My Whacky Advertising Class - Com 443 Blog Entry No.3

Sweeping Me Off My Seat

Imagine an open field, with beautiful views unobstructed, and imagine a camp fire, with tents. Also, people dressed in nothing you have ever seen before, feathers, markings on their faces with stripes for tribal identity, cross bows, arrows, knives, a warriors lair. Next, you hear music and the people dancing around this fire, singing to the gods with dances that exemplified the rituals of a Red Indian’s Tribe.

This film embodied me with an impression that I would never have forgotten, and for that, I am going to share with you my understanding with this wonderful movie which came to Singapore sometime during the early 90’s and this movie was named “Dances With Wolves.”

Yes indeed, an award winning film well written by Greg Bole. This film is a sweeping epic that you'll never forget whether you liked it or not. It enlightens the tale of love, loyalty, friendship, and self-realization in a magnificent setting among different people, places, and during an era of strife, which was the time of the Civil War. This film was my first encounter with Hollywood actor Kevin Costner and I believed this film was the start of his acting stardom. During the show, the first thing a viewer is struck by is the amazing landscape of western South Dakota. Though, having not been there myself, I have heard about the wonderful lush landscape about that situate. It is not clear to me though, but I remember watching the movie and the music or composition, which accompanied the film, was pleasantly unforgettable. Overall I must say, the depiction of the characters in the movie were not only breathtaking, but also enriching because viewers get to experience an insight tribal life of a native Red Indian living in the open fields.

After reading from The Internet Movie Database, the story deals with Lt. John Dunbar (Kevin Costner), a disillusioned Civil War vet who was ask over to be transferred to a western post so he can see the west "before it's gone". He is then sent to a deserted fort where he finds himself in an insecure position of being the only white man (the last I recalled, it’s been too long) in a land of Indians who seems intent on stealing his horse. He decides to try to get to know the Indian tribe and eventually becomes one of them. During his acculturation, I recalled very vaguely, Dunbar constantly recording his experiences into his little brown diary, in which, he would refer to, and continue to document his findings, and this diary was dear to him.

Dances With Wolves is a very very good film!!!!

On a Personal note

For me, the most important take home message which I got from the movie, was how the director was able illustrate how easy it was for humans to stereotype other cultures that was unfamiliar to us. In fact, this is prevalent up till this day of age whether it was between Red Indians and U.S. soldiers or people of different skin color. On the other hand, it was because Lt. Dunbar witnessed the death of his parents when he was a little boy, and this past experience has allowed his bitterness to evolve and detest against the Red Indians. On the contrary, Dunbar realized that not all Red Indians were bad, but instead, they were actually people with good hearts with true virtues.