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‘Dances with Wolves’proves he’s a director in actor’s clothingBy Dann GireDaily Herald film criticake no mistake about it, “Dances With Wolves” Kevin Costner movie.is a Notjust some film a studio allowed an ambitious actor to direct to keep him happy, but a spiritually uplifting epic riddled with dirty-fingemailed details and constructed by a man of intelligence and vision who not only directed it, but co-produced it and stars in it.“Dances With Wolves” is also a movie fraught with the misjudgments of a first-time director. But if a movie mustthe ones to have.supposeesduringfawnsthree hours in length, the film tax-fluid capacities, especially scenes in which the cameramudilyinterminably on vast westernlandscapes until their exotic beauty descends into the tragically familiar.The music, a conventional Oscar-pleading score by “Out of Africa” composer John Barry, is plied liberally so the ears can gently goose the eyes through a leisurely frontier travelog.speakseconomythe story with gratuitous commentary, often pointing out the obvious and needlessly telling us how everything makes him feel, when his emotions are already written on his face.In his directorial debut, however, Costner has created a singularly impressive film in which every frame glis-be calledsinceritybutbeing compared with an Oscar-winning best movie can’t be all bad. (Although it should be noted that during a screening on Monday, one prominent Chicago film critic dozed off during the buffalo hunt sequence. A couple of guest native Americans also had difficulty fighting off the Sandman in the last couple of reels.)At times, “Dances With Wolves” comes dangerously close to becoming a stodgy historical drama. And yet, deftly inserted humor and strategically placed heart-tugs keep “Dances With Wolves”Lt. John Dunbar (Kevin Costner) of the U.S. Army witnesses the vanishing frontier in “Dances With Wolves.”red skin.Fortunately, “Dances With Wolveswhite men in uniform. Then there is Stands With A Fist (Mary McDonnell), aavoids the problem of movies such as white woman taken into the tribe as afilmmaking (asist Michael Blake, traces of a deeply introspective duty-bound U.S. Army lilt; spiritual inductee into the tribe. It’s a subversive tal“Cry Freedom” and “Glory,” in which superfluous white hero characters are i stuck in movies all about the experienc-And yet, deftly es of non-white people. “Dances Withegically placed Wolves” is first and foremost a storyWith Wolves” about John Dunbar’s ascent into apiece of Lean greater awareness of self, broughtnot bacon). about by his association with the Sioux,screenwriter/novel- Through Dunbar’s eyes, we see the Indichild and brought up in the Sioux way. Her warrior husband has conveniently been knocked off in a recent attack, clearing the way for the inevitable romantic subplot.“Dances With Wolves” is a movie ofthe sweeping vista of buffaloans as spiritual people, dedicated to family and honor — a positive image of a magnitude seldom before glimpsed on celluloid.y •« «..*?.■ \ • .'Ay. * *, v.v.'.'-v.v-*'.'. vvV.i V;,-,r..v •Kicking Bird (Graham Greene) is amainstream American audiences, be- holy man in his tribe, a wise, deliberatethe traditional roles of leader who becomes the first to recog-reversesIndians and the U.S. cavalry in John nize this white man, isolated on a de-Wayne movies. Here, the 1 freedom fiehters and heroesserted army outpost, wants to communicate, not terrorize. Wind In His Hairscenesthundering across the screen with the sound of an earthquake, the soft colors of an autumn tree, the banal violence of soldiers at work. One of the most treasured is a scene in which the Indians watch in amazement as Dunbar frolics in the grass with a prairie wolf. When he turns to walk away, the wolf nips at his boot heel, playfully toppling Dunbar to the ground.For several months, Dunbar has been“Dances With Wolves”★ ★★Screenplay by Michael Blake, based on his novel. Produced by Jim Wilson and Kevin Costner. Directed by Kevin Costner. An Orion Pictures release. Rated PG-13.Cast:John Dunbar ...................Kevin CostnerStands With A Fist............Mary McDonnellKicking Bird...................Graham GreeneWind In His Hair..............Rodney A. GrantTen Bears Floyd Red Crow WesternmanMost of the U.S. soldiers are bullying in- (Rodney A. Grant) doesn’t trust Dunbar. trying to win the wolf’s confidence withvaders with little regard for their own His instincts are to fight first, becausepeoplethat is what he has seen with otherSee WOLVES on Page 2
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Arlington Heights Daily Herald Suburban Chicago
Arlington Heights, Illinois, US
Fri, Nov 09, 1990
Page 82
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