"Dances With Wolves"

Paper Summary:

The paper analyzes the film "Dances With Wolves", directed by Kevin Costner, and how it uses the western frontier to serve a cultural and political purpose. While "Dances With Wolves" takes place during and just after the American Civil War, it certainly evokes more modern responses to its content and context. The paper notes that the film
represents the western frontier as it was, but also makes specific social commentaries on the behavior of the time, opposed to "politically correct" behavior becoming so popular in the 1980s. The paper comments that the film uses a historic western setting to accomplish very modern objectives, seeing the native Americans and the land they lost for what it really was, and gaining a greater understanding of just what they lost.

From the Paper:

"One of the most important aspects of the film was its portrayal of Native Americans. However, it also relied heavily on Native American actors, which was unusual in a western film. Again, this was timely due to the occurrences going on across the nation and in government, but it showed a much deeper respect for the Natives and the things they endured at the hands of the whites. Another writer states, "Indians know that no white man or woman can become Indian, but many of us hope those who have learned of our cultures and appreciate their unique humanity will be our friends and allies in protecting the earth and all of her children."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Aleiss, Angela. Making the White Man's Indian: Native Americans and Hollywood Movies. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005.
• Baird, Robert. "13 Going Indian: Discovery, Adoption, and Renaming Toward a "True American," from Deerslayer to Dances with Wolves," In Dressing in Feathers: The Construction of the Indian in American Popular Culture. Edited by Bird, S. Elizabeth, 195-206. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1996.
• Editors. 2008. Trivia. Los Angeles, CA: Internet Movie Database. Online. Available from Internet http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099348/trivia, accessed 22 April 2008.
• "1 Reagan's Foreign Policy: an Overview," In President Reagan and the World. Edited by Schmertz, Eric J., Natalie Datlof, and Alexej Ugrinsky, 5-10. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997.
• Turner, Ralph Lamar, and Robert J. Higgs. The Cowboy Way: The Western Leader in Film, 1945-1995. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999.

More papers on "Dances With Wolves":

• Essay # 4150 : "Dances With Wolves"
• Essay # 66150 : "Dances with Wolves"
• Film Review # 45128 : "Dances With Wolves"

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