Intensely violent battle scenes between White soldiers and Native Americans and between Lakota and Pawnee. Both participants and innocents (including women and children) are shot with guns or arrows; they're knifed, scalped, and killed with hatchets or in furious hand-to-hand combat. Human and animal blood flows throughout. Many animals (horses, dogs, and buffalo) are attacked and shown bleeding and dying, including pets. White soldiers beat, pummel, and ferociously kick the film's hero; the same soldiers gleefully kill a beloved wolf for the sport of it. Characters use cruel language and actions. Three characters attempt suicide; one dies.
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One character smokes a cigar. In many scenes, the cultural ritual of smoking a pipe is shared by Lakota people and their guests. A few instances of drinking.
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Couples, their bare shoulders visible, are briefly shown making love. Several scenes depict a couple passionately kissing, embracing, and undressing. Partial nudity includes men without shirts and a rear view of a naked man.
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Language includes "Jesus Christ" (used as an exclamation), "I just pissed in my pants," "goddamn," "butt," "son of a bitch," "hell," "bitch," "whore," and "bastard." Native Americans are called beggars, thieves, wild, and "injuns." Some fart sounds.
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John Jay Dunbar, a survivor of the Civil War with little knowledge of the American frontier and the plight of Native Americans who inhabit it, is the role model for the film's audience. As Dunbar comes to view the frontier and the people who live there with compassion and empathy, viewers follow suit. Dunbar has flaws but is open to a different way of life, and he's brave, smart, loyal, and heroic. Kicking Bird and Wind in His Hair show great integrity and thoughtfulness. Most of the Native Americans in this movie are devoted to family, eager to laugh, protect their way of life, and live in harmony. With Dunbar the only exception, the White soldiers in this film are depicted as brutal and ignorant.
Diverse Representations
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The film has many complex, important Native American characters, though their stories are narrated by the White main character. Almost all Native people are shown to be devoted to family, eager to laugh, smart, and protective of their way of life. Accurate depictions of Lakota language and cultural practices. This is a vastly different picture of Native people from many movies that came before it. The film also highlights the danger of racial prejudice, which can lead to senseless violence. Women and elders have minor roles but are treated with respect.
Animosity and prejudice often come from a place of fear and ignorance, rather than malice. By living among strangers, important traits like compassion, empathy, understanding, and respect come naturally. But some messages are gray: Battles are waged for integrity or survival, and people with bad intentions can win.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Dances with Wolves is a Western directed by and starring Kevin Costner about an ex-soldier who forms close ties with a group of Lakota. Both Native Americans and White settlers are brutally killed, many times close up, with rifles, knives, arrows, and hatchets, and in hand-to-hand combat. Blood flows in many scenes. Animals, including beloved pets, are viciously killed. Early scenes include strong language such as "goddamn" and "bitch." There's also partial nudity (a man's naked rear end) and passionate kissing and embracing. And sharing a pipe is shown as an ongoing Lakota custom. At the same time, this mainstream movie's representation of Native Americans as compassionate, empathetic, and family-oriented people with integrity broke new ground in 1990 when it was released. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
This movie is among the best true to life movies made. 1860's era movie. Beautiful vistas, great cast. Good story. Respectful of the time. A little from the back make nudity, but well done. Fantastic job.
DANCES WITH WOLVES centers on Lt. John Dunbar (Kevin Costner), a soldier in the American Civil War whose suicide attempt ends up bringing about a battle victory for his side. Given his choice of posts as a reward, he picks the frontier and is stationed at an abandoned, run-down fort. Months go by with no contact from the Army. Dunbar's solitude, curiosity, and sense of duty lead him to make friends with a group of Lakota people who initially come to him seeking answers about the intentions of the White men in their country. Dunbar eventually gives up waiting for the Army to send supplies and more men. Through more than three hours of movie, he falls in love and befriends a wolf, and the Lakota tribe come to trust him and treat him as one of their own, eventually integrating him into their community.
This very emotional and intense epic has heavy themes of violence but also many lighthearted and loving moments. The portrayal of Lakota people in Dances with Wolves as complex and family-oriented was cutting edge at the time of its release. Graham Greene delivers an especially funny and endearing performance as Kicking Bird—a role that the Oneida actor had to learn to speak Lakota for. But the film is fraught with violence and often motivated by prejudice, and there are heavy themes such as suicide. Still, the characters will stay with you, as will the decisions they make and the love (and hatred) they show.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the plight of the Native Americans in Dances with Wolves. How did colonization by White settlers harm the people who lived on the lands being colonized?
Why is there so much violence in this movie? Would the movie make the same impact without the graphic violence?
In what ways do the Lakota people show compassion and empathy for John Dunbar? Does he show integrity when he chooses to stand with them rather than the White soldiers?
Dances with Wolves broke ground in 1990 for its positive portrayals of Native Americans in a mainstream movie. How does it fare by today's standards? How might the story be told differently if the filmmakers were Native or Indigenous instead of White?
MPAA explanation:
violence, nudity, sexual situations, language
Last updated:
September 10, 2024
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