Customer Reviews

Dances With Wolves (Widescreen Special Edition)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In 1994, "Dances With Wolves" originally was released as a Limited Collector's Edition laser discs box set, containing the Extended Cut, together with an autographed book "The Illustrated History", signed by Kevin Costner, Michael Blake (screenplay) and Jim Wilson (producer), together with a CD soundtrack and 6 Full-Colour 11x14" Lobby Cards. The size of this box set was large table-sized, and has the same dimension as the Fantasia Laser Disc box set. In 2008, this movie was released as a 2 dvd-set, with only 181 minutes, but with DTS 5.1 Surround Sound. Now 20th Century Fox and MGM have finally given us the definitive 20th Anniversary Edition of this epic movie on high definition, 234 minutes, 2.35:1, 1080p, a single 50GB dual layer blu ray disc (no changing of disc required) and DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio Sound, with a separate 25 GB disc for Special Features.

Video: This all-new Hi-Def Transfer gave the picture a very pristine and vivid look. The scenery was breathtaking. The grain consistency was film-like. Oscar-winner Dean Semler's gorgeous cinematography was ably on display. Blacks are rock solid. A 2.35:1 picture using an anamorphic lens truly showed off nobly how great and good-looking this epic picture was. (5/5)

Audio: The DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio was equally impressive, with great fidelity and deep bass. The surround was aggressive throughout. Dialogue was clear. John Barry's score was also first class. (5/5)

Trivia: In the opening scene where two doctors were examining John Dunbar, the man on the table was Kevin Costner's stand-in. The two people playing the doctors were actually the film's producer, Jim Wilson on the left and director/star Costner on the right. The voices were dubbed by other actors. And there were two wolves used. But did you know that one had to have the milky white socks painted on him.

Goofs: In the final scenes the US military came upon the recently vacated camp. Many of the soldiers were wearing overcoats with rank stripes and yellow lining. This was set during the civil war (1861 - 1865) Overcoats had no colored lining and no rank stripes. The coats worn in the film did not appear until 1883! Three birds flying over were identified as geese. They were, in fact, cranes. Electric power lines were visible during the buffalo hunt. And a noticeable dorsal stripe on Cisco the horse's back disappeared and reappeared throughout the film. The flag flying at Ft. Sedgwick was the flag with 50 stars rather than the flag used during the Civil War.

"Dances With Wolves" has won 7 Oscars, including Best Picture 1990 (Jim Wilson & Kevin Costner), Best Director (Kevin Costner), Best Cinematography (Dean Semler), Best Music, Original Score (John Barry), Best Film Editing (Neil Travis), Best Screenplay (Michael Blake) and Best Sound. It has grossed $184 million in US and $424 million worldwide (which was quite remarkable for 1990 standard). I think this is one film that Kevin Costner should be remembered for. Both the video and audio are top notched. The Extended Cut of the movie is here, and there is no need to get up to change discs. Considering the high price that I paid for this movie laser disc box set (which I still treasure), this blu ray disc set is truly a bargain and should be considered as the definitive edition of this sweeping epic film. Highly recommended.

This film is very special to me, it touches on everything that is truly important in my life: beautiful love and friendship not just between people but also between people and animals, loyalty & dedication, harmony and victory. The cinematography is breathtaking, the music score is lovely and the cast is absolutely superb, including Cisco and Two Socks. I take my hat off for Kevin Costner's genius as director and actor. The film is difficult one to make, considering the fact that John Dunbar spends a lot of time on his own with no one to talk to, and yet it is very entertaining. The battles are crafted tastefully, the love scenes are stylish with no unnecessary details and the humour is just the right dose.
Dances With Wolves is an exquisite masterpiece and the two-disc extended edition is the special treat the film deserves. The transfer is high quality and it comes with stylish, cleverly designed keep case. The personal touch from Kevin Costner and Jim Wilson makes it even more special for every true fan of the movie. Take your time to indulge in this wonderful experience! I had an amazing weekend viewing the video. Had the feeling that Kevin and Jim were in my screening room when their commentary were on and I learned a lot about these remarkable men and what they have to go through to make it happen. I will treasure my old disc and will go back to it often in future but when I need a dose of pure inspiration and motivation, I will play the extended version, listening to the last few words that Kevin says in his commentary. Absolutely fascinating!

Kevin Costner may have made some movie duds, but he makes of for it in sensational movies. Dances with Wolves is one of my most favorite films of all time. It is so sad. It makes you feel bad for settling in America. The film has great perfomances throughout the entire film. The plot takes you into another world. The cinematography is also some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. The realism of the indian tribe and the way people lived in the 1800s is wonderful. Everyone should see this movie at some time in their lifetime, I highly reccomend it.

I saw Dances With Wolves at the theatre in 1990 and have always counted it as one of my favorite films.

As I began building my DVD collection, I considered it a "must have." But, I really hesitated buying the Special Extended Edition because a lot of reviewers had stated that the DVD was "overly long" and that the extended scenes had really hurt the content of the film.

Well, in my opinion, these critics are dead wrong. The special edition is every bit as beautiful and stirring as the original release. Yes, the pace of the film is slow, but never boring or dull. There is so much for the viewer to just sit back and take in.

And I wonder how many of those who complained about the movie's four hour length have ever sat through a 4-6 hour mini-series, plus commercials. My advice - view longer films over 2-3 nights, take your time and enjoy an epic such as Dances.

I highly recommend this version. It's a real shame that Kevin Costner's run at the top was so short. In a span of only a few years, he gave us The Untouchables, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, and of course, his masterpiece, Dances With Wolves. We have all heard enough Waterworld jokes, so I will refrain. Who knows, maybe some day soon, KC will find that cinema magic once again.

This 2 DVD set is awesome!!! Contains the extended widescreen version of the film!!! And the extras ara super cool too. The ultimate version of this classic film!!! Two thumbs up!!! Five stars!!! A+

Kevin Costner is excellent in this film. A moving, epic story about change and embracing something completely different. he assimilates into a new way of life and looking at things. Very inspiring.

Review on the extended version/special edition -- If you loved the original Dances with Wolves - you must buy this extended version of the movie. The scenes that were put back in made the story much clearer and actually changed the entire meaning of one scene. I couldn't believe they ever took these scenes out. You won't regret watching the extended version. All I could say after watching it was --- make it longer, make it longer! I wish they would put out the actual ENTIRE movie the way Kevin Costner intended when it was made. I would watch the entire thing - I don't care how long it is.

DANCES with WOLVES..........
This EXTENDED CUT of this EPIC FILM is for "THE DIE HARD FAN" !

It is packaged for the 20th.ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION of this Majestic, THRILLING,ACTION PACKED CINEMATIC TREASURE !!!!

For those true enthusiats of this GRAND TALE ....where FRONTIER LIFE was about to change for a Nation...THE SIOUX.

I truely love the notion how Kevin Costner portraits a U.S.Civil War hero and his intrigue of the Last Frontier.

His inter-actions with the Sioux Tribe...especially with Graham Greene and Rodney Grant...
The chemistry with Mary McDonnell is nothing short of Magical...the raw conversations of the English language..to the growing love scenes.

The Conversion of one man to the ways of its Native Peoples is unforgetable and soul touching !

If you are an enthusiast of this Grand Movie....love to escape to an era gone bye...
you will love and treasure the additional footage and Exclusive Extras !

Twenty years ago, Dances with Wolves became movie sensation. In many ways, it was all wrong. Most of the dialogue was in the Lakota language of the American Indians, and that language was translated with sub titles. Conventional wisdom in Hollywood said that American audiances won't take sub titles. They did. Instead of releasing this movie on 2000 screens at the same time, the distributors began slowly and allowed momentum to decide the pace of release. This is a low budget movie. By the standards of the day, $14 million was not a lot of money, especially for the epic, big screen movie. Kevin Costner was a big star at that time, but the other leads, especially the Native actors were completely unknown. And yet this movie went on the pack in audiances, and to be nominated and to receive Academy Awards. Not too bad for doing so much wrong.

For those who have never seen thismovie: it is a quintessentially American story. For centuries, school children in America read Pilgrim's Progress, that ham handed allegory of one man's stuggle to attain the Celestial City. While schools no longer put that book in front of their pupils, it continues to influencce American culture and mythololgy. Thus, in this movie, we have one man's search for the ideal society. We have shades of Pocahontas, all told through the philosphy of the "noble savage". That is, is a state of nature, humans are essentially good. So, we have this one man who heads out west during the Civil War in the US, to experience humans and the land in their natural state before the white men come in and despoil it all. He meets up with some Natives and gradually becomes part of their culture. This movie makes good use of costumes to help drive the plot.

Even on a smaller screen, the photography is breath taking, and the music is glorious.

But there is an important element that is missing: the spirituality. First, most Americans in the 18 hundreds, practised some form of religion. We do not even have a hint that Costner's character did that. Even more astounding is that while we do see the Natives engaging in religious practices, such as smoking the pipe, the spiritual significance of them is ignored. In Native spirituality, every rock and tree is spiritual, hunting is a spiritual act, and they pray to the spirits of the animals they kill. These acts are not some kind an aside, they are integral to their whole culture. Thus, in the telling of this story, we have a secularized man who meets up and joins a secularized community.

This movie is still worth watching, although the uncut version is a bit of an endurance test.

Dances with Wolves easily earns a position among the all-time-greatest epic motion pictures. Its story and presentation are fresh, honest, real and breathtaking. "Epic" implies the film takes longer to tell its story than the average movie, and that it does. But consider that the correct measure of the length of any film is to track the number of visits your eyes make to your watch during the film. Thus a three-hour movie may seem shorter than a ninety-minute movie. The character development and interaction of this movie invites us to participate, to be there and feel as our hearts share the emotions of characters even as we feel the pleasure from the eye candy provided by the amazing cinematography that takes us across the massive Northern Plaines of the United States. The movie begins in a dramatic scene in which, Kevin Costner, a lieutenant in the Union Army, crawls off the battlefield surgeons table to save his badly injured leg or foot from amputation. Somewhat delirious he takes actions that lead to victory for his troops and ends a deadly stalemate between the two armies. As the hero of the battle the general's surgeon heals his leg and the lieutenant is offered any post he wants. He chooses the most remote post the army has because he wants to see the unspoiled land before it's too late, and the real story begins. A caution to those who think the white man was portrayed unfairly; read unbiased history, then watch the movie again. This movie undertakes allot and it succeeds. This exciting action, drama, western, love-story shows us a great example of a film that can be so absolutely entertaining and educational at the same time. Dances with Wolves entertains as it shows through historical example the importance and consequences of learning about our own preconceptions and learning the potential benefit we may enjoy from learning to respect and accept other beliefs or points of view, to just learning to understand all that we can before making decisions and drawing conclusions in any matter.
Dances with Wolves does all that any movie could be asked to do.