[10]

Kevin Costner's ambitious ode to the American frontier is grand, romantic storytelling at its best. And talk about an underdog. People were calling it 'Kevin's Gate' months prior to release -- and why shouldn't they? A three-hour long western with most of its dialogue in Lakota Sioux? How could such a movie find an audience, much less sweep the Academy Awards?

Costner plays John Dunbar, a melancholy Union soldier who gets his wish after a suicidal display of bravery — he gets assigned to the remote Fort Sedgewick on the western frontier. Isolated from the world, he begins to find peace within himself until a lone Native American sneaks into his fort and tries to steal his horse. Dunbar’s adversarial relationship with the nearby Sioux transforms into one of curiosity, then respect, and finally friendship. He’s adopted by the tribe and ostensibly becomes one of them. But when the Union Army sends backup to Fort Sedgewick, Dunbar’s old life comes into direct conflict with his new one, all while the threat of genocide looms on the horizon.

Dances With Wolves succeeds like few other films in fully transporting me to another time and place, and making me feel something once I get there. It is both epic and intimate — spectacle like the great buffalo hunt rivals the chariot race in Ben-Hur, but the story is anchored in the dramatic transformation of its main character.

Costner makes a sure-handed directorial debut, surrounding himself with top-tier talent in every department. The screenplay by Michael Blake (based on his novel) is so well paced and engaging that you never feel the movie’s run time. The real feathers in Costner’s cap are Dean Semler’s cinematography and John Barry’s music. Both lend a grandeur to the film that hearkens back to the work of David Lean and William Wyler. Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, and Rodney A. Grant deliver poignant supporting performances as members of the Sioux tribe who become Dunbar’s friends.

Costner is adequate in the lead role, but I could do without the droll and superfluous narration — it’s the one blemish on an otherwise amazing motion picture experience.

Oscar lavished Dances with Wolves with trophies for best picture, director, cinematography, music, sound, editing, and adapted screenplay. Costner, Greene, and McDonnell were each nominated for their performances. The costume design and art direction were also nominated.