Re: Questions

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Posted by Tom on July 06, 1998 at 00:35:17:

In Reply to: Re: Questions posted by David S. on July 05, 1998 at 20:09:57:

:
: ... what do you LOTMers think of Dances With
: Wolves. I kind of really liked it even though Kevin
: Costner leaves me a bit cold, but I have heard or
: read that it is a bit shy of being historically
: accurate - as far as the portrayal of that particular tribe!!??

: : That's all for now!! Can anyone help??
: : Erin

: Hi, Erin! Regarding DWW - I thought it was unique in that it contained BOTH Hollywood stereotypes of Amerindians. The Cherokee were the "noble savages", whose culture is so spiritually complete that any sensitive white man would flee corrupt European civilization to live among them. That's the modern myth that we've come to expect from movies. The kicker in DWW is that the Crow are portrayed as typical old-fashioned murdering Hollywood redskins.
: Leave it to Costner to find two diametrically opposed ways to get the same thing wrong.

I agree with you on "Dances with Wolves" pure Hollywood drivel. Good Indians, bad Indians, and the white man who stands above them all. Russell Means referred to it as "Lawrence of the Plains" in his autobiography. The film didn't even have the guts to have an interracial romance; although I should probably blame Blake for this.

Yes, the Lakota are portrayed as commune living, new age eagle scouts with a bent for ecology. The Pawnees are portrayed as the kind of bloodthirsty savages that would make any filmmaker from the 1930's proud. Its the Pawnee who murder the comic relief mule-skinner and are remembered as slaughtering Mary McDonnell's peaceful family. Of course McDonell escapes and just wanders in among the Lakotas. You can't have the Lakota raiding and taking captives in the world of Dances with Wolves. Never mind that the Pawnee were a very small tribe always on the defensive against the much larger, more powerful, and highly expansionistic Lakotas. The Pawnees served as scouts for the US Army not out of love for the whiteman but because they needed help against he Sioux who stole their hunting grounds and killed their women and children. The Pawnee also received a similar portrayal as bloodthirsty turncoats in the other so called enlightened western "Little Big Man." "Little Big Man," though, had a wicked sense of humor about itself unlike the ponderous, high-mindeded "Dances with Wolves."

There should be no doubt about what I feel about that film. If you failed to understand my opinion in the above paragraph I will shorten my opinion to one sentence, "Dances with Wolves......YUCK!!!"

One more thing. What is up with Ms. McDonell's hair?? One would think that a woman raised by the Indians would also adopt their hairstyles??

Follow Ups:

Re: Questions Dave S. 21:56:45 7/06/98 (1)
- Re: Questions Myrrh 00:31:05 7/08/98 (0)

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:
: :
: : ... what do you LOTMers think of Dances With
: : Wolves. I kind of really liked it even though Kevin
: : Costner leaves me a bit cold, but I have heard or
: : read that it is a bit shy of being historically
: : accurate - as far as the portrayal of that particular tribe!!??

: : : That's all for now!! Can anyone help??
: : : Erin

: : Hi, Erin! Regarding DWW - I thought it was unique in that it contained BOTH Hollywood stereotypes of Amerindians. The Cherokee were the "noble savages", whose culture is so spiritually complete that any sensitive white man would flee corrupt European civilization to live among them. That's the modern myth that we've come to expect from movies. The kicker in DWW is that the Crow are portrayed as typical old-fashioned murdering Hollywood redskins.
: : Leave it to Costner to find two diametrically opposed ways to get the same thing wrong.

: I agree with you on "Dances with Wolves" pure Hollywood drivel. Good Indians, bad Indians, and the white man who stands above them all. Russell Means referred to it as "Lawrence of the Plains" in his autobiography. The film didn't even have the guts to have an interracial romance; although I should probably blame Blake for this.

: Yes, the Lakota are portrayed as commune living, new age eagle scouts with a bent for ecology. The Pawnees are portrayed as the kind of bloodthirsty savages that would make any filmmaker from the 1930's proud. Its the Pawnee who murder the comic relief mule-skinner and are remembered as slaughtering Mary McDonnell's peaceful family. Of course McDonell escapes and just wanders in among the Lakotas. You can't have the Lakota raiding and taking captives in the world of Dances with Wolves. Never mind that the Pawnee were a very small tribe always on the defensive against the much larger, more powerful, and highly expansionistic Lakotas. The Pawnees served as scouts for the US Army not out of love for the whiteman but because they needed help against he Sioux who stole their hunting grounds and killed their women and children. The Pawnee also received a similar portrayal as bloodthirsty turncoats in the other so called enlightened western "Little Big Man." "Little Big Man," though, had a wicked sense of humor about itself unlike the ponderous, high-mindeded "Dances with Wolves."

: There should be no doubt about what I feel about that film. If you failed to understand my opinion in the above paragraph I will shorten my opinion to one sentence, "Dances with Wolves......YUCK!!!"

: One more thing. What is up with Ms. McDonell's hair?? One would think that a woman raised by the Indians would also adopt their hairstyles??

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