Dances with Wolves was nominated for 12 Oscars and won 7 - including Best Picture, Best Director (Kevin Costner), Best Cinematography, Best Music, Best Film Editing, Best Sound and Best Screenplay. Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell and Graham Greene were all nominated for acting Oscars but unfortunately didn't win - I would love to have seen Mary win, but let's see what else was going on that year....
1990 was the year of Awakenings, GoodFellas, The Godfather III and Ghost. What I completely disagree with is Jeremy Irons taking home an Oscar for Reversal of Fortune over Kevin Costner. Come ON. Mary McDonnell lost her Oscar to Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost - ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!! Whoopi was good and all, but did the Academy even SEE Dances with Wolves? Ugh. Finally, Joe Pesci beat out Graham Greene for Supporting Actor....whatever. I hate Good Fellas so I'm biased against Joe Pesci.....can I also say....not only did Jeremy Irons beat out Kevin Costner....he beat out Robert DeNiro in Awakenings....WHAT??!!!!! AAAHHH! This is almost as bad as the Tommy Lee Jones win over Ralph Fiennes in Schindlers List but I'm not EVEN GOING TO GO THERE.
I digress.
As I'm sure most of you know, Dances with Wolves is the story of John Dunbar, a Union soldier stationed at a secluded outpost in the West to fulfill his desire to see the frontier before it was lost. When he arrives, he is all alone except for his horse and a wolf who he names Two Socks (so cute). He cleans up the fort, writing in his journal and waiting for his replacement, who will never come. One day he surprises a woman who he finds near his camp, bleeding and hurt. He takes her to the Sioux tribe, which shows them that he did not mean them harm. The Sioux feel that they can gain much by talking to him and hopefully finding out when the white men will come and how many there will be. So Kicking Bird and Wind in His Hair go later to greet Dunbar - although Kicking Bird is friendly and welcoming, Wind in His Hair takes a long time to warm to the white man, not trusting his motives or thinking he is worthy. Over time, they are able to learn each other languages through the help of the woman Dunbar saved, Stands with a Fist - a white woman who grew up with the Sioux. Dunbar spends more and more time with the Sioux, helping them to find buffalo and learning their ways. He and Stands with a Fist fall in love and get married. The Sioux, however, cannot avoid the advancing armies of men looking to take over the frontier. As they look to move their camp, Dunbar returns to his fort for his journal where he is captured by the army and branded a traitor for joining the Sioux. As usual, I don't want to ruin the ending for anyone - I've already said a TON. Let me just say though, that for those who have seen it - the ending with Wind in His Hair on the cliff made tears run down my face - it was just so moving and wonderful. :)
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Viggo Mortensen was originally cast to play John Dunbar. Mortensen will, however, be playing John Dunbar in the upcoming sequel to this movie, The Holy Road (2011), as Kevin Costner has stated that he will not be reprising his character.
OMG - VIGGO!! Nothing more needs to be said! You know how I feel about this movie. I have watched it from beginning to end numerous times and will stop whatever I'm doing if I see it in the TV listings to sit down and watch it from that minute on the the end. Cry?? Oh, you bet. I cry when Two Socks dies, when the children are running scared from the soldiers, when Dunbar is captured, Wind in His Hair on the cliff (sigh). The characters were written and portrayed so well that you just become a part of the movie and don't realize it's a movie any longer. Oscars should have been given to them all! And, when I read who did when that year it sickened me - maybe that was one of the years we almost quit watching those awards because we hated who they shunned!
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