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1990: Dances With Wolves
1990 was another good year for films, but again, not a great one. My very close runner-up is Martin Scorsese's GoodFellas. What a well made film. I might be kicking myself in a month for not choosing it as my best of the year. But Dances With Wolves is my all-time favourite Western film and it had a great impact on me. My other runner-ups are The Godfather Part III, which I have confessed to liking more than Part I, & Miller's Crossing, one of the Coen's more underrated films. Two other films I liked/enjoyed were Total Recall & Pretty Woman.
Back in 1990, before I was born, there was talk of Kevin Costner's western epic being a commercial and critical flop. How wrong they were. Dances With Wolves was released to tremendous critical reception, popularity in the box office and rode away with numerous awards, including 7 Academy Awards. All this and Kevin Costner, the film's director and star (it would be impossible as a film buff not to know who he is) was made an honorary member of the Sioux nation, because of the film's lasting impact.
After being awarded a citation for bravery in the American Civil War in 1863, John Dunbar is also awarded his choice of posting. Dunbar requests to be stationed at the Western frontier in Fort Sedgwick, Colorado. When he arrives, it's abandoned. Dunbar stays and enjoys the solitude and writes observations in his diary.
Dunbar begins to encounter the Sioux tribe, in which Kicking Bird (Graham Greene) begins to trust him and soon, the Sioux tribe befriends Dunbar and make him one of their own.
Kevin Costner's direction is excellent. At times, there is strong sentiment, but it's balanced out by some very thrilling action sequences. And for a three hour film, the pacing is fast, much to the credit of Costner's flair for the spectacular. The photography is amazing in this film. Beautifully light and very enchanting, especially the well-shot buffalo sequence, which is probably the most major action sequence in the film.
Yet it is not just an action spectacle. The characters in this film are very intriguing and well-performed by the cast. Graham Greene as the noble Kicking Bird was very good casting, as was Future Mrs. Darko as Stands With A Fist, Dunbar's love interest. But as good as the cast is, I love Costner's performance in this film. He captures every stage of his character's personality perfectly and makes a great screen presence. Although I haven't seen Reversal Of Fortune, this was the best performance of 1990.
There are many emotional scenes in the film, including the deaths of Costner's animal friends. But many fans prefer it as a very entertaining Western. Utterly enjoyable.
1990 was another good year for films, but again, not a great one. My very close runner-up is Martin Scorsese's GoodFellas. What a well made film. I might be kicking myself in a month for not choosing it as my best of the year. But Dances With Wolves is my all-time favourite Western film and it had a great impact on me. My other runner-ups are The Godfather Part III, which I have confessed to liking more than Part I, & Miller's Crossing, one of the Coen's more underrated films. Two other films I liked/enjoyed were Total Recall & Pretty Woman.
Back in 1990, before I was born, there was talk of Kevin Costner's western epic being a commercial and critical flop. How wrong they were. Dances With Wolves was released to tremendous critical reception, popularity in the box office and rode away with numerous awards, including 7 Academy Awards. All this and Kevin Costner, the film's director and star (it would be impossible as a film buff not to know who he is) was made an honorary member of the Sioux nation, because of the film's lasting impact.
After being awarded a citation for bravery in the American Civil War in 1863, John Dunbar is also awarded his choice of posting. Dunbar requests to be stationed at the Western frontier in Fort Sedgwick, Colorado. When he arrives, it's abandoned. Dunbar stays and enjoys the solitude and writes observations in his diary.
Dunbar begins to encounter the Sioux tribe, in which Kicking Bird (Graham Greene) begins to trust him and soon, the Sioux tribe befriends Dunbar and make him one of their own.
Kevin Costner's direction is excellent. At times, there is strong sentiment, but it's balanced out by some very thrilling action sequences. And for a three hour film, the pacing is fast, much to the credit of Costner's flair for the spectacular. The photography is amazing in this film. Beautifully light and very enchanting, especially the well-shot buffalo sequence, which is probably the most major action sequence in the film.
Yet it is not just an action spectacle. The characters in this film are very intriguing and well-performed by the cast. Graham Greene as the noble Kicking Bird was very good casting, as was Future Mrs. Darko as Stands With A Fist, Dunbar's love interest. But as good as the cast is, I love Costner's performance in this film. He captures every stage of his character's personality perfectly and makes a great screen presence. Although I haven't seen Reversal Of Fortune, this was the best performance of 1990.
There are many emotional scenes in the film, including the deaths of Costner's animal friends. But many fans prefer it as a very entertaining Western. Utterly enjoyable.