One of the BEST Movies Ever Made - Dances With Wolves

This is simply my favorite film of all time. When thinking about all of the elements that make up a great movie – writing, directing, acting, cinematography, scoring – you just can’t take any marks off for this movie.

This is a true epic. Sweeping scenery, beautiful music, a terrific story, wonderful acting and great directing. The special edition DVD is absolutely wonderful. It contains never before seen scenes. It takes the movie to just about 4 hours but it is worth it. Have I said I just love this movie yet?

Okay if you don’t know anything about this movie you are in for a treat. Kevin Costner plays Lt. John J. Dunbar (not DumBear, you’ll get that when you watch the movie) a soldier who tries to end his life with a crazy stunt but ends up being viewed as a hero. Because of this act, he is awarded Cisco, a US Army Horse who you end up just loving and is allowed to choose any post he wants. He decides to be sent to a US Outpost on the frontier so he can see the frontier before it disappears. Upon arrival he finds the post deserted but decides to stay anyways, while the man who brought him there goes back to let the Army know what is going on.

-------------------------​----------
SIDEBAR: Robert Pastorelli, best known for playing the painter Eldin on the TV Series Murphy Brown, plays a small but memorable roll as Timmons, the man who takes Dunbar to the frontier. As Dunbar says in the movie, “He is quite possibly the foulest man I’ve ever met.” That line is not a lie. Pastorelli makes the most of his screen time and has you laughing out loud because it’s all funny when it isn’t directed at you.
-------------------------​-----------

While waiting for the Army, Dunbar befriends a wolf who he names Two Socks. (When I say befriends, I mean as much as a wolf will allow). Dunbar also begins to to see signs of Indians, which he is afraid of. Finally he decides to go out to the Indians instead of being afraid and waiting for them to come get him. Now this is where the movie gets really good.

From here on out it is about his relationship with the Sioux Indians, falling in love with one of them, and finding out who he really is. It is terrific to see a man change into who he is supposed to be, and that is what you get here. Dunbar goes through many changes and grows tremendously all while building a strong relationship with the tribe, especially Kicking Bird (Graham Greene), Stands With A Fist (Mary McDonnell) and Wind in his Hair (Rodney A. Grant).

The internal struggles of the characters is just one of the added measures that makes this film glorious. This is not a typical Western and it is not filled with lots of action and cgi. The strength of this film lies in its characters and the writing. These are well-defined characters who grow before your eyes. They have a depth that most movies don’t bother with anymore.

It is a fiction movie and as such uses creative license, some of which has caused people to get angry. It is not meant to be historically accurate. It is meant to entertain and that it does. It pulls you into the frontier and that time in our history.

Give yourself a treat and get this movie today!

Awesome movie & special features

This movie is the epitome of the old phrase,"This is the greatest country anyone ever stole". It was a complete crime in progress when the U.S. Army came to the west, not to mention the hunters & trappers. Completely raping the land of its animals in their greed. Costner, Graham Green & Rodney Grant to me really made this movie work, in taking uncomfortable situations & showing the ever so subtle humor in life on the frontier in 1863, in showing that the Sioux native nation was not that much different then we. This movie is an epic hands down. This is the extended version, 4 hrs long which answers a lot of previously unanswered questions from the 2.5 hr theater & TV versions, which really fleshes out the characters to the point where you really feel their struggle.
It's really no wonder it received 12 academy award nominations, receiving 7 of those. Filmed all over South Dakota & over 5 months to film, this was truly a labor of love to the past & to the actors.

Dances with Wolves, DVD

This extended edition is well worth the time you must invest in the movie. Kevin Costner, Graham Greene and the entire cast give one of the best performances of recent times. Guess that's why the original won so many Academy Awards. Great buy.

Dances with Wolves (1998, DVD)

I have owned the VHS for years and recently decided to buy it on DVD and e-bay was the first place I looked. I love this movie and I got a great deal on it. This was one of the first movies I had ever seen that portrayed the Native Americans as anything other than complete savages. It showed their ingenuity, humor, honor and way of life in a respectful and realistic way. The scenery, acting, story and use of native language made for great entertainment, but I think with some educational aspects as well. It is also one of the few movies to have won best picture at the Academy Awards that I agreed with, it truly is a great movie.

Dances With Wolves

Dances With Wolves, A real winner. Actor/Director Kevin Costner did a brillient job with this movie. Color, sound, picture quality and scenes were excelent. Definitely a repeat watch movie.