In 1990, Kevin Costner directed and starred in Dances with Wolves, an epic Western film directed by Kevin Costner and starring Kevin Costner. It’s based on Michael Blake’s 1988 novel of the same name. The film was nominated for twelve Academy Awards and won seven of them, making it a box office success. Learn why Dances with Wolves is such a classic film, as well as all the incredible behind-the-scenes details you never knew about it.
A Novel That No One Wanted To Publish
After researching about the Plains Indians, screenwriter Michael Blake presented Kevin Costner with the idea for Dances with Wolves. Costner suggested that he write a book first, rather than a screenplay, to pique the studios’ attention when they met in an acting class. Blake spent several months working on the book before sending it to a variety of publishers. Unfortunately, no one was interested in it, and after more than 30 rejections, it was taken up by the small publisher Fawcett.
A Novel That No One Wanted To Publish
After researching about Plains Indians, screenwriter Michael Blake presented the subject for Dances with Wolves to Kevin Costner. Costner suggested that he write a book first, rather than a screenplay, to pique the studios’ attention when they met in an acting class. Blake spent several months working on the book before sending it to a variety of publishers. Unfortunately, no one was interested in it, and after more than 30 rejections, it was taken up by the small publisher Fawcett.
A Novel That No One Wanted To Publish
He Agreed To Participate In The Project
Screenwriter Michael Blake provided Kevin Costner with the topic for Dances with Wolves after conducting a study on Plains Indians. When they met in an acting class, Costner advised that he write a book first, rather than a screenplay, to pique the studios’ interest. Blake worked on the book for several months before submitting it to a number of publishers. Unfortunately, no one was interested, and it was picked up by the modest publisher Fawcett after more than 30 rejections.
He Agreed To Participate In The Project
He Does His Own Stunts
Producer Jim Wilson believes that the actor-director did 95 percent of the riding, shooting, fighting, and dancing for his character. While this is incredible, the fact that he was also the film’s star and director made the rest of the crew concerned. During the filming of the buffalo hunt sequence, he was thrown from his horse, terrifying everyone on set. Costner, on the other hand, escaped injury and was able to resume filming.
He Does His Own Stunts
Highest-Grossing Western Film Of All Time
Dances With Wolves revitalized and modernized the Western genre, which had grown in popularity over the previous decades. It earned $184 million in its first six months in theaters, far outpacing the previous top-grossing westerns. It remains the highest-grossing film of all time, edging out True Grit by a hair. Despite its box office success, the film never made it to the top of the box office charts. Take a look at how far they went to achieve realism!
Highest Grossing Western Film Of All Time
An Honorary Member Of The Sioux
Many Sioux people applauded Costner’s direction in the film, which reflected their tribe’s quiet daily lives, even though not everyone agreed. Costner was made an honorary member of the tribe. At the induction ceremony, he was given a feather for his hair and a hand-woven blanket. After purchasing several hundred acres in South Dakota’s Black Hills and revealing his development intentions, he fell out of favor with some Sioux. He thankfully abandoned the scam in 2013. Continue reading to learn how the film was able to save the production company (for a while, at least).
An Honorary Member Of The Sioux
The Buffalo Hunt
Surprisingly, there were no special effects employed in the buffalo chase filming. A massive herd of over 3,500 buffalo galloped across the plains. If they were lucky, the crew would only get one chance to shoot the rush each day. “The trucks began herding the buffalo at five o’clock in the morning with the hopes of being in position by eleven,” producer Jim Wilson said. They employed a helicopter, 20 Jeep Wranglers, and ten pickup trucks with cameras attached to the film.
The Buffalo Hunt
The Coach Was Unique
More than a quarter of Blake’s script had to be translated into the Sioux Lakota tongue as the film developed. While some people would have preferred to save the hassle and have everything communicated in English, this was not the case here. One of the most pressing concerns was that few individuals still spoke Lakota, let alone knew it well enough to translate it. Despite this, Costner was able to locate Doris Leader Charge, a Lakota language instructor at South Dakota’s Sinte Gleska University. He mailed the screenplay to her, and she finished it in three weeks. She later worked as the dialect coach for the production and even played Pretty Shield, Chief Ten Bears’ wife. Discover which characters were based on real people!
The Coach Was Unique
An Interesting Relationship
Before beginning work on Dances with Wolves, Costner tried to persuade Blake to work with a variety of studios. Blake made the entire process tough by disagreeing with the reps, according to Costner in an interview. He claims, “I started to lose patience with him.” Blake eventually moved to Arizona to write his book while washing dishes at a Chinese restaurant, and their relationship deteriorated from there. When Costner finally agreed to read it, he said, “It was the clearest idea for a movie that I’d ever read.”
An Interesting Relationship
It Wasn’t Perfect
Even though Doris Leader Charge did an excellent job teaching Lakota to a huge number of people who had never heard the language before the filming, some things were left out. Learning Lakota is difficult, as several terms have diverse meanings for men and women. Because it would have been too complicated to include gendered speech, it was not included. Those who had seen the film and spoke the language found the male troops talking like women humorous.
It Wasn’t Perfect
Costner’s Daughter Made An Appearance
In Stands With a Fist, Annie Costner, Kevin Costner’s daughter, made a brief appearance as a child. In a dream, she can be seen running from a band of Pawnees who had murdered her family. As she runs, she looks over both shoulders. Costner told her to look over her left shoulder, but she was too little to tell the difference between left and right at the moment. At the time of filming, she was only six years old.
Costner’s Daughter Made An Appearance
It Went Bankrupt
Orion Pictures had a lot of success in the 1980s with films like RoboCop, Platoon, and Caddyshack, but it wasn’t doing so well as a production company. It was, in reality, a colossal failure. When Dances with Wolves was first released, the company’s worth had dropped by half, and it was a staggering $50 million in debt. Dances with Wolves was extremely successful, but it wasn’t enough to keep the company afloat. A year later, the company filed for bankruptcy and was eventually purchased by MGM.
It Went Bankrupt
There’s A Sequel
The Holy Road is a companion novel to Dances with Wolves that has yet to be adapted for film or television. The novel was released in 2001, and it continues to follow John Dunbar, who has evolved into a full-fledged Sioux warrior, as he attempts to protect the tribe from the invading white invaders. The portrayal of westward expansion and Native American conflicts in the novel was praised. Even though it appears to be a great idea for a film or miniseries, nothing has come to fruition.
There’s A Sequel
It Was An Investment For Costner
Unfortunately, the film’s budget was significantly over, and Costner had to pay for the $15 million out of his own pocket. As a result, rumors circulated that the film would be a Western disaster like Heaven’s Gate, with some referring to it as “Kevin’s Gate.” Regardless, for the first time since Cimarron in 1931, the film won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. With an expected profit of $40 million, Costner’s investment paid off as well. More information about Costner’s financial investment later.
It Was An Investment For Costner
They Were Based On Real People
Despite the fact that a real John Dunbar, a pro-Native American missionary who established allies with the Pawnee in the 1800s, existed, he has no link to the character in the movie. On the other hand, Stands With a Fist was based on a real person. Cynthia Ann Parker was based on Cynthia Ann Parker, a little girl kidnapped by the Comanche when she was ten years old. She remained with the tribe until 1860 when she was arrested by Texas Rangers. Take a look at how they used a novel approach to promote the film.
They Were Based On Real People
There Were Delays
There were several delays during filming due to the unpredictable weather of the South Dakota plains, working with real wolves, and the complexity of the Native American combat scenes. The huge bison hunt scene, on the other hand, proved to be the most challenging to film. The filming of this scene took three weeks and included 100 Native American stunt riders as well as a real stampeding herd of thousands of bison. The sequence is today recognized as one of cinema’s most beautiful, so it wasn’t all for naught.
There Were Delays
A Very Complicated One
Despite the fact that the photo appears to have been taken in a single spot, this is not the case. Filming took place in over 30 distinct locations across South Dakota and Wyoming. 3,500 genuine buffalo, 30 tepees, 300 horses, and enough Native American extras to fill a small village were all part of the screenplay. To top it off, the temperature ranged from 20 degrees to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit between July and November.
A Very Complicated One
The Abandonment Of Fort Sedgwick
After seeking to be stationed in the West, Dunbar is ordered to Fort Sedgwick. When he arrived, though, he found the outpost vacant and in disarray. A deleted scene explains why the outpost is in such horrible shape, which is never explained in the film. According to the scenario, the garrison stationed there abandoned the location after their horses were taken, they had withstood many Native American raids, and they were waiting for a supply train and reinforcements that never arrived. The men abandoned their post shortly before Dunbar arrived.
The Abandonment Of Fort Sedgwick
It Didn’t Work Out With The Wolves
The producers utilized two wolves named Buck and Teddy to play “Two Socks,” the wolf that Dunbar befriends. Even though these wolves were supposed to be well-trained and compassionate, working with them was not easy. To get the wolves to cooperate, handlers needed a lot of patience and leftover meal. Costner had to step in to finish the scenario after one of the trainers was bitten by a wolf.
It Didn’t Work Out With The Wolves
He Wanted An Older Woman
Costner wanted to take a different approach than most films, which feature an older man falling in love with a younger woman. He was looking for a mature and older actress to play Stands With a Fist, the white Sioux woman who helps Dunbar assimilate into the culture while falling in love with him. Finally, Mary McDonnell, 37, won the part after nailing her Lakota lines and convincingly relearning English in the film. She was nominated for an Academy Award and received considerable praise for her performance.
He Wanted An Older Woman
He Shelled Out Some Money
The film was costly, and Costner had to provide a small amount in order for it to be completed. Is there anything else? The $15 million budget was quickly drained due to the bison, wolves, and the necessity to figure out how to film outside. This, however, would not deter Costner. The guy had to pay an additional $3 million out of his own pocket to complete the picture. It demonstrates how serious he was about completing the task.
He Shelled Out Some Money
The Marketing Was Separated
The success of Dances with Wolves was due in part to the fact that it included themes that appealed to both men and women. To appeal to men and women separately, the advertising strategy was adjusted to generate numerous trailers and print ads that were intriguing to certain genders. The female-focused marketing campaign focused on Dunbar’s romance with Stands With A Fist, while the male-focused campaign emphasized the film’s Wild West and gunslinging themes.
The Marketing Was Separated
They Didn’t Ride Bareback
For the most part, the Sioux used to ride their horses barefoot. However, this increased the chances of the actors falling from the horses, especially during high-speed chase scenes. Re-enactors and horse wranglers encouraged the players to wear saddles as a result. “It’s great as long as we don’t notice,” the producers said. The performers wore blankets over their saddles to make it appear as if they were riding barefoot. It appeared to be true on screen, and the actors did not have any major blunders.
They Didn’t Ride Bareback
250 Civil War Re-enactors
For the opening sequence, the filmmakers enlisted the help of 250 Civil War re-enactors. Jim Hatzell, whose first picture was Dances with Wolves, was one of them. He secured the job by emailing a photo of himself dressed in cavalry trappings to Andy Cannon, the re-enactment coordinator. Because many of the re-enactors were veterans of the military, they performed significantly better than the team had anticipated. By working swiftly and teaching him military stances, including how to salute properly, they saved Costner money and time. In other ways, the re-enactors acted as unofficial technical advisors.
250 Civil War Re-enactors
Graham Had Bologna In His Shoes
During an interview, the host of The Red Green Show asked Graham Greene what he thought of Dances with Wolves. As a response, he said, “The native was in good shape. The film should have been nominated for an Academy Award.” Perhaps he should have been nominated for an Academy Award for his efforts to enhance the character. He inserted slippery bologna slices inside his sneakers to make Kicking Bird’s backache more convincing. That’s a lot of dedication to a job.
Graham Had Bologna In His Shoes
It Began With An Oreo
Producer Jim Wilson battled with his bison to get them to stampede. There were 3,500 bison on the set, two of which were domesticated: “Mammoth” and “Cody.” Wilson claims that Cody was infatuated with Oreo cookies. ”You could be 100 yards away and bring out an Oreo, and he’d charge at you like a bullet.” During an interview, the host of The Red Green Show asked Graham Greene what he thought of Dances with Wolves. As a response, he said, “The native was in good shape. The film should have been nominated for an Academy Award.” Perhaps he should have been nominated for an Academy Award for his efforts to enhance the character. He inserted slippery bologna slices inside his sneakers to make Kicking Bird’s backache more convincing. That’s a lot of dedication to a job.
It Began With An Oreo
The Conquistador Helmet
Ten Bears tells Dunbar about the “guys who came during the time of his grandfather’s grandfather” in one episode. He displays a Morion, a historically correct Conquistador helmet, to Dunbar. Conquistadors, or Spanish warriors, explored the Americas from the 15th century until the 19th century. Morions were most popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, which fits with the Ten Bears’ time period. The film’s helmet was most likely a fake rather than a real one. It does, however, make a reference to what happened to the Sioux tribe before the events featured in the film.
The Conquistador Helmet
Costner Profited Big
Costner may have added a few million dollars to the film’s budget, but he more than compensated for it. He put in $3 million and expects to make more than three times that amount in profit. Following the film’s box office triumph, Costner began to see money pour in like a flood. The actor may make up to $40 million in profit! It’s a good thing he gave them $3 million.
Costner Profited Big
The Oscars Loved It
We’ve gone over some of the Oscars’ technicalities and the awards this film got, but we haven’t gone over everything. Would you have imagined that this film was nominated for three Academy Awards, including some of the most prestigious? That year, Dances With Wolves took home honors for film editing, sound, and cinematography. That’s quite an achievement considering the amount of time and work everyone put in to make this as legendary as it is.
The Oscars Loved It
Out-Of-Sequence Scene
If you have a good eye for seeing little nuances in movies, you will certainly have noticed this. Costner rides up to proclaim the arrival of the bison in the final scene. It’s one of the only out-of-sequence shots in the movie. He’s dressed casually in jeans and a shirt, while everyone else on set is wearing heavy coats because it’s cold outdoors.
Out Of Sequence Scene
Included In The National Film Registry
Obviously, not all movies are eligible for the National Film Registry. This designation is designated for films that cause the Earth to move after their release for various causes. For Dances With Wolves, it was straightforward. It was chosen as a “culturally, historically, or artistically significant picture” in 2007. With all three, it appeared to have hit the nail on the head. The real question is why did it take so long for the registry to add this film?
Included In The National Film Registry
Real-Life Characters
With all of the ways the ensemble added dimension to their parts, it was enough to keep the audience’s attention. They had to speak Lakota, put meat in their shoes (as previously said), and do a lot of other things. The crowd admired the attention to detail that went into their construction. Nowadays, you’ll see it in a lot of movies. The plot might be about giving viewers history about civilizations that they are unfamiliar with in order to pique their interest in knowing more about them.
Real Life Characters
The Skinning Wasn’t Real
In the production, paper animals that appeared to be real were used. A humorous anecdote with phony animals and officers was told. The cops arrived after getting a call, believing that bison had been harmed. They arrived with their firearms drawn, ready to apprehend the poachers. The cops smiled as they walked away once everything was sorted out. Everyone seemed to be stuck in an awkward, yet hilarious, predicament.
The Skinning Wasn’t Real
Best Original Score
The score was written by John Barry, who previously composed music for the James Bond films (including the iconic theme song). “The John Dunbar Theme” and “The Love Theme” in Dances with Wolves earned Barry a lot of praise. In 1991, the film won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. Barry’s music was not only brilliant, but it was also the first cinematic score to employ synthesizers. He would watch the movie several times and note down any scenes that he believed needed more music or drama. Barry Academy Awards were given to Out of Africa, The Lion in the Winter, and Born Free.
Best Original Score
A Day With The Bison
The crew just had one day to complete the bison scenario, despite the fact that it took a long time to arrange. They had previously stayed at the ranch for a week. Roy Houck, a rancher from South Dakota, had a herd of 3,500 bison. It was the world’s largest bison herd owned by a single individual. Several cameras were set up throughout the ranch throughout the week leading up to the filming. Wire-and-fur dummies were used to represent the fallen animals. The bison was then let loose five times for a total of five shoots, each lasting eight minutes.
A Day With The Bison
It Was Shot Indoors
The Sioux gather for a feast following the film’s bison hunting sequence. While they’re there, Dunbar and Wind in His Hair exchange gifts and become friends. Although the sequence appeared to be shot outside, it was actually taken indoors. The crew recorded the sequence in a Quonset hut at night since it was too cold outside. Winter was approaching swiftly for the gang, who was in South Dakota at the time. Because the film was mostly shot outside, the crew had to work around the bad weather.
It Was Shot Indoors
The Cinematographer’s Daughter Broke Her Hands
Dean Semler, the film’s cinematographer, collaborated on-set with his daughter. She was one of the numerous horse wranglers needed for the film. While riding, Semler’s horse startled and threw her. In the process, she fractured both of her wrists. Her efforts, however, did not go unnoticed. Dean, her father, won an Academy Award for cinematography for Dances with Wolves. The Semlers weren’t the only ones who suffered injuries while on the job. This was only one of the many difficulties that came with working with animals on set.
The Cinematographer’s Daughter Broke Her Hands
The Pond Was Filled
The crew was filming the Fort Sedgwick sequences during a severe drought in South Dakota at the time. The nearby pond quickly dried up. Personnel had to deliver water in trucks every day to fill the pond. They didn’t want their system to have any inconsistencies. The Fort Sedgwick sequences were shot near the Triple U Buffalo Ranch, which was also where the bison pictures were taken. The set was constructed for the film and then disassembled, thus it is no longer accessible. The pond isn’t completely dry, at the very least.
The Pond Was Filled
High Enough
A film’s score may either make or break it. The music that accompanies and adds to the drama of some average films elevates them to remarkable quality. The score was enough to entice a major player for this project. The score to Dances With Wolves was a favorite of Pope John Paul II. John Barry, who also worked on the James Bond films, composed it. That’s absolutely remarkable!
High Enough
Neil Young Brought The Goods
For a film containing a big number of animals, the production team had to come up with creative ways to get the cuddly critters they needed to the scene. One of the tactics utilized was a rocker named Neil Young. Yes, Young supplied a number of animals for the movie. He only provided the film with two domesticated bison. Domesticated bison are difficult to come by, so this was a huge assistance to everyone involved. Remember, filming the bison scene took over three weeks!
Neil Young Brought The Goods
An Expensive Bison
As indicated by the specifics, Bison was urgently needed in this film. Niel Young not only delivered two bison, but the production team went above and beyond to secure a third. It was a costly decision. The endeavor resulted in the creation of an animatronic bison, which was rather costly. The phony animal didn’t cost them a few thousand dollars; it cost them a quarter of a million. If those facts aroused your attention, read on to learn more about There Will Be Blood, a film about a turn-of-the-century prospector during the oil boom in Southern California.
An Expensive Bison
There Will Be Blood
In 2007, Paul Thomas Anderson wrote and directed the epic period drama There Will Be Blood. An oilman named Daniel Plainview, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, is overwhelmed by greed during the Southern California oil boom in the 19th and 20th centuries. For its performances, photography, and directing, the picture gained critical praise, and it is largely recognized as one of the best films of the twenty-first century. It received eight Academy Award nominations, with Day-Lewis taking home Best Actor and Robert Elswit taking home Best Cinematography. Take a look at some of the movie’s lesser-known details and what makes it so unforgettable.
There Will Be Blood
All But Two Scenes
Daniel Day-Lewis, the film’s starring man, appears in almost every scene save for two. These are the sequences in which a mud-caked Eli Sunday rants at his father, as well as a brief montage of H.W. and Mary Sunday on the eve of their wedding. Daniel Day-Lewis, who has always been picky about the parts he chooses, got attracted by the film after witnessing Paul Thomas Anderson’s work on Punch-Drunk Love. Anderson, understandably, was overjoyed to have such a well-known actor join his production.
All But Two Scenes
It Was Fake
During the filming of the movie, an on-set photographer captured a shot of a man they claimed to be Daniel-Day Lewis. Even though the photographs did not appear to be of the actor, the photographer felt he had changed his appearance. The image quickly made its way to the press, where it featured in a number of magazines and websites, fueling conjecture that Day-Lewis had altered his appearance for the leading role. The actor photographed was Vince Froio, who played one of Daniel Plainview’s buddies near the end of the film.
It Was Fake
He Was Deaf In Real Life
One of the most iconic scenes in the film is when a young H.W. Plainview loses his hearing due to a gas leak. We see H.W. Plainview as an adult, played by Russell Harvard, who is deaf in real life because the film is set over a long period of time. They chose to hire a deaf actor because the authentic portrayal of deaf people and others with disabilities has become more common in the film industry.
He Was Deaf In Real Life
Multiple Location Shoot
Paul Thomas Anderson, noted for his meticulous attention to detail, had no idea where each scene in the movie would take place. As a result, several moments were shot multiple times in various locations, with the setting that best matched the film being chosen during editing. During the editing process, Anderson and his colleagues would eat steak and drink vodka every Wednesday night to better understand Daniel Plainview’s psyche and plan out the story of his life and eventual tragedy.
Multiple Location Shoot
No Country For Old Men
With eight nominations each, There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men tied for the most at the 80th Academy Awards. Because both films were shot at the same time in Marfa, Texas, they were pitted against each other at the awards presentation. On one occasion, director Paul Thomas Anderson and his crew were testing pyrotechnic special effects for an oil fire sequence in There Will Be Blood. The pyrotechnics’ smoke, on the other hand, was visible in the background of a scene from the Coen Brothers’ film No Country for Old Men. Manufacturing had to be put on hold for a day as the smoke cleared.
No Country For Old Men
I Drink Your Milkshake
One of the most famous and repeated lines in the film is when Daniel Plainview screams at Eli Sunday, “I drink your milkshake!” before murdering him. This comment was inspired by New Mexico Republican Senator Albert Fall’s formal testimony, in which he used the milkshake metaphor to describe how he would take payment for oil-drilling rights. This piqued Anderson’s interest, so he incorporated it into the script. According to Anderson, the fake oil utilized in the film contains the same substance used in McDonald’s chocolate milkshakes, hence milkshakes play a part in the film.
I Drink Your Milkshake
Character Development
Daniel Plainview wears hats throughout There Will Be Blood, according to Mark Bridges, the film’s costume designer. This is meant to illustrate the character’s evolution. “Plainview’s] hats kind of echo or illuminate what’s going on with his career and life leading up to the first time we see [the main] hat,” Bridges explains in an interview with The Denver Post. Day-Lewis had a say in which caps his character wore because it was his idea for the hats to have meaning in the first place.
Character Development
It Was Not Supposed To Be Twin
Paul Dano was cast in a minor role as Paul Sunday during the film’s casting process, while actor Kel O’Neill was cast in a larger role as his younger brother Eli. Even though the two brothers were not twins in the original script, Anderson decided to make them identical twins after Dano shot his sole scene as Paul and asked if he’d want to portray Eli as well. Paul Dano was expected to be ready to play one of the film’s most important roles just four days after being offered the gig.
It Was Not Supposed To Be Twin
He Was Attracted To The Role
Daniel Day-Lewis isn’t known for playing happy characters, so it’s no surprise that Daniel Plainview’s darkness pulled him in. In an interview with NPR, Day-Lewis remarked, “I daresay because the unconscious plays such a huge part in the work, the imagination being on the front line of that.” “What could be more liberating than exploring the deepest recesses of one’s imagination and psyche with impunity?” Everything worked out in the end because Day-Lewis’ portrayal of Daniel Plainview is horrifying.
He Was Attracted To The Role