Actually the Bison herd is very small for the time. When Lewis and Clark's Expedition encountered a Bison Herd, it was so large it took four days for the Herd to pass, it is estimated that there was around 60 million Bison roaming North America in the year 1800.
Believe it or not, back before then the bison range extended all the way to the Hudson River. At first glance this would seem impossible, but the natives used a "more distant" form of husbandry than we are accustomed to. They'd select a small number of food-bearing trees and protect them, and then prevent any other trees from growing by periodically burning the undergrowth. So there was food in all the trees but still enough space underneath for herds of bison to roam. When the Europeans arrived, they found a land that "miraculously" bore unlimited food, while also observing the natives "infernal barbarian practice" of "needlessly igniting the undergrowth wherever he goes." So then when they landed at Plymouth and tried to start a town, they almost died the first winter - largely because they had chopped down all the trees they could find... so they could make a fort... to protect themselves from the natives...
@@DeltaAssaultGaming And the white man almost exterminated the buffalo by shooting them for sport. Pictures of MOUNTAINS of buffalo skulls document this, and leave the carcasses on the plains.
When Daniel Boone first came to Kentucky he wrote about seeing the path where buffalo had traveled. He said it was a path 100 yards wide that went on for miles and miles.
Honestly the scene at the end when Wind In His Hair is shouting is one that is like instant tears every time. Such a great arc for the character and you feel his love for Dunbar so much. This movie is one that meant a lot to my family. It was a big film for including Native people AS native people. My Dad's side of my family are Cherokee and I recall it being meaningful to them, several of the actors are from Oklahoma, which is where we are from.
Ditto, that final scene has me in tears. The fact that the native language is spoken, and subtitles used, really adds authenticity to the story. As much as I would like the story to be true, it is fiction, but it certainly does expose the tragic and barbaric way the native people were treated. I think as a society, it is a shame the new Americans weren't more aware of the value of the culture and knowledge and history of the native people and that more wasn't done to try to preserve it and establish some form of status quo, as difficult as that is. Sadly the same has happened to the Aboriginals of Australia, the Amazonian tribes, and others. Even the North Sentinal islands have been contacted on several occasions despite governments imposing a ban on disturbing those that live there.
I have watched this movie several times at least. It's a great movie in all respects. There is another as good as this which you should cover. It's Little Big Man.
This film was not simply a well-made production, it was actually an event in the history of cinema! At the time of its release, the 'western genre' of film was almost nonexistent. On its own, 'Dance with Wolves' revived the genre and 'westerns' gained a new life! Also 'Dances with Wolves' is one of the first motion pictures to portray native Americans as protagonists and the "white man" as antagonists.
That moment near the end when Wind In His Hair shouts to Dances With Wolves... one of my favorite moments in any movie ever. Leaves me wrecked every time (and I've seen this movie at least a dozen times). Great choice.
This movie reminds me that word: “Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money.”
3:02 -- they don't really explain it in the non-director's-cut version of the movie but that officer had syphillis. So he was slowly going crazy and knew enough to take himself out before it got worse.
Thank you for reviewing this. It doesn't get enough attention. Lt. Dunbar (Costner) kept his foot because he was given attention from his commanding officer's personal physician. Enlisted men and lower-level officers like Dunbar would normally just get a limb amputated and then be sent home. Dunbar wants to see the frontier/prairie before it's all gone... meaning that he knows what the future holds. When the United States first *obtained* (we'll forget about how, for the moment) additional territory from Spain, France, Britain and Mexico and had an open door all the way to the Pacific Coast, settlers initially passed right through the Great Plains as being a less-important area and settled the Coast first. But eventually they'd focus in on the Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming..., and convert as much of it as possible into farmland or fenced-in grazing land, plus a few mines. And kill off the buffalo, the passenger pigeon, and anything else that was in their way. Thus, the prairie would disappear. Stands With a Fist was alone on the prairie and bloody (from cutting herself) because her husband had been killed. That means one of two things. One, the band she belonged to could have the custom of erasing a warrior after he dies, meaning other tribe members take his dwelling and possessions and the widow is turned out with nothing, to die of exposure. Cutting herself would hurry up the process. Two, it could be that she's just in ordinary temporary mourning, and is expressing it through cutting. In any case, Dunbar interferes, so she's returned to her adoptive father Kicking Bird's lodge. The movie doesn't really explain the situation. Thus the Sioux stay somewhat sympathetic in the viewers' eyes. An alternate movie could have been made about the Pawnee, showing them in detail and emphasizing their positive customs, and making the Sioux the antagonists in the wars between the two tribes. That's the power of movies. By selective display, any person or group can be made the heroes. Wes Studi, who is actually Cherokee, plays the Pawnee raiding party leader in this film and the vengeful Huron leader Magua in "Last of the Mohicans." He's probably cast in roles like that because he has a "mean" look. The Sioux were very conservative in how they used natural resources. (As were many other Indigenous tribes.) If they killed a game animal, they were sorry about it and tried to honor the animal. They'd use every last part of the carcass, no waste. So seeing those buffalo killed just for their hides and tongues was a shock. But the whites who did that weren't just being thoughtless. It was probably a part of the plan to eliminate the Plains tribes by destroying their food supply.
Extended version of this definitely adds context to some scenes. And some more absolutely fantastic scenery. I like that the film turns the white savior trope on its head. Because really Dunbar is the one being saved.
You know I've always thought it was written well and the cinematography was top notch, but for a long time I did think it was another savior trope type movie. But years later I think I saw a documentary about the movie, or a series of interviews, with cast members, then looked into it more. I didn't realize that the Sioux community embraced the project for its fair and genuine treatment of its heritage and actually had a huge hand it's production. According to many indigenous groups, one of the few honest portrayals of Native Americans losing their culture and identity to the white man. This is a quote I found from Costner from when it was first released, pretty admirable comment.... "𝙉𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡 𝙞𝙩, 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚. 𝘼𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙬𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣, 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙙𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣.....𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧."
The inversion of the White savior is often just the noble savage trope, so... That said? The extended is better, exactly because it shows some of the truth of both ends of things - like the scene where Dunbar sees the aftermath, the stolen property, the scalps, of Whites the Indians, his friends, had attacked, killed and robbed. In point of fact, I find the theatrical version rather frustrating, in that instead of being the more-truthful examination of two people in conflict the extended comes off as at times, it comes across as more of a noble savage trope film, and those are just as played-out as White savior at this point.
@@no-xr8wv Except this film just portrayed them who they were flaws and strengths. From raiding, to willing to fight white soldiers when they needed, to the fact that the beginning of their end was coming. Along with the cooperation with the Sioux to get the portrayal right.
Thank you for reacting to this movie! For some reason not many reactors watch it, though it was truly Kevin Costner’s masterpiece. It was also the first movie he starred in, directed, and co-produced. I absolutely love it, but I CANNOT get through it without crying. Seeing the soldiers kill both Cisco and Two Socks is heartbreaking to watch every single time. Costner has so many great movies. I suggest “Bull Durham”, with Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon - his best baseball movie, imo.
I wanted to mention for anyone that's interested, there is a part 2, they never made it into a movie though so you can only get the book. It's called "The Holy Road" by Michael Blake. It's very good and pretty much picks up right where this story left off.
This was one of the most beautifully filmed movies I'd ever seen, and this film will always remind me of my father as he and I enjoyed seeing this in the theater together very much. Thank you for reacting to this.
This is one of my 10 ten movies of all time. I am so happy that this film gets the recognition here on TH-cam more and more. I enjoyed your reaction very much, Mary. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
Mary, it's perfectly okay to say "Indian." On the reservation most of the native tribes call themselves Indians. It's not technically correct, but the people getting their knickers in a twist about the term are almost all White. The various tribes have adopted the term for themselves and are (mostly) not offended.
Especially in Dutch where there's a different word for people from India and American natives. Even though it's derived from the East Indies. We say Indiaan vs Indier. There's also no disrespect towards native Americans in Belgium, on the contrary, always huge respect, even admiration. Well, at least for the last 40-50 years, before that there was quite a bit of ignorance from a colonial point of view.
Depends where you are. In Canada "Indian" is used historically but it has a legal definition rather than an ethnic or cultural one. First Nations or Inuit or Métis are the terms used since at least the 1970s.
In Oklahoma I never heard them referring to themselves as that. They do have names for items that include the term such as 'Indian Taco'. If you ask them what they are they'll usually say Creek or Cherokee or identify as a member of their tribe or if they're speaking generally I've heard them identify as native, native American. I've never ever heard a native American say "I'm Indian" I've never even heard anybody refer to themselves as American Indian and I had many friends who were members of the Creek, Choctaw and Cherokee nations.
The way I had it explained to me by the Choctaw is: "Native American" is really no better than "Indian" because the very word America is just as foreign as the word Indian. The Choctaw obvious prefer to be called the Choctaw but failing that, Indian is OK.
Winner of 7 Oscars including Best Picture! I saw this film on CBS Sunday Night Movie in 2000. I didn't get to see the rest of the movie as it was 4 hours long, on TV that is. The buffalo sequence is my favorite part of the movie as it when sweeping camera shots that you don't see anymore.
Two Socks death is very necessary as it is the symbolism for the main theme of the movie. Beautiful is the best adjective for this movie. I loved it ever since i was a child.
An interesting (and quite underrated) movie that has some similar themes to this one is Quigley Down Under. Oh, and I like pretty much all movies I've seen with Kevin Costner though some of them are considered flops... Waterworld and Postman come to mind, in both he tried to recapture the magic of Dances with Wolves (which is likely his best movie) and fell short but I'd say they're still worth watching.
The funny thing is, I actually like both of those movies (Waterworld and Postman). They're not amazing, but I was entertained when I saw them in theaters. I think it might just be due to my weird fascination with post-apocalyptic worlds.
@@aaronburdon221 Fun fact, Waterworld, Postman and Dances all have cca. 3 hours duration (within a few minutes), it goes to show how important it is to use the time wisely.
This is a very good movie. I agree with you're observation that the length was necessary to give time for the relationships between the characters to develop without feeling rushed.
23:10 The "Taking a bite of the animals Raw Organ" is a hunting tradition. Very few still do this. It is to show Respect for the animal's sacrifice for your sustenance. The entire animal would be used for different things. Food, housing, clothing, weapons.
Your intelligence, your heart, that why I keep coming back. This is not just a film, it's an experience. As am American, with a last name traced back to the Dutch, transferred to the western US through the Cherokee to Texas, this movie has always spoken to me at a visceral level. In the end, we must all find those ways to listen.
It's interesting you noticed how the Sioux would meet at speak as equals all having a voice. A native American term borrowed into the English language is "having a powwow" which means to come together for a frank and open discussion.
My dads side of our family is Oglala Lakota, and live on the Pine Ridge reservation near where a lot of this movie was filmed. It was a HUGE deal when this movie was made, as so many locals were cast as extras. Even though it follows the old “White Savior” Hollywood trope, I think it was fairly respectfully made. And the soundtrack by John Barry is stunning.
Thank You for your reaction to this film. Your perspective on my country has made you one of my favorite Reaction Channels. Our history, although fantastic, is nothing to be completely proud of. The beauty of our people is one that we will always hold in our hearts. I hope that you and your partner are doing well. Best Wishes to you both.
I just got back from a trip to North Dakota and Wyoming. I got to see huge herds of Tatanka (pics under my community tab). I also ate some Tatanka stew. So good!
I lived out on the North Dakota, Montana line years ago and my children are one quarter Lakota Sioux. If I had a Native American name I would be called "Dances with Difficulty" 🙂 The sunsets there were gorgeous, the winters were brutal...
Hi Mary! Being a SW American Indian this movie was required watching in our tribe(Navajo) even though it was no near us but the idea and pride of showing a story that involves Natives and it being a very good one at that is the best. There are few like this type of genre and this is one of the very top. Great reaction to a great video, this Injun approves. Keep it up!!
I LOVE your reactions, Mary. As soon as you started speaking, I got a big smile on my face and happy feelings washed over me. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing your reactions with us.
I'm plainly stoked that you're doing this. I'm happy that you loved it - it is a wonderful film. Here are a few other films starring Kevin Costner which i think you would like: JFK (1991) with Gary Oldman THE BODYGUARD (1992) Whitney Houston A PERFECT WORLD (1993) Clint Eastwood OPEN RANGE (2003) Robert Duvall, Annette Bening There are many more but these are favorites for me.
@@gregall2178 No reason to feel dumb - The guy is a chameleon. Who else can pull off roles as diverse; Lee Harvey Oswald one moment, Count Dracula the next. Winston Churchill, Ludwig van Beethoven, drug dealer Drexl Spivey, Rosencrantz, and Sid Vicious to name a few.
There used to be millions upon millions of Buffalo in America throughout much of the country. They migrated in such huge herds over such long periods of time that they created permanent tracks in the landscape that early roads followed. Many major roads today still follow those old paths.
I’m so glad you got to see this movie. So much history in this really too much to dive into. The music and this is phenomenal. The plains of the United States are vast. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of miles. I live here in Kentucky and Many frontiersman that settled from Kentucky westward remarked that the Buffalo Herds were so large that a person could walk from one County to another on the backs of the buffalo and never touch the ground. Many of our roads today were once buffalo trails. Some have said this movie was a love letter to the Native Americans.The end When wind in his hair is yelling at dances with wolves I will always be your friend, I lose it every time. One of my favorite movies.!!
A quick note about the massacred buffalo. There were men, contracted by the U.S. government, to go out and kill as many buffalo as possible and let them rot. The purpose was to destroy the tribe's main food supply. You can't fight if you can't eat. This isn't an original idea and has been used by various armies throughout history.
A fantastic movie no doubt. I've seen this a dozen times and still tear up every single time Two-Socks is killed and when Wind-In-His-Hair declares his friendship from the top of the cliff. Great reaction Mary! Love to see when things really touch you. Movie suggestion: Shutter Island (Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley among others). Series Suggestion: True Detective (Season I only. The seasons are independent from each other and while the other two are enjoyable, Season I is the one that everyone raves about.)
One of my all-time favorite movies. It touches on almost every aspectof the human condition. Despair, fear, ignorance, love, hate, anger, wonder, discovery, hope...it's all there.
Yes to the Horse finding his way back... remember when Aragorn let Bill go before they entered the mine and he told Sam he knows the way home? 😉 it's true. Horses are herd animals and cover great distances by nature. I could give 100 examples of horses taking the lead and "getting back"... 🥰 love your pick this week!
This movie being on the list of the best movies ever is well deserved, it has moments that truly transcend the medium and give much to think about even today.
Thank you for this one, Mary. Glad you enjoyed it. You might one day try a film from the same general genre entitled Jeremiah Johnson. Also a true epic story, with great acting, scenery and action.
My top 3 movie. So beautifully shot and the use of Sioux language and their society was so authentic. It deserved to win the OSCAR. Goodfellas was great too, but this was original and epic.
A great movie. And a great one to react to, too. And your reaction was as great as expected. Thanks for doing this one as it is one of my all-time favorites. And it appears it is now one of your's too. And now for another great movie, also starring Kevin Costner take a look at "JFK". It is a true story featuring an allstar cast, and a beautiful John Williams score. And in sync with your background it is also one of the two best, most memorable trial movies ever made (the other being "Amistad" - another for your must-see list).
When I first watched this, I liked that the Lakota are portrayed more accurately and real than most movies. When I watched it a few more times, it bothered me that the Pawnee are portrayed as stereotypical Hollywood bad Indians. I would like to recommend two movies that I think present the Maori well. Both movies feature kids, and I think of them as family movies, except for one scene that is too intense for young kids. "Whale Rider" Deals with conflicts between old ways and new ways. "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" Show Maori as just part of society. A foster kid finds a place he fits.
It's a decent movie despite some of the historical liberties taken. For more fun with Indians check out: Geronimo: An American Legend Hostiles Powwow Highway Last of the Mohicans Thunderheart
11 miles down the road from me is the biggest her if buffalo I’ve ever seen alive and mostly free. The Indian reservation in El Reno, Oklahoma. They are a sight to see.
This was during the American Civil War (1860-1865). Whenever you hear of "The Wild West", it located in the American West and was after the Civil War. Most "Wild West Movies" were during the 1880's when most of the wilderness was gone. This film took place just 10-15 year prior to that. The commanding officer who shot himself had contracted syphilis and "gone mad" from the disease. He started thinking he served a king and thought of Dunbar as a Knight on a holy quest. This film is a masterpiece.
I enjoyed watching your reaction as much as you enjoyed watching the movie, so thank you! You may like another movie dealing with native American's called "Last of the Dogmen"
Our civil war reenacting club, the National Civil War Assn. and 2 other clubs did the battle scenes for this movie. Also Gettysburg, Gods and Generals and Glory. It was fun but tiring!
That's awesome! The battle scene at the beginning is really well done. Gettysburg and Glory are fantastic Civil War films. Gods and Generals not as much, though there is still a lot to like in it.
Thank you for reviewing "Dances with Wolves," I always enjoy your movie reactions. (Band of Brothers is my favorite of your reviews thus far). Please do watch these three all time classics - "Lawrence of Arabia," "Patton," and "Amadeus." I would really love to see your reactions to these great movies. Cheers!
Amadeus is one of my favorite movies of all time, and it's all the more incredible how well it holds up considering the year it was filmed. I'd recommend the theatrical cut over the director's cut, even though I have the director's cut, the extra scenes don't add that much to the narrative but change the pacing quite a bit.
Another movie in a similar vein, but dealing with white man, wolves, and native Inuit--Never Cry Wolf--is a brilliant and overlooked movie. The scenery is even more epic, it has a brilliant score, and is a great modern man meets nature and is introduced to a culture stretching back thousands of years through native mythology and communion with a pack of wolves. Even if you don't watch it for your stream: watch it for yourself. It's a Disney production but when it came out it wasn't widely promoted (because it wasn't your typical Disney cartoon type of movie I suppose) so people just didn't know about it. Has one of the best scores and amazing cinematography of any movie I have ever watched--and I've seen thousands.
This movie was filmed in my home state of South Dakota, also the home state of the Lakota people. If you ever have an opportunity to visit, I urge you to do so. The Black Hills are a wonderful tourist destination. Kevin Costner also fell in love with it and bought a place there. I haven't lived in SoDak for 20 years and whenever I get homesick I watch this movie.
Lovely reaction as usual Mary! It must be quite an adventure to watch all of these great films, one after the other, in such a short time period. Not just entertaining, but life enriching too, I would say. Always a pleasure to see you immerse yourself in a movie like this one, with such a great story and range of emotions. Keep doing what you do! I'm proud to support your channel on Patreon!
If you enjoyed Dances With Wolves, I would strongly recommend The Last Samurai. It’s a different story in a different setting, with some very similar themes and tone.
Even though it's not a similar movie, Last of the Mohicans is also a good one. It takes place 150 or so years before this movie does but there's still Native Americans and Colonials that interact. It sadly doesn't go into so much depth giving the Native Americans such a grand personality, but it's still a good movie.
@@evelynne2846 Shockingly enough, the music wasn't done by a composer I'd heard of. I thought it would have been Zimmer or Horner or something but it was two guys named Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman. I was surprised I'd never heard of them before or since really.
It's so wonderful to see people discover and genuinely enjoy these older movies. 😊 If you ever rewatch it I highly recommend the extended edition. it's really long, but it sucks you in so well you hardly notice. It also gives answers some of the questions you had.
My favorite movie. I love that you get it......and also liked this epic movie. The cultural references are so correct and typify the American west. Perfect in every way on many levels.
This is one of my favorite movies of all time and somehow reminds me of the movie 'Dersu Uzala' (1975) by Akira Kurosawa, a great movie about the growth of respect and deep friendship between two men of profoundly different backgrounds. The film won the 1976 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and I think you will really appreciate that movie.
At the age of 19, i saw this in the movie theater by myself just to see what all the fuss was about. It was the first time in my life, I cried in at a movie ("Do you see that I am your friend"). I was so surprised at myself. I consider this a cinematic coming of age for me. I started to experience movies different afterwards. I saw Rambo First Blood before Dances with Wolves and didnt cry. After Dances with Wolves, the last 10 minutes of First Blood makes me cry every single time i rewatch it. It's still inexplicable to me, how I changed how i view movies.
Loved your reaction to this in particular, one of the most sympathetic portraits of Indian culture in cinema. “Smiles a Lot” would be a splendid name for you, as well as your alternate suggestion, because tears and smiles often go together. They are a tribute to your depth of feeling.
Most of this movie was filmed in South Dakota! Kevin really fell in love with the area and even opened a Casino in Deadwood called The Midnight Star. My Wife’s father was a lobbyist in the state and help him get it all set up. She’s got great pictures with him and says he is a very nice guy. We still live in South Dakota. In fact, our house is a quarter mile from a buffalo ranch, and I get to see those magnificent beasts and beautiful sky’s every day. :)
🎯 At 2:44 the tragic irony of the two characters. The commander had aspirations of being a living hero but was the cause of his own death. Whereas, Costner's character in trying to cause his own death became a living hero. Based on the commander's articulate speech and vocabulary, he was likely a military academy graduate and appointed as an officer directly after graduation. The largest military conflict in American history, to that point (The Civil War) was raging, and yet, he is assigned an outpost far away from the war. This was not what he aspired to do and be while in the military academy. That's why he was surprised that Costner's character volunteered for the outpost he chose. Therefore, he long felt his life was useless, his military career over, and the only other frontier ahead of him was the afterlife. Thus, he drinks to Costner's journey, and to his own before firing the fatal shot. So much going on in that very short scene, but it's full of layers. P.S. The pissing of his pants antic, was his last grasp at self determination before death. His life had been under the control of the military since he enlisted, and it ended as horribly for himself as he could have feared. But pissing himself he said, "...and no one can do anything about it." Meaning, I'm in control of my life from here on out, and nobody can stop me from ending my life just moments away.
I like to think that Two Socks led the Lakota to where Dunbar was being transported. What a good boy. This reminds me that I'd love to see you please check out "Alpha", an amazing "what if?" fable about the first domestication of wolves/dogs. As an animal lover, you will be in (mostly happy) tears.
There is an extended version of this movie, which explains why the fort was unmanned when Dunbar first arrived. I recommend watching it once. When the film was first assembled it ran far too long, Orion wanted a movie running 2h20 but compromised at 3 hours after major cuts were made
Wind In His Hair, when he rode up and stated his name, and said he wasn't afraid, was doing something called "Counting Coup." From Wikipedia: Among the Plains Indians of North America, counting coup is the warrior tradition of winning prestige against an enemy in battle. It is one of the traditional ways of showing bravery in the face of an enemy and involves intimidating him, and, it is hoped, persuading him to admit defeat, without having to kill him. These victories may then be remembered, recorded, and recounted as part of the community's oral, written, or pictorial histories.
3:30 "The Frontier" was the nickname for the ever shrinking border towards "the great, unconquered wild lands" that was not yet influenced by non-native settlers and explorers. Already during The American Civil War (1861-1865), people were realizing that the unconquered wild lands would not remain as such for very long. By 1880-1900, it was pretty much all gone.
The pink was great but I'm really enjoying the atmosphere of your "studio" 😉. Feels more calming in a way. Awesome content as always. Oh and very good movie too.
This movie is about my tribe the Lakota I am ((Oglala Lakota Sioux and rosebud Sioux tribe)) the Buffalo are very sacred to us and we use everything on the Buffalo Colonel Richard Dodge said in 1867 “Every buffalo dead is an Indian gone.” And also “Tiyóspaye” In Lakota means circle of relatives and it Also means family
It's fine to say American Indian. I've got several American Indian friends and they all refer to themselves this way. Generally it's ok as long as that's the way they identify themselves. They say Native American as well, and if they want to be more specific they refer to their tribal heritage such as Cherokee, Pawnee, etc.
This is one of my favorite movies ever. I have seen it countless times but I just thought of a question that I've never thought of before and it kind of blows my mind considering how often I've seen this. When he was running over the hill in the darkness the 1st time he sees the herd of Buffalo. I thought to myself that if I didn't know any better I would think that maybe it's an earthquake or some kind of natural disaster. Which led me to the question........ How did plains Indian tribes respond to tornadoes? You know they saw them on a very regular basis.... Any trucker that has driven through Western Kansas or Western Nebraska in the middle of summer knows this. There may be times that you could see 3 different tornadoes at a distance from 3 separate storms. That's just how crazy wide open that area is. And to wrap this up let me just share my displeasure that I grew up in the dead center of tornado alley. All I have wanted for my whole life is to actually see a tornado. And it still hasn't happened. Dammit
Great reaction, Mary, and great selection! Couple ideas, based on this: If you go in for the sprawling epic with breathtaking scenery type of film, you can't beat _Out of Africa (1985)._ And for the actor playing Kicking Bird, Graham Greene, in an entirely different kind of role, I see that _The Green Mile (1999)_ is not in your channel's Video section. You must remedy that soon! :)
![30 ชั่วโมงคนเดียว บนรถไฟชั้น 3 โซเวียต [Around The World Ep. 2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/MlE9boAVqDA/mqdefault.jpg)
Actually the Bison herd is very small for the time. When Lewis and Clark's Expedition encountered a Bison Herd, it was so large it took four days for the Herd to pass, it is estimated that there was around 60 million Bison roaming North America in the year 1800.
Believe it or not, back before then the bison range extended all the way to the Hudson River. At first glance this would seem impossible, but the natives used a "more distant" form of husbandry than we are accustomed to. They'd select a small number of food-bearing trees and protect them, and then prevent any other trees from growing by periodically burning the undergrowth. So there was food in all the trees but still enough space underneath for herds of bison to roam.
When the Europeans arrived, they found a land that "miraculously" bore unlimited food, while also observing the natives "infernal barbarian practice" of "needlessly igniting the undergrowth wherever he goes."
So then when they landed at Plymouth and tried to start a town, they almost died the first winter - largely because they had chopped down all the trees they could find... so they could make a fort... to protect themselves from the natives...
The Indians would use every part of the Bison
@@DeltaAssaultGaming And the white man almost exterminated the buffalo by shooting them for sport. Pictures of MOUNTAINS of buffalo skulls document this, and leave the carcasses on the plains.
@@DeltaAssaultGaming I believe that's true of most indigenous people. The "civilized" people more often than not seem to be the wasteful ones ;-)
When Daniel Boone first came to Kentucky he wrote about seeing the path where buffalo had traveled. He said it was a path 100 yards wide that went on for miles and miles.
Honestly the scene at the end when Wind In His Hair is shouting is one that is like instant tears every time. Such a great arc for the character and you feel his love for Dunbar so much. This movie is one that meant a lot to my family. It was a big film for including Native people AS native people. My Dad's side of my family are Cherokee and I recall it being meaningful to them, several of the actors are from Oklahoma, which is where we are from.
Kickapoo here (lower indiana and parts of kentucky). Also, before anyone makes a joke, yes i know it's a weird name.
@@aaronburdon221 There's a town called Kickapoo up the road in Missouri. Played them in basketball a lot as a kid.
Me too friend. Instant tears every time
Ditto, that final scene has me in tears. The fact that the native language is spoken, and subtitles used, really adds authenticity to the story. As much as I would like the story to be true, it is fiction, but it certainly does expose the tragic and barbaric way the native people were treated. I think as a society, it is a shame the new Americans weren't more aware of the value of the culture and knowledge and history of the native people and that more wasn't done to try to preserve it and establish some form of status quo, as difficult as that is.
Sadly the same has happened to the Aboriginals of Australia, the Amazonian tribes, and others. Even the North Sentinal islands have been contacted on several occasions despite governments imposing a ban on disturbing those that live there.
Agree100
Thank you Mary for going in BLIND, I think it adds to the authenticity of your reactions.
What?
Watching a kind and thoughtful person fall in love with a good movie is as distinct a pleasure as the film itself.
It's like watching it for the first time all over again.
This film is really what I call an "experience".
Absolutely!
I have watched this movie several times at least. It's a great movie in all respects. There is another as good as this which you should cover. It's Little Big Man.
This film was not simply a well-made production, it was actually an event in the history of cinema! At the time of its release, the 'western genre' of film was almost nonexistent. On its own, 'Dance with Wolves' revived the genre and 'westerns' gained a new life! Also 'Dances with Wolves' is one of the first motion pictures to portray native Americans as protagonists and the "white man" as antagonists.
That moment near the end when Wind In His Hair shouts to Dances With Wolves... one of my favorite moments in any movie ever. Leaves me wrecked every time (and I've seen this movie at least a dozen times). Great choice.
Lonesome Dove is an amazing mini series set in the west, totally worth watching.
This movie reminds me that word: “Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money.”
careful.... you go speaking that word out loud, and try giving people things for free, and the world will think you're a communist.
@@bcn1gh7h4wk it’s an Indian proverb. I think they were complaining about white men greed.
3:02 -- they don't really explain it in the non-director's-cut version of the movie but that officer had syphillis. So he was slowly going crazy and knew enough to take himself out before it got worse.
Great to see you react to this. I'm part Sioux, and I am from south Dakota so this movie has always been special to me, glad you enjoyed it.
It's always entertaining to re-experience a great movie through your eyes. This time it was also very touching. Thank you Mary.
Thank you for reviewing this. It doesn't get enough attention.
Lt. Dunbar (Costner) kept his foot because he was given attention from his commanding officer's personal physician. Enlisted men and lower-level officers like Dunbar would normally just get a limb amputated and then be sent home.
Dunbar wants to see the frontier/prairie before it's all gone... meaning that he knows what the future holds. When the United States first *obtained* (we'll forget about how, for the moment) additional territory from Spain, France, Britain and Mexico and had an open door all the way to the Pacific Coast, settlers initially passed right through the Great Plains as being a less-important area and settled the Coast first. But eventually they'd focus in on the Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming..., and convert as much of it as possible into farmland or fenced-in grazing land, plus a few mines. And kill off the buffalo, the passenger pigeon, and anything else that was in their way. Thus, the prairie would disappear.
Stands With a Fist was alone on the prairie and bloody (from cutting herself) because her husband had been killed. That means one of two things. One, the band she belonged to could have the custom of erasing a warrior after he dies, meaning other tribe members take his dwelling and possessions and the widow is turned out with nothing, to die of exposure. Cutting herself would hurry up the process. Two, it could be that she's just in ordinary temporary mourning, and is expressing it through cutting. In any case, Dunbar interferes, so she's returned to her adoptive father Kicking Bird's lodge. The movie doesn't really explain the situation. Thus the Sioux stay somewhat sympathetic in the viewers' eyes. An alternate movie could have been made about the Pawnee, showing them in detail and emphasizing their positive customs, and making the Sioux the antagonists in the wars between the two tribes. That's the power of movies. By selective display, any person or group can be made the heroes. Wes Studi, who is actually Cherokee, plays the Pawnee raiding party leader in this film and the vengeful Huron leader Magua in "Last of the Mohicans." He's probably cast in roles like that because he has a "mean" look.
The Sioux were very conservative in how they used natural resources. (As were many other Indigenous tribes.) If they killed a game animal, they were sorry about it and tried to honor the animal. They'd use every last part of the carcass, no waste. So seeing those buffalo killed just for their hides and tongues was a shock. But the whites who did that weren't just being thoughtless. It was probably a part of the plan to eliminate the Plains tribes by destroying their food supply.
Extended version of this definitely adds context to some scenes. And some more absolutely fantastic scenery. I like that the film turns the white savior trope on its head. Because really Dunbar is the one being saved.
You know I've always thought it was written well and the cinematography was top notch, but for a long time I did think it was another savior trope type movie. But years later I think I saw a documentary about the movie, or a series of interviews, with cast members, then looked into it more. I didn't realize that the Sioux community embraced the project for its fair and genuine treatment of its heritage and actually had a huge hand it's production. According to many indigenous groups, one of the few honest portrayals of Native Americans losing their culture and identity to the white man. This is a quote I found from Costner from when it was first released, pretty admirable comment....
"𝙉𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡 𝙞𝙩, 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚. 𝘼𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙬𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣, 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙙𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣.....𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧."
The inversion of the White savior is often just the noble savage trope, so... That said? The extended is better, exactly because it shows some of the truth of both ends of things - like the scene where Dunbar sees the aftermath, the stolen property, the scalps, of Whites the Indians, his friends, had attacked, killed and robbed.
In point of fact, I find the theatrical version rather frustrating, in that instead of being the more-truthful examination of two people in conflict the extended comes off as at times, it comes across as more of a noble savage trope film, and those are just as played-out as White savior at this point.
@@no-xr8wv Except this film just portrayed them who they were flaws and strengths. From raiding, to willing to fight white soldiers when they needed, to the fact that the beginning of their end was coming. Along with the cooperation with the Sioux to get the portrayal right.
Thank you for reacting to this movie! For some reason not many reactors watch it, though it was truly Kevin Costner’s masterpiece. It was also the first movie he starred in, directed, and co-produced. I absolutely love it, but I CANNOT get through it without crying. Seeing the soldiers kill both Cisco and Two Socks is heartbreaking to watch every single time.
Costner has so many great movies. I suggest “Bull Durham”, with Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon - his best baseball movie, imo.
I wanted to mention for anyone that's interested, there is a part 2, they never made it into a movie though so you can only get the book. It's called "The Holy Road" by Michael Blake. It's very good and pretty much picks up right where this story left off.
This was one of the most beautifully filmed movies I'd ever seen, and this film will always remind me of my father as he and I enjoyed seeing this in the theater together very much. Thank you for reacting to this.
This is one of my 10 ten movies of all time. I am so happy that this film gets the recognition here on TH-cam more and more. I enjoyed your reaction very much, Mary. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
Mary, it's perfectly okay to say "Indian." On the reservation most of the native tribes call themselves Indians. It's not technically correct, but the people getting their knickers in a twist about the term are almost all White. The various tribes have adopted the term for themselves and are (mostly) not offended.
Especially in Dutch where there's a different word for people from India and American natives. Even though it's derived from the East Indies. We say Indiaan vs Indier. There's also no disrespect towards native Americans in Belgium, on the contrary, always huge respect, even admiration. Well, at least for the last 40-50 years, before that there was quite a bit of ignorance from a colonial point of view.
Depends where you are. In Canada "Indian" is used historically but it has a legal definition rather than an ethnic or cultural one. First Nations or Inuit or Métis are the terms used since at least the 1970s.
In Oklahoma I never heard them referring to themselves as that. They do have names for items that include the term such as 'Indian Taco'. If you ask them what they are they'll usually say Creek or Cherokee or identify as a member of their tribe or if they're speaking generally I've heard them identify as native, native American. I've never ever heard a native American say "I'm Indian" I've never even heard anybody refer to themselves as American Indian and I had many friends who were members of the Creek, Choctaw and Cherokee nations.
@@zammmerjammer We sometimes say "First Nations" around here too.
The way I had it explained to me by the Choctaw is: "Native American" is really no better than "Indian" because the very word America is just as foreign as the word Indian. The Choctaw obvious prefer to be called the Choctaw but failing that, Indian is OK.
Winner of 7 Oscars including Best Picture! I saw this film on CBS Sunday Night Movie in 2000. I didn't get to see the rest of the movie as it was 4 hours long, on TV that is.
The buffalo sequence is my favorite part of the movie as it when sweeping camera shots that you don't see anymore.
Two Socks death is very necessary as it is the symbolism for the main theme of the movie. Beautiful is the best adjective for this movie. I loved it ever since i was a child.
Great movie. On my list of films i had to show my kids before they went out in the world. Costner is a surprisingly powerful film-maker.
An interesting (and quite underrated) movie that has some similar themes to this one is Quigley Down Under.
Oh, and I like pretty much all movies I've seen with Kevin Costner though some of them are considered flops... Waterworld and Postman come to mind, in both he tried to recapture the magic of Dances with Wolves (which is likely his best movie) and fell short but I'd say they're still worth watching.
The funny thing is, I actually like both of those movies (Waterworld and Postman). They're not amazing, but I was entertained when I saw them in theaters. I think it might just be due to my weird fascination with post-apocalyptic worlds.
Waterworld was ok. I really liked Postman. I believe the Postman would of been more popular if it didn't come out when Titanic did.
I haven't seen a Quigley down under reaction yet,I hope she sees that one too
I loved the postman, but it was a little long. Waterworld was meeeeh
@@aaronburdon221 Fun fact, Waterworld, Postman and Dances all have cca. 3 hours duration (within a few minutes), it goes to show how important it is to use the time wisely.
Most of this was filmed in central and western South Dakota, and being from South Dakota, this movie holds a place close to my heart.
Really appreciated your reaction to this epic movie. You had me cracking up many times. Good job!
This is a very good movie. I agree with you're observation that the length was necessary to give time for the relationships between the characters to develop without feeling rushed.
23:10 The "Taking a bite of the animals Raw Organ" is a hunting tradition. Very few still do this. It is to show Respect for the animal's sacrifice for your sustenance. The entire animal would be used for different things. Food, housing, clothing, weapons.
Read somewhere about pioneer accounts of buffalo herds taking 4 days to pass! And that herds could number as high as 20 million.
I loved this reaction !
I'm still laughing about " I like their wedding planning better than ours".
Kicking Bird is played by the wonderful Graham Greene. Been in a TON of stuff, and a Canadian national treasure in my eyes.
Loved him in Maverick 😀
Your intelligence, your heart, that why I keep coming back. This is not just a film, it's an experience. As am American, with a last name traced back to the Dutch, transferred to the western US through the Cherokee to Texas, this movie has always spoken to me at a visceral level. In the end, we must all find those ways to listen.
one of my fave movies! ♥ Some great actors in this!
You should watch History Buffs - Dances with wolves after this. It's an amazing episode about the history of the native people.
Seconded. I think that's their best episode.
It's interesting you noticed how the Sioux would meet at speak as equals all having a voice. A native American term borrowed into the English language is "having a powwow" which means to come together for a frank and open discussion.
And I shall call you "Laughs Alot." Great movie and great reaction. One of my favorites of yours so far. Thank you.
My dads side of our family is Oglala Lakota, and live on the Pine Ridge reservation near where a lot of this movie was filmed. It was a HUGE deal when this movie was made, as so many locals were cast as extras. Even though it follows the old “White Savior” Hollywood trope, I think it was fairly respectfully made. And the soundtrack by John Barry is stunning.
Thank You for your reaction to this film. Your perspective on my country has made you one of my favorite Reaction Channels. Our history, although fantastic, is nothing to be completely proud of. The beauty of our people is one that we will always hold in our hearts.
I hope that you and your partner are doing well. Best Wishes to you both.
I just got back from a trip to North Dakota and Wyoming. I got to see huge herds of Tatanka (pics under my community tab). I also ate some Tatanka stew. So good!
Dances With Wolves is an amazing piece of work, no question about it. Free State of Jones is another great movie. Awesome reaction.
That part at the end with Wind in His Hair always gets me.
One of my all-time favorite films. I highly recommend watching the 4 hour cut when you have the time.
2022...and it still makes me cry..thank you for your reaction Mareeeeeeh. Love the channel.
Thanks, Mary! 🐺 I absolutely love this one... and was fortunate enough to see it on the big screen.
I lived out on the North Dakota, Montana line years ago and my children are one quarter Lakota Sioux. If I had a Native American name I would be called "Dances with Difficulty" 🙂 The sunsets there were gorgeous, the winters were brutal...
Hi Mary! Being a SW American Indian this movie was required watching in our tribe(Navajo) even though it was no near us but the idea and pride of showing a story that involves Natives and it being a very good one at that is the best. There are few like this type of genre and this is one of the very top. Great reaction to a great video, this Injun approves. Keep it up!!
I LOVE your reactions, Mary. As soon as you started speaking, I got a big smile on my face and happy feelings washed over me. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing your reactions with us.
I'm plainly stoked that you're doing this. I'm happy that you loved it - it is a wonderful film. Here are a few other films starring Kevin Costner which i think you would like:
JFK (1991) with Gary Oldman
THE BODYGUARD (1992) Whitney Houston
A PERFECT WORLD (1993) Clint Eastwood
OPEN RANGE (2003) Robert Duvall, Annette Bening
There are many more but these are favorites for me.
For a minute I couldn't place Gary Oldman in JFK... until it struck me like a smack to the head :-D
@@gregall2178
No reason to feel dumb -
The guy is a chameleon. Who else can pull off roles as diverse;
Lee Harvey Oswald one moment, Count Dracula the next. Winston Churchill, Ludwig van Beethoven, drug dealer Drexl Spivey, Rosencrantz, and Sid Vicious to name a few.
@@Blue-qr7qe I guess my sense of humor is an acquired taste 🙂
There used to be millions upon millions of Buffalo in America throughout much of the country. They migrated in such huge herds over such long periods of time that they created permanent tracks in the landscape that early roads followed. Many major roads today still follow those old paths.
Yes, Finally this got a reaction. Kevin Costner is a phenomenal actor always great performances. Thank you Mary.
I can't say I'm a fan of Kevin Costner, but I thought he was very good in this amazing film.
One of the most beautifully shot movies ever.
One of my top-10 movies of 90th. Possibly one of the best films for me to help in case of depression.
I’m so glad you got to see this movie. So much history in this really too much to dive into. The music and this is phenomenal. The plains of the United States are vast. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of miles. I live here in Kentucky and Many frontiersman that settled from Kentucky westward remarked that the Buffalo Herds were so large that a person could walk from one County to another on the backs of the buffalo and never touch the ground. Many of our roads today were once buffalo trails. Some have said this movie was a love letter to the Native Americans.The end When wind in his hair is yelling at dances with wolves I will always be your friend, I lose it every time. One of my favorite movies.!!
A quick note about the massacred buffalo. There were men, contracted by the U.S. government, to go out and kill as many buffalo as possible and let them rot. The purpose was to destroy the tribe's main food supply. You can't fight if you can't eat. This isn't an original idea and has been used by various armies throughout history.
It's called a "scorched earth campaign."
A fantastic movie no doubt. I've seen this a dozen times and still tear up every single time Two-Socks is killed and when Wind-In-His-Hair declares his friendship from the top of the cliff. Great reaction Mary! Love to see when things really touch you.
Movie suggestion: Shutter Island (Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley among others).
Series Suggestion: True Detective (Season I only. The seasons are independent from each other and while the other two are enjoyable, Season I is the one that everyone raves about.)
One of my all-time favorite movies. It touches on almost every aspectof the human condition. Despair, fear, ignorance, love, hate, anger, wonder, discovery, hope...it's all there.
Yes to the Horse finding his way back... remember when Aragorn let Bill go before they entered the mine and he told Sam he knows the way home? 😉 it's true. Horses are herd animals and cover great distances by nature. I could give 100 examples of horses taking the lead and "getting back"... 🥰 love your pick this week!
This movie being on the list of the best movies ever is well deserved, it has moments that truly transcend the medium and give much to think about even today.
I love your wholesome reaction to this wholesome movie. 🥰
Thank you for this one, Mary. Glad you enjoyed it. You might one day try a film from the same general genre entitled Jeremiah Johnson. Also a true epic story, with great acting, scenery and action.
Enjoying your reactions. I think you'd like Hidalgo. Another great epic film is Australia (starring Hugh Jackman & Nicole Kidman).
My top 3 movie. So beautifully shot and the use of Sioux language and their society was so authentic. It deserved to win the OSCAR. Goodfellas was great too, but this was original and epic.
A great movie. And a great one to react to, too. And your reaction was as great as expected. Thanks for doing this one as it is one of my all-time favorites. And it appears it is now one of your's too. And now for another great movie, also starring Kevin Costner take a look at "JFK". It is a true story featuring an allstar cast, and a beautiful John Williams score. And in sync with your background it is also one of the two best, most memorable trial movies ever made (the other being "Amistad" - another for your must-see list).
When I first watched this, I liked that the Lakota are portrayed more accurately and real than most movies. When I watched it a few more times, it bothered me that the Pawnee are portrayed as stereotypical Hollywood bad Indians.
I would like to recommend two movies that I think present the Maori well. Both movies feature kids, and I think of them as family movies, except for one scene that is too intense for young kids.
"Whale Rider" Deals with conflicts between old ways and new ways.
"Hunt for the Wilderpeople" Show Maori as just part of society. A foster kid finds a place he fits.
As a Canadian Aboriginal I'm glad you like and understood the film. Cheers Mary
I'm happy you liked it, this is my all time favorite movie.
It's a decent movie despite some of the historical liberties taken. For more fun with Indians check out:
Geronimo: An American Legend
Hostiles
Powwow Highway
Last of the Mohicans
Thunderheart
11 miles down the road from me is the biggest her if buffalo I’ve ever seen alive and mostly free. The Indian reservation in El Reno, Oklahoma. They are a sight to see.
This was during the American Civil War (1860-1865). Whenever you hear of "The Wild West", it located in the American West and was after the Civil War. Most "Wild West Movies" were during the 1880's when most of the wilderness was gone. This film took place just 10-15 year prior to that. The commanding officer who shot himself had contracted syphilis and "gone mad" from the disease. He started thinking he served a king and thought of Dunbar as a Knight on a holy quest. This film is a masterpiece.
I enjoyed watching your reaction as much as you enjoyed watching the movie, so thank you! You may like another movie dealing with native American's called "Last of the Dogmen"
My horses always find their way home when they escape.
Super stoked u finally watched this film. It is definitely in my top three movies of all time.
Our civil war reenacting club, the National Civil War Assn. and 2 other clubs did the battle scenes for this movie. Also Gettysburg, Gods and Generals and Glory. It was fun but tiring!
That's awesome! The battle scene at the beginning is really well done. Gettysburg and Glory are fantastic Civil War films. Gods and Generals not as much, though there is still a lot to like in it.
Kevin Costner in Open Range is also a worthwhile movie to check out.
Thank you for reviewing "Dances with Wolves," I always enjoy your movie reactions. (Band of Brothers is my favorite of your reviews thus far). Please do watch these three all time classics - "Lawrence of Arabia," "Patton," and "Amadeus." I would really love to see your reactions to these great movies. Cheers!
Amadeus! Nice sugestión!
Amadeus is one of my favorite movies of all time, and it's all the more incredible how well it holds up considering the year it was filmed. I'd recommend the theatrical cut over the director's cut, even though I have the director's cut, the extra scenes don't add that much to the narrative but change the pacing quite a bit.
Amadeus theatrical version seems to be the consense.
Also, just to let you know, Dunbar is at a US Army post out on the frontier. Back then posts that far out in the frontier were very primitive.
Your comment, how beautiful is this. The American West is beautiful!!!!!!
Another movie in a similar vein, but dealing with white man, wolves, and native Inuit--Never Cry Wolf--is a brilliant and overlooked movie. The scenery is even more epic, it has a brilliant score, and is a great modern man meets nature and is introduced to a culture stretching back thousands of years through native mythology and communion with a pack of wolves. Even if you don't watch it for your stream: watch it for yourself. It's a Disney production but when it came out it wasn't widely promoted (because it wasn't your typical Disney cartoon type of movie I suppose) so people just didn't know about it. Has one of the best scores and amazing cinematography of any movie I have ever watched--and I've seen thousands.
I've made this same suggestion to many reactors... :)
The only intro I'll ever need from you is "Welcome back" and "Let's go!"
This movie was filmed in my home state of South Dakota, also the home state of the Lakota people. If you ever have an opportunity to visit, I urge you to do so. The Black Hills are a wonderful tourist destination. Kevin Costner also fell in love with it and bought a place there. I haven't lived in SoDak for 20 years and whenever I get homesick I watch this movie.
Lovely reaction as usual Mary! It must be quite an adventure to watch all of these great films, one after the other, in such a short time period. Not just entertaining, but life enriching too, I would say. Always a pleasure to see you immerse yourself in a movie like this one, with such a great story and range of emotions. Keep doing what you do! I'm proud to support your channel on Patreon!
If you enjoyed Dances With Wolves, I would strongly recommend The Last Samurai. It’s a different story in a different setting, with some very similar themes and tone.
Actually is basically the same story with different location.
Copy & paste (in poor resolution)
Even though it's not a similar movie, Last of the Mohicans is also a good one. It takes place 150 or so years before this movie does but there's still Native Americans and Colonials that interact. It sadly doesn't go into so much depth giving the Native Americans such a grand personality, but it's still a good movie.
@@evelynne2846 Killer soundtrack, too.
@@evelynne2846 Shockingly enough, the music wasn't done by a composer I'd heard of. I thought it would have been Zimmer or Horner or something but it was two guys named Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman. I was surprised I'd never heard of them before or since really.
This is a beautiful and yet tragic movie all rolled into one
It's so wonderful to see people discover and genuinely enjoy these older movies. 😊 If you ever rewatch it I highly recommend the extended edition. it's really long, but it sucks you in so well you hardly notice. It also gives answers some of the questions you had.
*I get so emotional watching this film.* Being Native and also American, it hurts that history went so tragically.
My favorite movie. I love that you get it......and also liked this epic movie. The cultural references are so correct and typify the American west. Perfect in every way on many levels.
This is one of my favorite movies of all time and somehow reminds me of the movie 'Dersu Uzala' (1975) by Akira Kurosawa, a great movie about the growth of respect and deep friendship between two men of profoundly different backgrounds. The film won the 1976 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and I think you will really appreciate that movie.
At the age of 19, i saw this in the movie theater by myself just to see what all the fuss was about.
It was the first time in my life, I cried in at a movie ("Do you see that I am your friend"). I was so surprised at myself.
I consider this a cinematic coming of age for me. I started to experience movies different afterwards. I saw Rambo First Blood before Dances with Wolves and didnt cry. After Dances with Wolves, the last 10 minutes of First Blood makes me cry every single time i rewatch it.
It's still inexplicable to me, how I changed how i view movies.
Loved your reaction to this in particular, one of the most sympathetic portraits of Indian culture in cinema. “Smiles a Lot” would be a splendid name for you, as well as your alternate suggestion, because tears and smiles often go together. They are a tribute to your depth of feeling.
Most of this movie was filmed in South Dakota!
Kevin really fell in love with the area and even opened a Casino in Deadwood called The Midnight Star. My Wife’s father was a lobbyist in the state and help him get it all set up. She’s got great pictures with him and says he is a very nice guy.
We still live in South Dakota. In fact, our house is a quarter mile from a buffalo ranch, and I get to see those magnificent beasts and beautiful sky’s every day. :)
🎯 At 2:44 the tragic irony of the two characters. The commander had aspirations of being a living hero but was the cause of his own death. Whereas, Costner's character in trying to cause his own death became a living hero. Based on the commander's articulate speech and vocabulary, he was likely a military academy graduate and appointed as an officer directly after graduation. The largest military conflict in American history, to that point (The Civil War) was raging, and yet, he is assigned an outpost far away from the war. This was not what he aspired to do and be while in the military academy. That's why he was surprised that Costner's character volunteered for the outpost he chose. Therefore, he long felt his life was useless, his military career over, and the only other frontier ahead of him was the afterlife. Thus, he drinks to Costner's journey, and to his own before firing the fatal shot. So much going on in that very short scene, but it's full of layers. P.S. The pissing of his pants antic, was his last grasp at self determination before death. His life had been under the control of the military since he enlisted, and it ended as horribly for himself as he could have feared. But pissing himself he said, "...and no one can do anything about it." Meaning, I'm in control of my life from here on out, and nobody can stop me from ending my life just moments away.
I like to think that Two Socks led the Lakota to where Dunbar was being transported. What a good boy. This reminds me that I'd love to see you please check out "Alpha", an amazing "what if?" fable about the first domestication of wolves/dogs. As an animal lover, you will be in (mostly happy) tears.
There is an extended version of this movie, which explains why the fort was unmanned when Dunbar first arrived. I recommend watching it once. When the film was first assembled it ran far too long, Orion wanted a movie running 2h20 but compromised at 3 hours after major cuts were made
Actor Graham Greene does both epic dramas as well as comedy. He stars in Maverick, Green Mile, Wind River, and many TV programs.
Wind In His Hair, when he rode up and stated his name, and said he wasn't afraid, was doing something called "Counting Coup." From Wikipedia: Among the Plains Indians of North America, counting coup is the warrior tradition of winning prestige against an enemy in battle. It is one of the traditional ways of showing bravery in the face of an enemy and involves intimidating him, and, it is hoped, persuading him to admit defeat, without having to kill him. These victories may then be remembered, recorded, and recounted as part of the community's oral, written, or pictorial histories.
3:30 "The Frontier" was the nickname for the ever shrinking border towards "the great, unconquered wild lands" that was not yet influenced by non-native settlers and explorers. Already during The American Civil War (1861-1865), people were realizing that the unconquered wild lands would not remain as such for very long. By 1880-1900, it was pretty much all gone.
The pink was great but I'm really enjoying the atmosphere of your "studio" 😉. Feels more calming in a way. Awesome content as always. Oh and very good movie too.
This movie is about my tribe the Lakota I am ((Oglala Lakota Sioux and rosebud Sioux tribe)) the Buffalo are very sacred to us and we use everything on the Buffalo
Colonel Richard Dodge said in 1867 “Every buffalo dead is an Indian gone.” And also “Tiyóspaye” In Lakota means circle of relatives and it Also means family
It's fine to say American Indian. I've got several American Indian friends and they all refer to themselves this way. Generally it's ok as long as that's the way they identify themselves. They say Native American as well, and if they want to be more specific they refer to their tribal heritage such as Cherokee, Pawnee, etc.
This is one of my favorite movies ever.
I have seen it countless times but I just thought of a question that I've never thought of before and it kind of blows my mind considering how often I've seen this.
When he was running over the hill in the darkness the 1st time he sees the herd of Buffalo. I thought to myself that if I didn't know any better I would think that maybe it's an earthquake or some kind of natural disaster.
Which led me to the question........ How did plains Indian tribes respond to tornadoes? You know they saw them on a very regular basis.... Any trucker that has driven through Western Kansas or Western Nebraska in the middle of summer knows this. There may be times that you could see 3 different tornadoes at a distance from 3 separate storms. That's just how crazy wide open that area is.
And to wrap this up let me just share my displeasure that I grew up in the dead center of tornado alley. All I have wanted for my whole life is to actually see a tornado. And it still hasn't happened.
Dammit
That’s wild. I was raised in Kentucky and have seen a couple tornadoes.
Great reaction, Mary, and great selection! Couple ideas, based on this: If you go in for the sprawling epic with breathtaking scenery type of film, you can't beat _Out of Africa (1985)._ And for the actor playing Kicking Bird, Graham Greene, in an entirely different kind of role, I see that _The Green Mile (1999)_ is not in your channel's Video section. You must remedy that soon! :)
Out of Africa’s score was also by John Barry. It ranks up there with the best film scores ever recorded.