a good chance you won't be getting the slip cover with it. All signs point to anyone selling this that they no longer are giving the slip cover with it. It makes sense from a business stand point but for a fan its pretty disappointing.