Dances with Wolves

So my wife and I are watching Dances with Wolves, and it's that part near the beginning when Kevin Costner's Lt. John Dunbar observes for the second day in a row a wolf sniffing around his desolate frontier outpost. If he returns the next day, Dunbar notes in his journal, "I will call him Two-Socks." And my wife leans over and asks, "Why wait?" Even those who still grouse that Martin Scorsese's GoodFellas should have won the Academy Award for Best Picture must begrudge Costner the triumph of this seemingly foolhardy labor of love. Based on the novel of the same name by Michael Blake, Dances with Wolves' tale of a Union soldier caught between the separate worlds of white and Native American ran three hours (some cynical critics suggested at the time it could have been cut to two if all of Costner's close-ups had been excised), featured subtitles, and was a western, a then moribund genre. Those enraptured with the story of Dunbar's immersion into the noble Sioux Indian culture, and who wouldn't cut a single frame, will relish this near-four-hour director's cut, for which Costner provides illuminating commentary along with producer Jim Wilson. Boasting a lovely transfer, this double-disc "special edition" also includes a new, somewhat self-satisfied retrospective 82-minute documentary, "The Creation of an Epic," a second (more technical) audio commentary with the director of photography and editor, photo montage, poster gallery, and more. Highly recommended…but Scorsese was robbed. (K. Lee Benson) [Blu-ray Review—Jan 18, 2011—MGM, 2 discs, 234 min., PG-13, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1990's Dances with Wolves (20th Anniversary Edition) boasts a great transfer and a 7.1 DTS-HD soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include two audio commentaries (the first with director-star Kevin Costner and producer Jim Wilson; the second with cinematographer Dean Semler and editor Neil Travis), a 'Military Rank and Social Hierarchy Guide' viewing option, 'The Creation of an Epic' retrospective documentary (75 min.), the original 'making-of' featurette (21 min.), 'A Day in the Life on the Western Frontier' production featurette (15 min.), a 'Second Wind' presentation reel (5 min.), a 'Getting the Point' behind-the-scenes featurette (4 min.), a Confederate march segment with music (2 min.), an animatronics segment on buffalo (2 min.), a brief 'Burying the Hatchet' scene, an original music video by composer John Barry, a 'Real History or Make-Believe?' interactive quiz, a photo montage with intro by photographer Bill Glass, a poster gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: an excellent Blu-ray debut for this Oscar winner.] [Blu-ray Review—Nov. 27, 2018—Shout! Factory, 3 discs, 181 min., PG-13, Blu-ray: $29.98—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 1990’s Dances with Wolves features a fine transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 audio. Featuring both the theatrical (for the first time on Blu-ray) and extended cuts of the film, extras include two audio commentaries (one by star Kevin Costner and producer Jim Wilson, the other by cinematographer Dean Semler and editor Neil Travis), "The Creation of an Epic: A Retrospective Documentary" (75 min.), an archival 'making-of' featurette (21 min.), the behind-the-scenes segments 'A Day in the Life on the Western Frontier' (14 min.), "Second Wind" (5 min.), "Getting the Point" (4 min.), "Confederate March and Music" (2 min.), "Burying the Hatchet" (2 min.), and "Animatronic Buffalo" (2 min.), an original music video by composer John Barry (4 min.), a photo montage with an intro by still photographer Ben Glass (10 min.), and a photo gallery. Bottom line: well worth adding if only for the fact that this version finally features the original theatrical release.]