Dances With Wolves - Movie Analysis Essay

Introduction

'Dances with Wolves' is an American epic western film, created and released in 1990. The film was directed by and starred Kevin Costner, who won widespread veneration at the seven Academy Awards, for best pictures and also received the Golden Globe Award for best comedy. Notably, after an ostensibly heroic performance during the Civil War encounter in Tennessee, Union army Lieutenant John Dunbar (played by Costner) was offered his desire to post, and his humble plea was to be sent to a western frontier (Hickman, 2006). He is first moved to Fort Hays in Kansas, where he is assigned an army most distant post by Major Fambrough (Maury Chaykin). On assuming the post, Dunbar surprisingly finds out that it is not only deserted but also in disrepair as well. Nonetheless, he opts to stay. He has an ambition of restoring the Fort, making him keep a daily journal record of his activities and experiences. Suddenly, a wolf having two white feet begins visiting the post, and Dunbar starts making attempts of taming the wolf. One day, on returning from taking his birth at the riverbanks, Dunbar meets a Sioux man Kicking Bird trying to steal his horse. He chases the intruder away. However, the Sioux warrior organizes and leads a troop to make a second encounter to robe the horse. Dunbar then decides to visit the Sioux territory; however, on his way, he encounters a white lady in Sioux clothing who is serious bleeding and takes her to the Sioux. Notably, the Indians are wary of the threat posed by Dunbar. However, the Kicking Bird pleads for no attack. The village chief, Ten Bears, joins the Kicking Bird to learn more about Dunbar, leading to a series of increased friendly visits and gift exchange. Suddenly, the white woman rises with a Fist, who was adopted by Kicking Bird after a rescue on a Pawnee raid. She begins to assume the role of a translator. When a buffalo stampede awakens Dunbar, he alerts the Sioux, who successfully joins him in the buffalo hunt and party later (Hickman, 2006).

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The Sioux gets attracted to Dunbar, which prompts them to offer him a house, and later branding him the name 'Dances with the wolves.' As time elapsed, he begins to fall in love with the Fist. The Pawnee party war attacks the Sioux, and Dunbar retaliates by providing the Sioux with the firearm from the foot and eventually helps in fighting the Pawnees. Later on, Dunbar and the Fist gets married. Notably, Dunbar delivers a warning message to the Kicking Bird telling him that they would be soon overrun by the white men, making Ten Bears offers a suggestion to the Sioux of moving to the winter camp. Dunbar does not want his location to be revealed and realizes that his journal if found, would be used to trace his location. He, therefore, decide to return to Fort Sedgewick to retrieve the journal. However, to his surprise, he finds out that the Fort is now occupied by the British soldiers who, without hesitation, apprehends him as a prisoner. As the norm always holds, he is treated with intense brutality, and the soldiers decide to transfer him to Fort Hays, where he was to be hanged. However, Wind In His Hair comes to his rescue by staging a war party against the British soldier's convoy transporting Dunbar to Fort Hays. On arrival on the Sioux winter camp, Dunbar tells his colleagues that the military would still hunt for him and that, even the Sioux would not be safe. Therefore, the only safety measure of keeping the Sioux from trouble was for him to leave. Dunbar and Stands with A Fist rides, leaving winds in his Hair shouting that, he would always be a friend of Dances with the Wolves. Notably, the three-hour film was essentially photographed in South Dakota. Dances with Wolves was admired for incorporating the concept of advisory assistance of the Native Americans and for the incorporation of Lakota language for much on its dialogue. Notably, Lakota instructor Doris Charge made relevant provisions for Lakota translation for the entire film and trained the actors in speaking the language fluently. Dances with the wolves start as a script of the idea of Michael Blake, who later turned to a novel. Dances with Wolves was selected in 2007 for preservation in the National Film Registry (Hickman, 2006).

Overall Impressions of The Music in the Film

Dances with the wolves suffuse a rare blend of masculinity and sensitivity. The music used in the film evokes multiple perceptions of the circumstance on which the film was developed. Notably, towards its final stages, the vastness of the music and echoes of the wilderness, which forms the basic setting of the movie, creates a magnificent perception that fills feel the majority of the lover of Dances with the wolves with joy. Notably, listening to the masterpiece in the film, one ought or must be grateful for the multiple blends and composition. The musical composition has created one of the most significant, memorable, and timeless reputation of the film. Through effective musical composition, Rodger Hickman (2006) recognizes Dances with the wolves as one film that has contributed significantly to the film music and movie industry. Hickman stipulates that the films that are recognized for good musical composition are major movies with scores rather than a mere compilation of different songs (Hickman, 2006). He further explores and analyzes the role of the composer through technical means through which the film music was composed, mixed, recorded, and presented. Dances with the wolves present an American feature film through the presentation of the artistic quality of music, which incorporating technological advancement throughout its composition. The music focuses and the atmosphere and the mood, which connects to the emotions of the listeners. For some of his selected scenes, Hickman undertakes close examination between music and film and afterward explores the musical components and impression through scene by scene analysis and sometimes phrase by phrase (Hickman, 2006).

Moreover, the music engages the listeners who not only appreciate the artistry of the composer but also the combination of imagery and music clips in different scenes. Ideally, the musical composition in dances with the wolves is one of the most memorable scores in the music industry. It needs no modification or alteration since it is perfect, the way it is scene after scene. Moreover, it creates a blend of epic and tender of intimacy and boldness besides inspiring and touching as it plays with the feeling of the cue in every scene. However, the music is so layered that it feels like we need more of than just the overall minutes of the film. I get lost when listening to music, and all its connected nuances seem like playing a 'hide and seek game' with me. Notably, the theme in the film is probably one of the most composed and beautiful pieces John Barry has ever written. The music sends a message of how the composer cares about the characters and makes the listeners adore John Dunbar and his tribulations. Moreover, there is a limit on the musical composition as it has the incorporation of 'magic from'' Somewhere in time,' which makes the music more special to the listener. When listening to music, I doubt no single person can want it to stop or end; hence many listeners would want to stay forever in the music. Nonetheless, another version of dances with the wolves exists, which has significant incorporation of the western cues from the score, it has a superb composition of music settings. Moreover, the music creates a connection between how human beings and animals are interrelated. Dunbar and the wolf in the film create the theme of faithfulness and companion. Ideally, dances with the wolves create a hypnotizing and multiple compositions of music elements that would no doubt warm a listener's hearts through a series of multiple imaginations. We can, therefore, make such an assumption, including John Barry being in a state of grace when he was composing the film.

The music pours emotion thrilling down and capable of penetrating even the coldest hearts in cues. For instance, 'the buffalo robe' or 'the unthinkable journey to the buffalo killing ground.' The later has an epic and sweeping start, which ideally is among the most romantic pieces of film to ever been documented. Moreover, it proceeds with a unique flute and concludes with an advertisement for orchestral music, which is more resonate. Undeniably, a film like dances with wolves cannot be just dreamy and romantic. The dramatic aspects presented by the movies carry a lot of joy and elegance. For instance, action pieces, including the most well-known "the buffalo hunt," have received recognition in western music history. The piece has a riding feeling, trumpets, and bring a smile on my face. Besides, it has an addictive and playable theme that make me pure, simple, and happy. However, there are some pieces and bits of impression and glimpse that I may lack words to describe the beauty and magnitude of the film. The ode is indeed melancholic, which creates something remorseful every time I listen to music. Therefore, I can tell every lover or listener of music to make their choices on their journey and appreciate the musical elements in dances with the wolves. However, I would recommend that we enrich our lives by paying close attention to the score; dances with the wolves are among the transcend and well-composed film music and can bring unity to people who apparently had nothing in common since it is developed using the universal language.

First Scene Analysis-Buffalo Hunt (0:00- 6:01)

The first scene of dances with the wolves takes 6 minutes and involves the buffalo hunt scenario. This is one of the most arguable scenes in the film due to the incorporated showcases with brilliant skills of the rider and multiple directional talents of Costner. The scenes employ the use of a buffalo, acquired from a privately owned farm. During this time frame, the scene shows how the buffalo are being killed, and the film uses practical art aspects to create an effect on the overall perception (Hickman, 2006). Moreover, the use of a mechanical buffalo on the rigs also proved interesting, making them slide down on the ground, hence appearing like real buffalos that were being murdered. The effects of the scene are so well documented that the gap between fiction and reality is so minimal. Besides, it is also worth noting that, the scene has embraced the use of authenticity concept, depicting the impression and look of a native American. With the incorporation of the linguistic aspect of Lakota, Costner gives listeners and viewers the hunt of the most realistic feeling, including making them feel like they are sailing together in the same boat. Towards the conclusion of the first scene, Wind In His Hair offers a piece of buffalo raw meet to Dunbar, which is a raw liver of a buffalo. Notably, in Lakota norms and culture, when warriors or heroes are given a piece of raw liver meat to eat, it shows signs of respect and bravery, implying true warrior or heroes of the society. That piece of meat is the liver of buffalo. Therefore, in the scene, Wind In His Hair implies that dances with the wolves or Dunbar is a real hero who deserves respect (Hickman, 2006).

The viewers and listeners can feel the overall impact of the music in the scene through its musical attributions. The rhythm of the music in the scene is so overwhelming to listen to. The music has stunning cinematography incorporated through collaborative efforts in the beautiful landscape. Sure, the music may bring a person to tears. One can think the buffalo hunt scenario music can never be replicated in today's films. The imagination of the score of the first scene music and the curr...