"Dances With Wolves"

"Dances with Wolves" is the story of Lt. Dunbar, whose exploration of the Western frontier becomes mirrored in a search for his own identity. The film is shot as a narrative in continuous development, with Dunbar providing a voice-over narrative in the guise of journal entries. It begins dramatically with the badly wounded Dunbar who would rather choose death than allow the amputation of his foot. He charges the Confederate lines and so, unwittingly, becomes …

…and it is interesting to see how a historical film can also accommodate modern concerns. Dunbar's own search for his inner self is firmly situated in his growing awareness of the land, the frontier that will be his new home. The inescapable message of the film tends to an association of inner development and external respect for our environment. Whether this is overly simple is a question that the individual viewer must decide for himself.