Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves is set in Southern and Western States of America during the 1860s, these states consist of prairies, deserts and wide open spaces which are all typical of a Western film. There are many signifiers that show it is a Western, for example the characters and the themes throughout the film. In the film there is a Sioux tribe, a Pawnee tribe, a soldier who is a loner, a cowboy and calvary soldiers which are all typical characters for this genre. One theme which permeates the film is discovery. The soldier,  John Dunbar, wants to discover more about the frontier and to find out about the Sioux tribe. He is successful in this as he results in becoming part of the Sioux and discovers a new way of life. We also see the theme of discovery when Another theme which is present in the film is betrayal. John Dunbar feels betrayed by the White American soldiers as he realises how they are ignorant of the native way of life.

The representation of the Native Americans in Dances with Wolves challenges the stereotype that many other Western films set. Stereotypically, the tribes would be savages and have no loyalty. However, in this film the Sioux tribe are portrayed in the opposite way. They are presented in a positive way as they are willing to learn to communicate and allow John Dunbar to become part of the tribe. They are very family orientated, friendly and forward thinking which is not expected for the Western genre. Although, in the film there is another tribe called the Pawnee who are represented as the typical stereotype of savages. This recognises that the Native Americans are split into different groups that have different ways of life and are not all the same.

The representations of different cultures and conflict hold messages that could apply for us today in modern society. Firstly, in Dances with Wolves we see the Native Americans respecting their environment as they use the natural resources when they need it, they don't exploit it. This could be a message for our society today as the world is in danger of running out of certain natural resources. Furthermore, in the film John Dunbar has a spirit of discovery as he goes to the frontier to find out about the Native Americans and how they live. This spirit of discovery is needed in our society today so that things can be found such as the cures to diseases and the discovery of space. Also, John Dunbar breaks down the barrier of ignorance with the Sioux tribe by showing an interest in them. They learn to communicate and discover each others different ways of life. If this could be done in our society today it would release tension that is set between different ethnic groups and religions. One final message that can be found in Dances with Wolves is when John Dunbar goes to the frontier expecting the Native Americans to all be savages, as they are stereotypically made out to be. However, after meeting the Sioux tribe and learning to communicate with them he realises that they are in fact the opposite of their stereotype. This could be a message for our modern society today to get to know people and their beliefs before judging them on their ethnic group or culture.

Dances with Wolves represents the three constitutive contradictions that Rick Altman discusses. The first constitutive contradiction is individual freedom and community action. Individual freedom is represented by John Dunbar as he goes to discover the frontier on his own and the community action is represented by the Sioux Tribe. The second contradiction is respect for the environment and industrial growth. In the film the respect for the environment is shown through the Sioux tribe respecting their land and only killing buffalo when they need it. The industrial growth is shown when the Whites kill the buffalo simply for their pelt in order to make a profit. The third contradiction is reverence for the past and the desire to build a new future. The Native Americans have very traditional ways such as their clothing and ways of living for example living in Teepees/Wigwams. They also make references to the past during the film. The White Settlers come with the desire to build a new future and introduce new ways to replace the Native American way of life.