...a literate script, gorgeous scenery, and fine acting combine to produce a poignant and inspiring cinematic experience.
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Kevin Costner plays the Everyman better than almost anybody else. But in "Dances With Wolves" he does more than act out another "Ah, shucks" Gary Cooper role; he is in epic mode. Fortunately, the film is not so long-winded as his later oversized extravaganzas, "Wyatt Earp," "Waterworld," or "The Postman." Instead, "Dances With Wolves" though now more lengthy than ever is poetic and visionary, a story of tragedy, grace, and personal discovery. The movie won seven Academy Awards in 1990 for Best Film, Director, Writing, Cinematography, Film Editing, Music, and Sound.
The importance of the movie's story and the beauty of its setting make it a natural for reproduction on DVD and a natural for a new, two-disc Special Edition with an extended version of the film and a multitude of bonus items. Whether the movie actually deserves almost a full hour of additional scenes thrown into an already lengthy three hours, however, is another question. It's as if Costner took a look at the profits for the extended version of "The Fellowship of the Ring" and said, "Hey, we have one of those. We can do that, too." Nonetheless, the almost four-hour edition of "Dances With Wolves," produced some years ago for laserdisc, makes a logical choice for this special, new DVD release.
Costner directs and stars in the film. He plays Lt. John Dunbar, a Civil War hero who is rewarded for his actions by being allowed to chose an assignment at any military post in the country. No, really, that's a reward! Anyway, he decides to go West to see the frontier before it disappears. His ambition is prophetic. Before long he is in the middle of the Great Plains at a long-abandoned outpost that he tries to maintain by himself until help arrives. Fellow soldiers do not arrive. But he does meet the Native American population of the area, the local Sioux. He establishes friendly relations with them, lives beside them for a while, and then comes to live among them. He learns their language, their customs, their ways; and eventually he understands firsthand their pain as he witnesses the advancement West of the White civilization with its heartless indifference toward the Native inhabitants.
Wisely, Costner adds a touch of humor to his otherwise staid, earnest-minded character. Dunbar is dubbed Dances With Wolves by the Sioux when they see him playing with a sympathetic wolf. Better they should have called him Flirts With Luck, as luck is what seems to follow him everywhere. His heroism in the War is the result of a suicide charge that goes awry when none of the enemy can hit him; his scaring off of a Sioux brave in his first encounter with the tribe is the result of Dunbar running after him naked. And what are the odds of a White man finding a White woman living among the Native Americans, and falling in love?
The movies strains credibility only slightly, though, mainly offering a truthful portrait of life in the Old West. Supporting Costner are other fine actors: Graham Greene and Mary McDonnell, both nominated for Oscars; Rodney A. Grant; and some 150 local extras from the Lakota Sioux nation. John Barry's Oscar-winning music is also noteworthy, appropriately eloquent and intimate by turns. Finally, an equal part in the film's success must be credited to the beauty and grandeur of the South Dakota landscape itself, which lends authenticity and scope to the proceedings.
The original 181-minute cut of the film, previously issued by Orion Home Video and Image Entertainment, has been augmented to 236 minutes in the expanded version shown here, making it very close to four hours long. Frankly, as much as I liked the film the first time around, I thought it was already too long for its material. At four hours it seemed like it was going to be positively endless, although, to be fair, the time went by quickly. And for anyone interested in Native American culture, the added footage provides more depth to the story. Unfortunately, the folks at MGM make no effort to indicate where or what the new material is; they merely say on the keep case that the Special Edition "includes never-before-seen additional scenes." There are now thirty-two chapter selections whereas before there were twenty-five, but few of the new chapter stops match the old ones, and there is no mention in the menu and there are no asterisks alongside scene titles that would indicate what is different in the extended edition.
In any case, the scale of the movie is now more truly epic than before, and Costner and company should feel proud and happy that many of the scenes they regretted having to cut for the theatrical release are now back where they belong. Just don't ask me if I think it's a better picture for the additional scenes. If you're a huge fan of the movie, you'll probably like the new version.
Video:
People continue to ask, "Who wants to see those black bars at the top and bottom of the screen?" The answer, of course, is "I do." I imagine it's the answer most of DVDTown's patrons would give. Those black bars reassure us that the movie we're seeing is in widescreen, and we hope it's as close as possible to the size originally shown in movie theaters. MGM present "Dances With Wolves" in very nearly its 2.35:1 anamorphic Panavision aspect ratio, here measuring about 2.12:1 across a normal television. Nevertheless, take note that the Image Entertainment edition presented the film at about a 2.24:1 ratio, slightly wider and even closer to the film's theatrical dimensions. In other words, this new edition cuts a fraction more information from the sides. Be that as it may, the scope is still plenty wide enough to convey the splendor of the film's outdoor setting.
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[release]10826[/release]