The biggest crime "Dances with Wolves" did was be too long and beat "Goodfellas" at the Oscars. I could think of three other movies that would've been a bigger crime and they are "Ghost", "Awakenings" and "The Godfather Part 3", those were the other films that were nominated for Best Picture. So maybe "Goodfellas" was the best movie that year, but I think "Dances with Wolves" was a close second. Perhaps it's the fact that it was directed by a first time director who just happened to be a big movie star at the time. But looking back at it, Kevin Costner had some ambition in him, he also had a truly intimate way of telling an epic film. I was not overcome by the spectacle of "Dances with Wolves" but by the human element."Dances with Wolves" is long argued to be a white man's burdon film, and how one man comes to understand the native Americans. I think of it more as a man trying to find his place in the universe. When we first meet Costner's John Dunbar he fears his leg will be amputated and goes on a suicide mission. After he survives with his leg in tact, he gets his choice of assignment, he chooses to see the frontier before it is vanished forever. It is here where he chooses a life of solitude away from civilization living like Thoreau with only nature to surround him. He befriends a lone wolf and only after awhile he meets and is welcomed into the Sioux Tribe.
Looking at "Dances with Wolves" now, it's almost like an art film, there are many bizarre moments such as Dunbar's suicide attempt, or the murder of his guide Timmons (Robert Pastorelli) early on, or the unexplained suicide of Major Fambrough (Maury Chaykin).
The film carries themes such as rebirth, nature, and the ongoing spirit and survival of man. It's almost like a religious experience much more satisfying than say a Mel Gibson movie.
Watching it again one cannot deny the power Kevin Costner once carried. Obviously only one of the biggest stars in the world could get away with directing a 3 or 4 hour epic (depending on which version you watch.) that is half done in the Sioux language. But for a first time director, Costner was up to the task of making an ambitious epic. The running of the buffalo scene should be mentioned as one of the great moments in modern movies, and some of his uses of vast open areas would make John Ford stand at attention.
"Dances with Wolves" should not be looked down upon as a black mark in the history of the Academy Awards, (In fact the biggest crime that year was probably not recognizing the Coen Brother's masterpiece "Miller's Crossing") it's a film that's deeper and more interesting than many of its critics give it credit for.
1 comment:
I too thought that DANCES WITH WOLVES was a great movie (although honestly I haven't seen it since). I think that MILLER'S CROSSING will get appreciated much more with age: movies that are considered pretentious in their day seem to age well for some reason.
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