The 13TH Hall of Fame

While I know embarrassingly little about American history, Dances with Wolves does look and feel truly authentic. The costumes and sets are simply spectacular, and with a story that is almost universal in nature, facts like whether it was the Sioux or the Pawnee who were historically known as being the more aggressive tribe are irrelevant in my opinion. The Sioux in this film could easily have been replaced with a number of other Native American tribes instead, since the loss of resources and traditional ways of life was something that affected every tribe across the country. That fact is actually something that quietly haunts this film from start to finish, since we, as modern viewers, know exactly what is going to happen to these people. You can see that the invasion of their land weighs heavy on their minds, but they are unaware of the scope of the tragedies that will soon occur.

The following two paragraphs contain spoilers, so you may not wish to read them if you have not already seen the film.

I decided to look up the differences between the Extended and Theatrical cuts in case any of the things I wanted to mention were only available in the longer version. I discovered that many of the scenes I enjoyed the most were actually only part of the Extended cut, so I'm glad that I dedicated the extra hour to watching this film. In particular, the scenes throughout the first half of the film where John is bonding with Two Socks is something I definitely would've missed in the Theatrical cut, especially since it plays such an important role in the Sioux name he is eventually granted. Also, moments which show John's acceptance into the tribe, such as the touching scene where his neighbours donate their own belongings so that he has something to offer Kicking Bird seem like travesties to cut. An earlier scene where Kicking Bird and Two Bears discuss signs is probably not necessary to the overall plot, but it ends on such an entertaining line that it became one of my favourites.

And none of that even includes the scenes that show how much John has truly become “Dances with Wolves” instead of “Lieutenant Dunbar”. His complete apathy for his soldier's duties after the buffalo hunt, and his disgust at the sight of the abandoned hunter's camp near sacred ground really help sell how his immersion in the Sioux culture has changed him. He was once a partly selfish soldier so afraid of losing his leg that he'd rather commit suicide by riding straight into the enemy lines, but is transformed into a man who will put the needs of his adoptive community before his own wishes. He is no longer looking for a taste of the American Frontier before it is lost, but is rather someone who is afraid that the culture and legacy of a great group of people will be destroyed by disrespectful men he once called his brothers. Those scenes might not be critical to that understanding, but I think they're definitely worth seeing.

I think I got a little off track there, but I was just astonished by what was actually cut from the film. To anyone who loves Dances with Wolves but has only seen the Theatrical version, I think you are doing yourself and this film a disservice by not watching the Extended cut instead. There was one thing about both cuts of the film that a lot of people seemed to like that I don't actually agree with, and that's the narration. While I liked Costner's performance and his character, I didn't actually like his voice over work at all. The writing was perfectly fine and even occasionally poetic, but I just didn't care for his delivery. Ultimately that is a very minor complaint though, and it didn't really distract me from the film too much.