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Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Surprise Box-Office Success

This Day in History: November 4, 1990

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dances_with_wolves/
Rotten Tomatoes Review
Not bad for a day's work so to speak when an unexpected movie's success goes on to earn 12 Academy Award Nominations bringing home 7 wins. Dances with Wolves is a film of epic proportion. In addition to its Academy Award nominations and wins, it is the first Western film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture since 1931's Cimarron, thereby establishing it as one of the most honored films of 1990.

Within the film are memorable moments and scenes that capture the heart, mind and soul to be relived over and over again as visions appear when something or someone brings it back into the forefront.


http://www.themoviesnob.net/2011/09/defense-calls-dances-with-wolves-1990.html

http://www.themoviesnob.net/2011/09/defense-calls-dances-with-wolves-1990.html

http://www.themoviesnob.net/2011/09/defense-calls-dances-with-wolves-1990.html

Based on a novel by Michael Blake, the film was shot on location, primarily in South Dakota, and contained Lakota dialogue with English-language subtitles. Because of the film's popular and lasting impact on the image of Native Americans, the Sioux Nation adopted Costner as an honorary member.

First 5 of Dances with Wolves Trivia...


  • During the scene where the buffalo is charging at the young Indian, the buffalo is actually charging at a pile of its favorite treat: Oreo cookies.
  • Kevin did all his own riding, including bare back and shooting his gun without holding the reins, during the buffalo hunt.
  • Kevin Costner's spreading out of his arms while doing his suicide run at the start of the film was a completely spontaneous gesture that took his stunt coordinator by surprise.
  • To add realism to the movie, a language coach was brought in to teach Lakota to cast members who did not know how to speak it. Because of the difficulty in learning the language, the "gendered speech" aspects of the language were omitted from the lessons. When native speakers of Lakota saw the finished film, they found it amusing to hear Lakota warriors talking like women.
  • The man seen initially telling the wolf to go home when Dunbar is riding out to visit his friends is actually the trainer. He was bitten in the leg when the wolf chased him, so Costner had to run himself during the next shot. He kept throwing pieces of raw meat to keep the wolf from biting him.   

A Bit of Dances with Wolves Music Trivia...

Composer John Barry did not use any cymbals in the entire score. Although tom-toms are used extensively, and military drums are playing during some of the army scenes, there are no cymbals.
What is your favorite scene that you cannot get out of your head?

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