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But here we are in 2003, and time has not been so kind to Mr. Costner. Weak films and weaker grosses all culminated in the big-budget flop The Postman, which has subsequently tarnished the reputation of Dances With Wolves as something of a fluke. Hailed at the time as one of the best westerns ever made, if not the best, many now question its validity as a true classic. Dances with Wolves is a film that like so many modern blockbusters has suffered from intense reevaluation, as if it took ten-odd years for the backlash to finally mount. Perhaps that is simply because no one likes Costner anymore (and if you suffered through such dreck as Waterworld or 3,000 Miles to Graceland, you know the feeling), or maybe because the unabashed sincerity and old- fashioned romanticism of Wolves is simply out of step with today's preference for postmodern cynicism.

And that's too bad, because there is still much to admire in Dances with Wolves. It offers what is still painfully rare in Hollywood cinema, the depiction of Native Americans as real three-dimensional human beings (imagine that!), and it did single-handedly revive the long-dormant western genre. (Would we have had Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven or Michael Mann's The Last Of The Mohicans without Kevin Costner? Not likely.) But what remains most impressive about Costner's achievement is that he was able to usurp the conventions and semantics of classical Westerns, which smartly still gave the audience that required frission of familiarity, but turned our expectations inside out, never once pandering to retro notions of White-versus-Indian equals Good-versus-Bad. For that alone, he deserves a Special Achievement Oscar.

Despite what some critics may now claim, Dances with Wolves is far from the bloated, self-important "insta- epic" once expected. The same critics who carp on Costner's irony- free, unabashedly earnest ode to Americana are also the ones who hate films like Titanic for their reduction of history into educational polemics filled with obvious and manipulative narrative cliches, bland dialogue and flat caricatures instead of characters. That maybe so, but the film's narrative simplicity (and even Costner the actor, often so smug and glum in lighter fare) are thankfully free from pretension. His achievement is quite a feat: a well-crafted, three-hour western that is emotionally complex and, so rare for a mainstream movie today, one that takes it time with every scene.

Alas, Costner could not leave well enough alone, and hence we have the four-hour extended cut of the film. Originally released on laserdisc back in the mid- 90's, let it be said that this longer version of Dances with Wolves doesn't suck. In fact, it may be one of the best extended remixes of a film ever attempted, i.e., Greedo doesn't shoot first, there is no new CGI and a guy named George Lucas had nothing to do with it. However, I personally find it too long - every added scene is perfectly fine in its own right, but it drags a bit and the original version was sufficient enough. Too bad a seamless branching version isn't offered here...

But whichever version you like best, the question remains: How will Dances with Wolves be perceived five, ten fifteen years from now? Who knows. But I think it is a classic, a film so timeless and evocative that one would be hard-pressed to know when it was made if it wasn't for the date on the back of the box. So don't let the critics fool you. This is one of the greats.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

For this first-ever DVD release of the extended 236-minute cut of Dances with Wolves (the original cut is not included, unless you get clever with your remote's "Skip" function), MGM Home Entertainment has sprung for a new high definition remaster, downconverted here in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. (Although in my nonscientific opinion this looks more like about 2.20:1.) While the previous DVD releases from Image Entertainment were THX certified, that is not the case here, although I could hardly tell the difference. Despite the inclusion of nearly 45 minutes of new footage, all versions are about on par with each other, save for some slight if notable differences.

Given the length of the film, MGM has elected to present the feature on a DVD-18, with each side getting two hours a piece plus minimal extras (only two audio commentaries and a single Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track). With the healthy bit rate, the image is often exquisite. Perhaps the biggest compliment I can pay is that for the most part I could not detect the inclusion of the new footage, even being as familiar with the film as I am. The print is in terrific shape and near pristine, with no dirt and only the slightest grain in some dark scenes noticeable. Oscar-winner Dean Semler's gorgeous cinematography is ably on display, and only a few noticeable print anomalies on the additional footage (such as some blemishes and a couple of quick flashes or streaks) give it away.

Differences between the footage new and old aside, in all other respects this is a grade-A presentation. Blacks are rock solid even in the darkest scenes, such as the many interiors of the Indian teepees, and contrast generally excellent. Colors are vivid and rich, especially the gorgeous ambers and blues. However, compared to the old Image releases, I found hues a tad bit more subdued here, but reproduced more cleanly with slightly improved definition. This makes for sharper colors even if the print itself looks a bit softer. The Image releases were admirable for the lack of excessive edge enhancement, but this transfer looks even smoother and more film-like if the slightest bit less crisp. Shadow delineation is also impressive, especially considering how dark much of this film is. I also detected less compression artifacts here than on the Image Dolby Digital release (although just as terrific as the DTS version, which was a two-disc set.) A topnotch presentation that is sure to please even this film's most diehard legion of fans.

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?

On par with the previous Image Dolby Digital release is the 5.1 surround track included here. Aside from the additional footage, which lacks a bit of the surround presence of the theatrical cut footage, I wouldn't be surprised if it was exactly the same. (MGM has elected to not include a DTS option here.) But this is still a pretty nice 5.1 mix, with a strong sense of envelope on what is essentially a very talky picture. Dynamic range is quite good (and remember, Dances with Wolves was actually a rather low-budget affair considering how large a canvass Costner painted on), with a warm midrange and fairly spacious highs. Surround use is fairly aggressive throughout, from the quiet frontier ambiance to the thunderous buffalo stampede. While not quite in the same league as today's action spectacles, there isn't much fault to find here. Imagine is fairly transparent, with deep, rumbling low bass thanks to the strong .1 LFE channel. A DTS track might have opened up the soundstage even more, but aside from the slightly flatter surround presence in the additional footage, this is a worthy presentation.

Also included are English, French and Spanish subtitles and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

In addition to the 236-minute cut of the film, MGM and New Wave Entertainment have produced a great new batch of extras exclusive to this release. Believe it or not, not one but two new screen- specific audio commentaries are included and run the entire length of the film, the first with Kevin Costner and producer Jim Wilson, and the second with director of photography and Dean Semler and the editor Neil Travis. All four won Oscars, so here you have eight hours of chat about as heavy as all that gold. To be honest after listening to the entire Costner and Wilson commentary (yes, the whole thing!) I expected to turn off the second tech track in no time flat, but ended up listening to almost all of it as well. Admittedly, Semler and Travis are more slow-going than their counterparts, but pack in plenty of witty antecedents between the fair amount of dead space. Like so many commentaries for flicks that are recent but still over a decade old, there is a lot of dull patches as the duo attempts to remember the fine details, but the gang pulls it off, giving us amusing recollections of everything from picking up roadkill to fill up the infamous "dead dear in pond" scene to clever ways of concealing Costner's "package" when he had to go buff. By comparison, Costner and Wilson's track is a must-listen, and is not just a regurgitated version of the commentary on the Image release. Costner is especially humble and appreciative of the entire cast and crew, and nothing is left out - developing the story, working with the often contentious Michael Blake, the arduous production, the cast, and, of course, all those Oscars. Many hate Costner or think he's smug, which may be true, but he is nothing of the sort here. Terrific.

As great as the commentaries are, this set's piece de resistance just may be the brand spankin' new 82- minute documentary The Creation of an Epic - A Retrospective, which is included with the rest of the supplements on disc two. Just about everyone I wanted to hear from is here, in all-new interviews: Costner, Wilson, Semler, Travis, author Michael Blake, composer John Barry, actors Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene and Tantoo Cardinal and plenty of the crew including stunt coordinator Normal Hewitt, production designer John Beecroft, costume designer Elsa Zamparelli, and more. I don't care what anyone says, but Dances with Wolves earned all of its acclaim - anyone who can make a four-hour epic like this on a budget of only $16 million dollars deserved those Academy Awards. It makes for a fascinating story, and with such an ample runtime, little is left out. I was also surprised at just how much behind-the-scenes footage is included, most never-before-seen, and almost all with production sound. This fawning doc does often turn into a love-fest for Costner, but then what did you expect? It is still the first time this film has ever really been documented, and it is so classy I can hardly quibble. The only annoyance is that like most DVD docs these days, it is broken up into little pieces; seven to be exact, which wouldn't be so bad in itself. However, even if you select the "Play All" function, end credits roll for each segment, which gets monotonous after a while. But no matter, this is an offer hard to refuse.

Rounding out the package are plenty of promotional items. We get a 10-minute photo montage introduced by the film's set photographer, Ben Glass. It is kinda cheesy, but Glass was given extensive access to the entire production, and there are over 100 lavish stills presented here. (I believe that a book on the making of Dances with Wolves was included with the old laserdisc box set which includes many of these pictures, but it is now out of print, so here you are.) There is also a pithy poster gallery, but the term should be used loosely - only four images are included. Wrapping up the video-based extras are a couple of TV spots, plus non-anamorphic theatrical trailers for Dances with Wolves, Platoon and the dreadful Windtalkers. Oddly, a music video is listed on the back packaging, but I could not find it anywhere on the disc.

Last but not least, special mention must go to the unusual packaging. MGM has slipped the keepcase inside a cardboard sleeve that has a velcro flap. Open up the fold-out and there is a brief text intro to the extended cut by Costner and Wilson. The keepcase also holds a nice 4-page color booklet with some typical MGM factoids. It is not extensive, but the whole package is rather nice looking.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts