History Buffs pointed out one of the greatest feats of this movie... thanks to not only having her as coach for the cast's Lakota language skills, but by giving her a small speaking role... the late Doris Leader Charge speaking 100% authentic Lakota will be forever preserved on film... for me that's the real tear dropper of this movie.
I seem to recall reading an interview with Doris Leader Charge shortly after the movie came out. She was very happy to get the bit part in the movie, she said she would be able to buy a new refrigerator for her family.
FYI: Keep in mind. Many indigenous languages are gender based. When the Lakota watched the film, they laughed because everything spoken was spoken as a female.
In the ending scene when Wind in His Hair yells from the cliff top "Do you see I am your friend", coming full circle from "Do you see I am not afraid of you" gets me choked up every time. One of my favorite cinematic moments.
This is one of the most emotionally powerful scenes I've seen in any movie (and I've seen a lot, believe me - including a ton of Bergman, Fellini, Antonioni, Truffaut, Godard, Kurosawa, Tarkovsky, Welles, Kubrick and so on). The emotion it generates in the audience is totally earned. It's a masterclass in how to really build things up, instead of relying on cheap tricks to lead the audience. This whole movie is a masterpiece, and this particular scene is, together with the buffalo hunting sequence and Two Socks accepting food for the first time, among its top highlights. Pauline Kael once said that only real life Grumpys would fail to love the 1937 Disney's Snow White. I venture to say that only souless people would fail to get teary-eyed when Wind in His Hair yells from the cliff top.
That was the first scene in any movie EVER, that made me cry, at the age of 19. To me, it was a somewhat movie "coming of age," for me, because i realized I was moved by emotion and cinematic art, not hollywood manipulation.
we kinda had it back then, my big bros 600 dollar sorround sound, a 52 inch farkin heavy tv that had to run about 3-4 minutes before the colours were right!plenty of soda and candy that night!amazing movie
I saw this one, Dead Poets Society, Last of the Mohicans and Glory all on the big screen as a 12-13 year old kid. Absolutely life changing movies for me still to this day!
I remember seeing it with my Dad when it came out. First "grown up" movie he took me to, and it was just the two of us. Just a couple of guys at the movies. I was 10 years old and I still remember it vividly.
My dad MADE me watch Jeremiah Johnson when i was very young.. now I have to watch it when it comes on.. just wish he was hear, so I could watch it with him
Oh nice, only recently saw Jeremiah Johnson knowing it was there since I was a kid, glad its a consensus how amazing it is. Hoffman I've seen almost all of since now. About to look up another new wonder. What an awesome platform where we can share our loves of film :)
Also: some people talk like that. I seriously can't with millennials, pretend to be so into "diversity" but then can't understand or handle *_anything_* different from their basic b***h friends repeating the same exact programmed sound-bytes with rising intonation.
@@pistonburner6448amen. Think it’s more the younger generations than millennials…maybe a few millennials trying to fit in with the young. But they’re all used to do much slang, atrocious grammar, etc that I’ll call it, pure dialect sounds strange to them.
Okay sure, but is that the best way to tell the story of the film? Debatable, but I’d say it could use a bit of an emotional punch-up. Take The Last Samurai, which is basically the exact same plot as this movie. Tom Cruise’s character is also narrating from his journal, but he puts a lot more heart into the delivery, and it pays off.
@@pistonburner6448 What does the voiceover have to do with diversity? hahaha. We know he doesn’t just “talk like that” because we hear Kevin Costner emote a lot more in the dialogue scenes of the movie. Aren’t people supposed to age with grace? You sound bitter!
Kevin Costner has a very matter-of-fact way of acting, but it's carried by the sincerity behind it, rather than outright emotionality. Maybe it's growing up in the 90s, but he's just got one of those wholesome, comforting presences.
Winner of 7 Oscars including Best Picture! One of the greatest epic westerns of all time! The Buffalo Hunt Sequence is one of my favorite scenes in the movie!
Great reaction, Shannelle! As a 16 year old indigenous youth growing up in New York when this was released, it was amazing to see natives depicted in such a wonderful way on the big screen. And this movie gave rise to short burst of movies where indigenous characters were presented as lead characters in movies, including “Last of the Mohicans” and “Thunderheart”, both of which are great movies worth checking out.
I love Thunderheart soooo much!!! Graham Greene & Val Kilmer were the best together, the whole movie is just so amazing. Loved Grandpa, too, and John Trudell. I love watching Reservoir Dogs because so many of these great Native American actors are in it. Wes Studi's character goes against his film type as a tough guy, he's so funny and intellectual with string theory. Of course Graham Green is in it, too, among other greats (& new wonderful actors). .
This film holds a special place in my heart. It was the movie I saw on my first date with my husband of 31 years. What a way to start a relationship! Thanks Kevin Costner!
The extended director's cut gives a lot more back story on the soldiers who left Fort Sedgewick and the commanding officer at Fort Hayes who was insane. Helps explain a lot.
52:50 _During the musical recording in post-production, composer John Barry was reportedly so moved by the film's final scene that he broke down in tears while conducting that section of the score._ YES! YES! YES! I've written trivia on IMDb for like 10-15 movies that you've reacted to so far, Shan, and this is the FIRST time that you read one that I wrote in your reaction. Only took three years. So stoked...😂 When you think about it, composer John Barry would've been the first person to actually watch the ending of the film WITH the score. The edit of the film would've been playing on a big screen on the wall in front of him, while the orchestra would've had their backs to the screen while he conducted. Barry would've been watching the film while conducting so that he could accurately control the rhythm and tempo of the score.
@@rustincohle2135 I miss the discussion boards, too. I mean - once upon a time there was no "Pro" paid version of IMDB. I'm not going to provide information for free to a service that is then going to charge people for that info.
The soundtrack is just amazing. This is one of the earliest Hollywood movies where Native Americans are portrayed in a more realistic setting with their actual languages are used as opposed to the usual Hollywood butchery of using extras just making whooping sounds or talking English like Tarzan.
@@johannesvalterdivizzini1523 Better and more interestingly, with a great Dustin Hoffman performance, IMO. And as far as I can tell, no one has reacted to it :(
This is really one of the best movies ever made, and the story behind the script is more amazing. As a person born and raised for 16 years in South Dakota and traveling to the reservations makes this hit so much harder. The scenery of South Dakota is beyond amazing to anyone who has never seen such a beautiful site
You should check out the 2017, semi-biographical film "The Rider" by Chloe Zhao - it's a small, independent film, but filmed on the Pine Ridge Reservation. IMO, better than "Nomadland" which was an Oscar winner for best picture.
OPEN RANGE is a must watch, one of the best westerns ever, in my opinion. Costner and Robert Duvall are absolutely brilliant, and it's another beautifully directed Costner film. The Postman you can probably skip. 😂
I second that, I forgot about that when I was providing options for other westerns. Open range is one of my favorites. It's just such a realistic story. I even remember my dad hating sheep because they graze to the ground. They eat the grass to the ground making it hard for any other animals to eat. I don't know how much that's true, but I'm pretty sure it derived from cattlemen hating sheep herders and my dad being a lifelong Montanan.
I am a historian, bachelor's degrees in history, economics and government, as well as a master's degree in history. You can imagine I had to study a lot as a triple major, the soundtrack for this film was my primary go-to music in the background. Just a fuel me as I tried to get through books on 3 hours of sleep a night for 6 years. The only soundtrack I enjoy more than this one is last of the Mohicans which is my favorite. While violence may have varied from tribe to tribe, a few things I would like you to know. First, every single treaty that was broken was broken by the United States, not the native Americans. When they gave their word it was their bond. Every time we wanted their land we just took it. Scalping started with the Spanish, and then native Americans started to do it and then the Americans started to do it. But it was not an initiated by native Americans. Women had more rights in the plains Indians, then women did in the United States. Women actually owned all the property and were the only ones who got to vote. The exact opposite of the so-called civilized world. They could actually remove a chief if they didn't feel he was leading them well and elect a new one. It did not go down ancestral lines, it was voted on by the women. An interesting side note, I live near Spokane which is where the Spokane Indians were from. And when I was reading a book about the region, a long time ago and I don't remember much from that book, I do remember that one of the things native Americans took great pride in was getting a good deal. So when Graham Green says good trade to get his hat back, that always reminds me of that line from that book. They would literally rather walk 100 mi to sell their pelts or whatever to get a slightly better deal than they would for taking the lesser deal where they were. It was a source of pride for them. If you want other westerns to check out, the Jack Bull is one of my favorites, that was written by John Cusack's father, both were in the movie. His father is the jury foreman towards the end of the movie. It also has a cameo by John Goodman that is brilliant. Another great film is Last of the Mohicans, French Indian War. Daniel Day-Lewis is extraordinary in that film and it is a must listen to soundtrack. It. Also, has Madeleine Stowe looking as gorgeous as she ever has. And one that has humor and is a western and is one of my favorites is paint your wagon which is a musical, it has Marvin Lee and Clint Eastwood, and for all posterity they sing.
I forgot one important thing, a lot of westerns have native Americans attacking and killing settlements. A little bit of that happened, maybe a few thousand people were killed that way over a 50 year. But that's a maximum number. Not a minimum number. The vast majority of conflict and fatalities was the other way around. America was brutal to native Americans and it was a genocide. A massive genocide that is greater than the Holocaust. By greater. I don't mean good, I mean a much much larger number. Some numbers place it as high as 56 million, not just American but European, Spanish, French and English/ American. Some people rank it lower, but we also spread disease to them intentionally because they didn't have natural immunity. We laced blankets that were given to needy native Americans with smallpox. Intentionally exposing them. Biological warfare, primitive but still evil. I don't want to tarnish the joy you got from this movie, but when he was reluctant to tell them about the Americans coming, it was because he knew how horrible we could be. His experience in the Civil War would have definitely provided him with that aspect of understanding. You are amazing, I love watching your reactions. I don't see you as a reactor, I see you as a director. Let's hope You get that opportunity someday, your vision is exceptional.
The famous words of Tatanka Iyotake "what treaty to white man did my people ever brake, not one. What treaty to my people did white man ever kept, not one"
Your reaction was EVERYONES reaction the first time they see this. An EPIC film and an incredible accomplishment for Kevin Costner in his directorial debut. Everything seemed to come together perfectly for this film which went on to sweep the Oscars that year. The unsung hero of this picture is John Barry who went on to win the Oscar for film score. Watch the making of it! FYI… kicking Birds wife, played by Tantoo Cardinal, appears in KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON as Lily Gladstones mother and the young actor who plays SMILES ALOT was recently arrested for running a sex trafficking cult…
The story of how this novel was written is a journey in itself. Costner recounts the story on the Graham Norton Show. A friend of Kevin, who was struggling as a Hollywood writer ended up crafting this story after Kevin gave him a bit of a career wake up call - and they had a falling out. Kevin ignored the story for a while - then on finally reading it told his buddy he was going to film it. It made Blake's career. Edit: they both won an Oscar
“He was working in a Chinese restaurant, killing raccoons“ 😂 The funniest part of that interview was Ricky Gervais saying “wow that’s an amazing story, because I never help anyone. “
If you wanna keep on with this Western kick, Graham Greene is in another good one: MAVERICK. It's a really fun movie with a stacked cast including Mel Gibson (who you referenced here), Jodie Foster, James Garner, and Alfred Molina.
That movie is totally fun. It’s a little cheesy but so was the TV show. If you only know Jodie Foster from her more serious work, you’ll enjoy her having a blast being sexy and funny and brash.
Thanks so much for reacting to this movie. This was filmed in South Dakota. I worked with a non-profit in the mid-2000s on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, home of the Oglala Lakota people, aka the Sioux. I knew some of the people who were extras in Dances With Wolves. One man, whose name was John Her Many Horses, was a Pow-Wow dancer in the scene where Kevin Kostner's character rides in to announce the Tatanka (Buffalo) John said they pulled him off his horse much harder than was expected. Also, there is a male and female dialect in the Lakota language, and at times, the men are speaking in the female dialect. It was a running joke on the Rez.
Perhaps Kostner was speaking like an undereducated, plain spoken man of the 1860’s might have spoken. Thank you for reacting to this, Shanelle. You are good at this!
LOL, I forget how blessed I've been growing up in the West learning about the Indian tribes, animals and the life they led. Seeing Lady Shanelle watch this movie and realize how much is no longer being shared and passed down about Americas past saddens me. The land has had such rich history for various peoples who lived here and most movies are about the future, wars, crime, romance and clever fantasy and yet there is so much we can tell about history that is just as fascinating.
I take his voice over as reading his journal. It has that matter-of-fact feel to it, like we're reading it, as opposed to him telling his story within a conversation with someone. Also, I see this movie as a civil war drama, not a western. I guess horses means western.
Thanks for reacting to this one Shanelle. I love, love, love this movie. It's so epic and they don't make movies like this anymore. Watching this is like rewatching it for the first time for me. All the feels, great movie, great reaction. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
It is good to see the movie have the same effect across the generations. I saw this on the big screen and in the ending scene, when Wind In His Hair is calling out to Dances With Wolves, most of the people were crying. PS you should do the Postman. Another great film that will leave you in tears.
I feel like The Postman has gotten an undeserved bad rap. I thought many parts were pretty moving, myself. Also, the late one and only Tom Petty has one of his few movie roles.
Listening to the wind scream heartbreakingly always makes me cry, not because they are friends, but because it is clear that you should never despise people because of their appearance, they overcame the differences of race, language and beliefs and ended up being best friends dance with wolves will always have a privileged place in my heart
Shanelle, Dances with Wolves is a beautiful movie. You should look up the story of Costner talking about how the story came to be a movie. I love westerns. I used to watch them with my dad so I am kind of sentimental about it. The following are a few favorites that you might want to check out. Open Range Jeremiah Johnson Outlaw Josey Wales Pale Rider True Grit (the remake) Butch Casidy and the Sundance Kid
I love the bit where Costner gives Kicking Bird the spyglass and he reacts with amazement. It mirrors the moment in Robin Hood where Morgan Freeman does the same for Robin.
I always find it funny when all these young people just assume everything is CGI. No one could possibly have a training wolf or there actually be physical buffalo. 😆 In 1990 there wasn't realistic CGI.
Thank you so much for your honest, cogent reaction to such a great film. I love how Smiles A Lot becomes a pivot for spinning the story. He is the first to attempt to steal Cisco. Dunbar saves him from the buffalo. He helps Dunbar find the guns to help protect the Lakota camp. He becomes a warrior when he buries the tomahawk in the Sergeant's sternum. Finally, he returns the journal. Great film making and deserving of the Oscar for Best Movie.
I think his voice is of an everyman from the Midwest, modest, humble & earnest, not partial to making things emotional, just dealing with what's at hand. I never had a problem with his voice & have watched this movie since it was released. It's got Oscars & was the movie everyone was talking about at the time.
I always recommend the 1939 John Ford-directed Stagecoach, which launched John Wayne into the stratosphere. The entire movie is fantastically written and directed, with a very exciting action scene towards the end. It really was the prototype for all future feature-film Westerns.
Open Range, Silverado, Wyatt Earp are all great Kevin Costner westerns. Silverado is the first movie I ever saw Kevin Costner in and I have been a fan ever since. Even his portrayal in Hattfield and McCoys is fantastic. In this movie he is an educated man and an officer in the Northern Army, there is no reason he would have a drawl.
Excellent film. Since you love this: “ LITTLE BIG MAN” is a BRILLIANT film that is very similar in many ways. GREAT acting by a young Dustin Hoffman. Western, Native Americans… and a terrific story. You’ll LOVE it.
Being Native American my whole family loved this movie especially my late grandma she always shed a tear at the end knowing that when the Calvary came upon the camp that the tribe would go through tremendous heartache and grief. Always a great movie one of my top ten movies you have to react to The Last Of The Mochians another amazing movie with beautiful shots, amazing acting and inspiring music
The first encounter Costner has with Wind In His Hair is interesting - the warrior is doing something called “counting coup”, in which a warrior would get close enough to an enemy to touch them, without harming them, as a way of humiliating the enemy’s pride and demonstrating bravery.
I think it’s a great idea to start exploring Westerns, and I would like you to add Silverado to your list of possibilities. It’s one of Kevin Costner’s early, early roles and it’s a really fun movie. I always enjoy watching a film with you, well done! Peace …
Dances with Wolves is one of my favorite epics! I enjoyed how Dunbar became enamored with the Sioux culture. Largely, this was possible because he and Kicking Bird saw the value in trying to overcome the language barrier. The friendship between those 2 characters is what leads to his joining the tribe. It's a very powerful story.
Shanelle, your reaction to this is basically the same as mine when I first saw this as a teenager. So many great emotional moments, the score goes straight to the heart, and the flat narration a big distraction. But over time I have just come to appreciate this as one of the best movies of the last 50 years, there is so much heart in the story and it speaks to really important themes, as you noted at the end. By the way, no need for John to have a particular accent, as he was an officer and therefore an educated man from the north. And even if you fucked up, your hair looks great! Absolutely rocking those colors
At the time of this film's release, the American Western genre of film had all but died. It was 'Dances with Wolves' that single-handedly restored an interest and an audience for such motion pictures. This production was also one of the first films to portray the indigenous tribes as protagonists as opposed to protagonists!
Despite the fact that Kevin Costner's character voice is generally the same whether he's playing an early American soldier, Robin Hood, a seafarer or a post-apocalyptic postman, I would suggest you check out The Postman (1997), Waterworld (1995) and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) for future reactions.
Yep. Costner just doesn't do accents. Although he did hick it up a little in Swing Vote. He can pass for Robin Hood, but not for drunken trailer trash.
As usual you are always so good with your reactions. I love your trivia section. I feel like I am learning with you. I saw this in the movie theater in 1990. I remember walking out and feeling heartache about what did to the native Americans. Even to this day it still breaks my heart,
Grahm Green is such a versatile actor! I agree that when I first watched the movie as a kid, KC's journal narration almost put me to sleep, but part of me likes to think that he still is suffering from so much PTSD from the war experiences that it is hard for him to generate emotion and wants to see the frontier not only because he wants to go before it is gone (as he says), but also because he can't stand to be around people anymore, and his experiences with the tribe helps heal him as much as his relationship with Stands with a Fist helps heal both of them.
Costner also directed the excellent "actual" Western Open Range. Beautiful reaction. Your hair looks great. Oh, and I actually like Cistner's narration. They say Abraham Lincoln had a similar speaking tone. A kind of determination with a longing for innocence.
The great thing about Dances With Wolves is it manages to make the white guys both the heroes and the villains while simultaneously portraying the native Americans in a good light. It showed the complexity of the struggle between two cultures.
I’ve never met Kevin Costner, but he and I came very close to being literal classmates. The sadness at seeing dead buffalo is not just because they are dead, as they would be no less dead no matter who killed them. The problem is that white hunters would not have performed the ceremonies necessary to maintain the covenant between humans and animals that ensures that buffalo will return annually and make themselves available.
It was cool that he did the hits… the Untouchables, Robin Hood and Dances with Wolves. But he went downhill when he did the tankers Waterworld and Postman
9:07 scene comment 9:12 after being scared, it was a relief and relieved he says something off and understands there's no threat. A relief vent.-Ernie Moore Jr.
"Many times I had felt alone, but until this afternoon I had never felt completely lonely." That line I have remembered since the first time watching this movie.
I saw this movie as an 8 yr old in the theater. I was so upset when they shot Two Socks I had to leave the theater. My dad came and got me, calmed me down and brought me back to finish the movie.
Great reaction, I enjoy the facts/trivia section also. I think you would like Open Range, to fit your more typical western movie genre. Costner also did his version of 'Wyatt Earp' , during the same time as Tombstone. Both were the result of competing productions with a different take of the same story. I like them both for different reasons, I would like to hear Shanelle's take on which one she prefers and why.
This was filmed near where I live. I took a bunch of Lakota classes in college. I was two credits short of a minor in Lakota. Only because they did not have enough classes to qualify a minor degree. From not using it since the mid 90s my Lakota is so rusty. But, I can pick out every third or fourth word being said.
This masterpiece is mostly setup. We literally spend almost all of the movie setting up the ending and our reaction to the ending. The score is fantastic. For the budget, the cinematography is fantastic. The acting is PHENOMENAL, even from the animals. Dances With Wolves is more proof that the 1990s is one of the greatest decades in film history. But a lot of people prefer the other masterpiece that year by Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas.
Oh, I think _Goodfellas_ is overrated. It's obviously a good movie - I wouldn't deny that -, but I don't rate it even among Scorsese's best. The guy made three perfect movies and absolute masterpieces, in my estimation: _Taxi Driver, Raging Bull_ and _After Hours,_ with _The Color of Money_ and _The Temptation of Christ_ coming next as pretty excellent, but not as flawless as those other three. _Goodfellas_ is rather low in my list. Costner may not have directed many movies and I'm not a particular fan of his other two ones, but I do rate _Dances with Wolves_ higher than most of Scorsese's films, way above _Gooefellas,_ although not as high as those three perfect ones I mentioned.
“Open Range” is another Kevin Costner home run. Maybe not as beautiful/poetic/moving as “Dances with Wolves,” but in many ways it feels even more real and authentic. The writing is tremendous and the characters are wonderful. Robert Duvall is one of the greatest American film actors in the history of motion pictures, and I’m not sure he’s ever been better than when playing Boss Spearman in this one. “Open Range” is one of my all-time favorite movies. Makes me feel like I’ve actually visited the late 19th century (1882). Everything about it is first-rate. Totally worth your time.
Since you already checked out Tombstone with Kurt Russel playing Wyatt Earp, you should also check out Kevin Costner’s other “Dances with Wolves” style film called “Wyatt Earp” with an all star cast as well. It was like Tombstone meets Dances with Wolves. A really great film! 👍
Kevin Costner has a new western film that he stars in and directs coming out next year and it's called horizon: an American saga and it's in 2 parts. Also shanelle if you like Kevin Costner films you should check out: a perfect world directed by and also starring Clint Eastwood. It's a wonderful film but sad towards the end.
When you have time you should give the 4-hour extended cut a watch. One of the things I loved about DWW is that it immersed me in a time and place that I will never be able to see and the extended cut provides you with more time to bask in and long for its glory.