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Dances with Wolves
1990 181 min United Kingdom, United States of America PG-13 18+
★8.5
Adventure, Drama, Western
Director: Kevin Costner
🎭 Based on
«Dances with Wolves»
byMichael Blake
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
Wounded Civil War soldier John Dunbar tries to commit suicide—and becomes a hero instead. As a reward, he's assigned to his dream post, a remote junction on the Western frontier, and soon makes unlikely friends with the local Sioux tribe.
Budget:
$22M
US Gross:
$184.21M
Worldwide:
$424.21M
Starring
Kevin Costner
Actor
Mary McDonnell
Actor
Graham Greene
Actor
Awards
Golden Globe 1991
— Best Screenplay
Academy Awards 1991
— Best Adapted Screenplay
Berlin International Film Festival 1991
— Silver Bear – Outstanding Achievement
BAFTA 1992
— Best Cinematography
Academy Awards 1991
— Best Production Design
BAFTA 1992
— Best Sound
Golden Globe 1991
— Best Actor (Drama)
BAFTA 1992
— Best Original Score
Academy Awards 1991
— Best Actor
BAFTA 1992
— Best Actor
Berlin International Film Festival 1991
— Silver Bear – Outstanding Achievement
Academy Awards 1991
— Best Picture
Academy Awards 1991
— Best Cinematography
Academy Awards 1991
— Best Film Editing
Academy Awards 1991
— Best Original Score
BAFTA 1992
— Best Picture
BAFTA 1992
— Best Makeup and Hairstyling
César Awards 1992
— Best International Feature Film
Academy Awards 1991
— Best Supporting Actress
Golden Globe 1991
— Best Picture (Drama)
Academy Awards 1991
— Best Director
Golden Globe 1991
— Best Director
Golden Globe 1991
— Best Original Score
Academy Awards 1991
— Best Sound
Golden Globe 1991
— Best Supporting Actress
Berlin International Film Festival 1991
— Golden Bear
BAFTA 1992
— Best Director
BAFTA 1992
— Best Film Editing
Academy Awards 1991
— Best Supporting Actor
BAFTA 1992
— Best Adapted Screenplay
Key opinion
Dances with Wolves is widely regarded as an immersive, visually stunning, and emotionally resonant epic that offers a sympathetic, albeit idealized, portrayal of Indigenous culture. While many viewers find its meditative pace and substantial length essential to the film's immersive quality, others perceive the extended runtime as bloated or prone to pacing issues.
| Cinematography | The cinematography effectively captures the vast, natural beauty of the American frontier, lending the film an authentic sense of place. | |
| Acting | Kevin Costner’s performance provides a grounded anchor for the narrative, successfully depicting the protagonist’s gradual spiritual and cultural transformation. | |
| Score | The score provides a triumphant and calm emotional backdrop that heightens the film's themes of nature and human connection. | |
| Theme | The film’s portrayal of cross-cultural relations is praised for its attempt at empathy, though some critics argue it leans into didactic or overly simplistic moral binaries. | |
| Runtime | The extended runtime is a point of contention: some view the contemplative, slow-burn pacing as necessary for full immersion, while others find the film drags and suffers from unnecessary self-indulgence. |