Dances with Wolves, the renowned film directed by and starring Kevin Costner, has been mesmerizing viewers ever since it graced the big screen in 1990. Known for its stunning cinematography, heartfelt narrative, and thoughtful depiction of Lakota Sioux culture, the movie claimed seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Nevertheless, even a cinematic gem like Dances with Wolves isn’t flawless.
While the filmmakers made commendable strides in integrating the Lakota language and culture, a deeper look exposes an unexpected flaw. Many of the lines delivered in Lakota are mispronounced or have grammatical errors. Native speakers analyzing the film noted that fluent listeners might find some phrases awkward or even unclear.
Take Mary McDonnell’s character, Stands With A Fist, who learns Lakota as a secondary language; her lines are laden with mistakes. Similarly, several lines meant to reflect fluent Lakota speakers suffer from inaccuracies which possibly stemmed from translation challenges or the actors’ learning process.
Linguists acquainted with the language suggest these errors arose mainly due to time constraints and the difficulty of teaching non-Lakota actors. Despite the expertise of Lakota speaker Doris Leader Charge, who mentored the cast, the tight shooting schedule impeded the goal of achieving perfect fluency.
Moreover, there’s a notable historical inaccuracy. Positioned in the 1860s, the film portrays the Lakota people adeptly riding well-trained horses. Yet, the breed used, the American Quarter Horse, was not present at that time. Although this anachronism has been largely overlooked, it underscores the significance of historical accuracy in film production.
Furthermore, the depiction of certain ceremonial rituals in the movie has been critiqued for not accurately portraying Lakota customs, instead blending traditions from various Plains tribes. While this may have gone unnoticed by the general audience, informed historians and tribal members have acknowledged this over the years.
Does this affect the film’s standing? Certainly not. Dances with Wolves revolutionized its era by employing Native actors and portraying Indigenous culture with a respect and authenticity rarely seen in Hollywood back then. Its impact is evident in subsequent filmmakers who have taken strides to depict Native subjects with greater depth and civility.
These significant blunders remind us that even well-intentioned filmmakers can falter. They highlight the necessity of working closely with linguistic and cultural experts to ensure the authenticity of the narrative.
As audiences revisit Dances with Wolves, they might notice these errors for the first time, or maybe not at all. The true magic of films resides in their ability to whisk us away to another world, imperfections included.
