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Dances with Wolves (Special Extended Edition) Customer Reviews (43 - 45 of 64 Reviews)

Big as all outdoors
For once I agree with the critics. "Dances with Wolves" is brilliant. I walked out of the cinema after seeing this film and felt like I had gone through a religious revelation. I was glad to live in a world which could make movies such as this.

OK, that sounds a little over the top but that is how I felt at the time. I pity those people who didn't get to see "Dances with Wolves" on a big screen. Video just does not do it justice. I own both the standard three hour wide screen version laser disc of "Dances with Wolves" as well as the special four hour edition. Despite the movie being terrific it is difficult for me to sit down for four straight hours. For that reason I have to split it over two sessions. The original edition is for visitors to watch.

Before I got the longer edition I was curious as to whether it was better or just a watered down version of the first cut. Well it is definitely better. There are so many new scenes that it would be too much effort to list them. The major difference for me though was a section in the middle where Dunbar, (Kevin Costner), has a moment of doubt about his newfound friends. It occurs right before the buffalo hunt when he finds them all celebrating their slaughter of the white buffalo hunters who were responsible for the waste of so many fine animals. Even if it is justice he is not comfortable with their evident joy at such an inherently brutal act. 'Nough said about the differences.

The core story is short but the telling is rich in nuance. We meet the wounded hero, Lieutenant Dunbar, in a American civil war hospital tent. He is about to have his leg amputated. While the doctors are having a smoke break he decides to rejoin his regiment and break a long standing stale mate by riding to his death across the enemy lines. It doesn't go quite as planned however and he ends up being the hero that turned the tide of battle. As a reward, he is given the use of the best doctor and an unlimited choice of duty.

His choice is to go west to the Indian frontier. Unfortunately his superior officer at his eventual posting, Major Fambrough, is mad. Just before his suicide the Major sends Dunbar out to a new base right in the frontier. When he get's there, the camp is deserted and unbeknownst to Dunbar the Major has not filed his final order, meaning that no one knows the whereabouts of Dunbar.

Only a little perturbed, Dunbar decides to clean up the camp and wait for reinforcements. It isn't long before the local Indians turn up to make his life more interesting. Over the course of time he is drawn more and more into their community. Eventually his is forced to take the side of the Indians over that of his fellow soldiers. A situation which leads to his arrest. The only other major factor in the film is his romance with a white woman who has been raised in the tribe since she was a young girl. She is responsible in no small part for Dunbar switching sides.

The message we are left with at the end of the film is that there need not have been any SIDES in the first place.

Thoroughly Recommended
I have just finished watching Dances With Wolves for the first time, and I have to say it is one of my favorite movies of all time, after one viewing.
The movie absolutely captivated me with it's sense of wildness and freedom. I never imagined that I would feel this engrossed in a 3+ hour movie, but I indeed did sit there thru the entire thing, totally absorbed in the storyline.
The movie was packed with extraordinary scenery and a flawless portrayal of the horse people of the plains.
The ending was tragic, but true, and I feel even more for the native cultures that once peopled our land, and treated it as it should be treated.
I am sure most of the folks reading this review have already seen the movie at one time or another, so I must say that this long awaited DVD was worth the wait. The picture was excellent, as was the audio. There is one two sided disc for the movie and an additional disc for special features, which I have not had the chance to get into.

A fine telling of a fascinating story. Extraordinary.
This film is the best "Western" film in decades. Kevin Costner turns in a fine performance as a Civil War cavalry hero who is posted to the Western Frontier, and by accident is assigned to an abandoned outpost by a deranged commander. Alone and isolated from the Army, Costner eventually becomes first acquainted with, then absorbed by, the local Lakota Sioux tribe. Although the storyline sounds simple, this is in fact a complex story with many dimensions.

The film's greatest success is its portrayal of the Sioux as ordinary human beings in a highly complex and civilized society, albeit one very unlike our own. The Sioux are shown to be a brave, compassionate, friendly people, although possessed of a warlike tradition and culture.

The cinematography of the film is superb, and it wonderfully captures the size and grandeur of the American west. The picture is crisp and the scenes are vivid. There are no phony looking sets of the type that often plagues Western films. As if this were not enough, this film contains one of the best musical scores I've ever heard. "Looks Like a Suicide," the main musical score of the film, is wonderful.

Unfortunately, this film has two very serious flaws that caused me to deprive it of a "five stars" rating. It is far, far too long. I like the film enough so that I admit that I enjoy the length, but there is no doubt in my mind at least that this film could and should have been shorter--this would not have decreased its impact.

The second flaw is that, as the Amazon editorial review says, the scene when the American soldiers return is simply overdone. It is OK to villainize them; history suggests that this is at not undeserved. But it could have been done in a less extreme fashion--the way it was done caused the whole scene to seem one dimensional, and not particularly enjoyable, at least to me.

The Special Edition DVD is the one to get. The "deleted scenes" that it includes are some of the better ones; I would say that this suggests that the one big flaw in this film is the editing--the regular version excluded some good scenes and included some scenes that seem to simply constitute filler. Well, opinions may differ. The audio commentaries are interesting, although I admit I have not yet listened to them all and may never do so.

All in all, there is a tremendous amount to like in this film, and most film afficianados will enjoy this DVD thoroughly. The DVD format is great for this film, because of course it makes it possible to watch it in several sittings. At 237 minutes, that is almost a must for most of us.

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