NOTE: In discussing this film, I chose to use the term Indian and American Indian rather than Native American because I don’t like that name. I was born in the United States of America, which makes me a Native of America even if my ancestors may have come from other parts of the globe. If you don’t like it, this is not the blog for you.

Usually, when something is described as epic, that means it looks good, but is emotionally hollow and lacks characters. With Dances with Wolves (the Oscar winner for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay), Kevin Costner set out to make a Western that is the opposite of the John Ford Westerns that I will be talking about where the American Indians were seen as negative (which may be a little too narrow a view) and the cavalry showed up to save the day. Critics called it “Kevin’s Gate” (which they would later be able to call Waterworld and The Postman) after Michael Cimino’s bloated Western Heaven’s Gate (although I know critics that love that film), until they saw the film. Then, it became the unstoppable film that swept many of the year-end awards and catapulted Costner, who was already a star thanks to Silverado, Untouchables, Bull Durham, into elite status, which he then used to go make Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Wyatt Earp, Waterworld, and The Postman, which all made people rethink Costner’s greatness.

As for the film, it is not great, but it is not horrible either. The movie works some of the time, but rarely when Costner is alone on screen staring at things as though he was in a Spielberg film. I think Costner is a good actor. He can be a great actor with the right director, but he often tries too hard to Act. He has natural charisma that, unfortunately, is not on display here. There are some good performances in the film. I think Graham Greene gives a terrific performance and deserved his nomination as a holy man who sees something in this strange white man. There are some scenes that work, like the buffalo hunt, but the war scene between the “good” Indians and the “bad” Indians feels hollow. In all, it is a decent film that was overly praised.

Other Wins: Director- Costner
Cinematography
Sound
Score
Editing

Other Nominations: Actor – Costner (Jeremy Irons won for Reversal of Fortune)
Supporting Actor- Greene (Joe Pesci won for Goodfellas)
Supporting Actress- Mary McDonnell (Whoopi Goldberg won for Ghost)
Art Direction (Dick Tracy won)
Costumes (Cyrano de Bergerac won)

Other Best Picture Nominees: Awakenings, Ghost, The Godfather Part III, Goodfellas

As for the Adapted Screenplays, Dances with Wolves is based on the novel by Michael Blake, who also wrote the screenplay and is a friend of Kevin Costner. Blake wanted to write it as a screenplay, while Costner convinced him to write it as both a screenplay and a book. Since they are written by the same person, they are very similar. However, the beginnings are a bit different and the endings are a bit different. The novel is able to be rich in the character detail that the film lacks. My Verdict: Novel

Awakenings is based on the book by Oliver Sacks, who becomes Malcolm Sayer in the film. The novel and the film are drastically different. The book is a rather dry collection of case studies, some of whom appear in the film. The film is more about character and the need to live your life as though you are going to go to sleep or die soon. My Verdict: Film.

Goodfellas is based on the book “Wiseguy” by Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote the film with Martin Scorsese. The book, like the film has Henry and Karen Hill telling stories from their lives. There are passages in the film that are directly quoted from the book. There are differences here and there to make the film more dramatic. The film is a masterpiece and deserve the awards for Picture and Adapted Screenplay. I will be writing more about it at the end of the month. My Verdict: Film

The Grifters is based on the novel by Jim Thompson. The film tries to adhere as much to the book as it can, since Thompson is a literary titan. He has a way with dialogue that the screenplay and the actors try their best to match. The film is set in the present day while the novel was set in the 50’s. There are some subplots that would not have worked in the film, especially concerning Roy’s apartment, so they have been changed. My Verdict: As game as the actors and director are, the novel is a work of a great artist at the top of his craft. Novel

Reversal of Fortune is based on the book “Reversal of Fortune: Inside the Von Bulow Case” by Alan Dershowitz. The biggest difference between the film and the book is that they added narration from Sonny Von Bulow from her coma in the film, which is a rather odd and off-putting choice. The film tries as much as it can to follow the book, but there is only so much that a two-hour film can do. The book has so many wonderful details in it that the film can’t cover. In the book, Dershowitz soon realizes Claus is innocent and even becomes friendly with him while he is unsure in the film and they are slightly antagonistic, leading to the lines, “You are a very strange man.” “You have no idea.” My Verdict: Book

Next Month: Driving Miss Daisy