Why Kevin Costner’s 1990 Oscar-Winning Western Epic Gets High Score From Historian: “One Of The Best Handled”

An Old West historian rates Kevin Costner’s film  Dances with Wolves. Costner directed and starred in the 1990 Western film, which follows the story of a Civil War fighter, Lieutenant Dunbar, who is assigned to a remote Sioux outpost during the war, and in that time, learns more about the Sioux culture and practices.  Dances with Wolves won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director, among other awards.

Over 30 years after the release of Dances with Wolves, historian Michael Grauer breaks down its accuracy in an interview with Insider.

Grauer looked at two moments from the film, the first being its classic buffalo chase and the second being a moment wherein Dunbar is offered a piece of liver to eat. The historian had a “minor quibble” with how easily the characters could kill bison with less powerful tools, but overall felt that the weapons used were realistic. Grauer also explained that liver was likely offered as “a form of gratitude.” Check out Grauer’s full quote below:

Lakotas are depicted reasonably accurately. As far as using what we call the shortbow, you know, back of the horse to hunt bison, they were the primary food source, tool source for virtually everything. One shot would not have killed them. Likewise, with a Henry rifle that Kevin Costner is carrying, he would have had to shoot the bison multiple times to kill it. Because he’s riding horseback. These buffalo hunts were long, drawn out affairs. Because the animals would run for miles. You know, for a film you had to compact time and space to make it fit on the screen.

To take a bite of liver is a way to consume part of that animal’s spirit. And that’s a form of gratitude as I understand it in Native lifeways. And to offer that to this white soldier, in this Kevin Costner character, is a way to kind of bring him into their lifeway. The attention to detail in depicting the Lakota people, and I think ultimately Native people in general, in this scene is critical. Because it shows great sensitivity. I’d put this at an 8. The instant kills, you know, perhaps that’s just a minor quibble, but overall the drama of a buffalo chase is just really one of the best handled that I’d seen on the silver screen.

Dances With Wolves’ Role In Costner’s Western Connection Explained

Costner Has Regularly Been Involved In Westerns

Given that the film is from 1990, it is interesting to see Grauer praise Dances with Wolves so well. The historian was not so kind to all the Westerns he looked at in the video, including the more recent film The Harder They Fall, which he rated a 3 out of 10 for accuracy. In contrast to The Harder They Fall, which was released in 2021,  Dances with Wolves was released when issues of proper representation were less discussed.

After Dances with Wolves, the Western genre film continued to be a vital part of Costner’s career. More recently, that took the form of acting in the Taylor Sheridan  TV series Yellowstone, which followed the story of the Dutton family and their fight for land with their Montana ranch. Other than Yellowstone, his post- Dances with Wolves Western work includes Wyatt Earp, Open Range, and The Highwaymen.

Costner reignited his Western roots through the Horizon movies. Originally intended to be released in June and August, the first two chapters of Horizon Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 were set to be the first and second installments in a multi-part film series. When Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 failed to make a splash in theaters, Horizon: Chapter 2 was pulled from the release calendar, and will now premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September. So, while Costner has stayed true to the Western genre, he has not yet regained his  Dances with Wolves level of success.

An Old West historian rates Kevin Costner’s film  Dances with Wolves. Costner directed and starred in the 1990 Western film, which follows the story of a Civil War fighter, Lieutenant Dunbar, who is assigned to a remote Sioux outpost during the war, and in that time, learns more about the Sioux culture and practices.  Dances with Wolves won…