What is the movie Dances With Wolves about?

The movie Dances With Wolves is an American epic western film released in 1990, directed by and starring Kevin Costner . It won seven Academy Awards , including best picture. The film tells the story of Union Army Lieutenant John Dunbar, who, after a heroic act during the Civil War , requests to be sent to the western frontier. He ends up at a deserted outpost, Fort Sedgewick, where he begins to document his experiences. Dunbar forms a relationship with a wolf he names Two Socks and eventually encounters the Sioux people. Through a series of interactions, he learns their ways, is given the name Dances With Wolves, and falls in love with a white woman raised by the Sioux, Stands With A Fist. The film highlights themes of cultural understanding and the clash between Native American life and westward expansion.

Who directed and starred in Dances With Wolves?

The 1990 American epic western film, Dances With Wolves , was directed by and starred Kevin Costner . Costner also won Academy Awards for best picture and best director for his work on the film. He portrayed Union army Lieutenant John Dunbar, who requests a post on the western frontier and eventually assimilates into a Sioux community, adopting the name Dances With Wolves. The film was noted for its use of the Lakota language and the advisory assistance of Native Americans.

When and where is the story of Dances With Wolves set?

The story of the film Dances With Wolves is set in the American West during the Civil War era. The narrative begins with Union Army Lieutenant John Dunbar, played by Kevin Costner , requesting a post on the western frontier after an act of bravery in Tennessee. He is sent to Fort Sedgewick in Kansas , an isolated outpost. The film beautifully captures the landscapes of South Dakota , where it was filmed, immersing the audience in the frontier setting as Dunbar encounters the Sioux people and begins to integrate into their culture.

Which Native American tribe is featured in this film?

The film "Dances With Wolves" prominently features the Sioux people, also known as the Oceti Sakowin. The narrative follows Union army Lieutenant John Dunbar, who is sent to a remote frontier outpost and eventually integrates with a Sioux village. The film showcases aspects of Sioux culture, including their language (Lakota), interactions with the natural world, and their way of life. The dialogue in much of the film is in the Lakota language, with subtitles provided.

How does the main character's relationship with the Sioux tribe develop?

The main character, Lieutenant John Dunbar, initially encounters the Sioux tribe with caution, stemming from a horse-stealing attempt. However, his decision to visit their village and his subsequent rescue of a white woman, Stands With A Fist, who was adopted by the Sioux, begins to foster trust. Through shared experiences, such as a successful buffalo hunt, and the translation efforts of Stands With A Fist, Dunbar is given the name Dances With Wolves and becomes integrated into the tribe. His relationship deepens as he falls in love with Stands With A Fist and aids the Sioux in defending themselves against a Pawnee attack, solidifying his place within the community before he ultimately chooses to leave to protect them from further U.S. military encroachment.

Why is Dances With Wolves considered an important film in American cinema?

Dances With Wolves is considered an important film in American cinema due to its critical acclaim and cultural impact. Directed by and starring Kevin Costner , the 1990 epic western film won seven Academy Awards , including Best Picture, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Drama. The film was noted for its use of the Lakota language and the advisory assistance of Native Americans, contributing to its authentic portrayal of Sioux culture. Its selection for preservation in the National Film Registry further underscores its significance.

Dances With Wolves

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Kevin Costner in a light beige suit and white shirt, standing in front of a yellow backdrop at the Yellowstone premiere.

John Barry, wearing a tuxedo and glasses, smiles while holding his Academy Award for Best Original Score, standing in front of a large Oscar statue.

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Awards And Honors:: Golden Globe Award (1991); Academy Award (1991)

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Dances With Wolves

film by Costner [1990]

Written by

Patricia Bauer

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Sep. 26, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is the movie Dances With Wolves about?
The movie Dances With Wolves is an American epic western film released in 1990, directed by and starring Kevin Costner. It won seven Academy Awards, including best picture.

The film tells the story of Union Army Lieutenant John Dunbar, who, after a heroic act during the Civil War, requests to be sent to the western frontier. He ends up at a deserted outpost, Fort Sedgewick, where he begins to document his experiences. Dunbar forms a relationship with a wolf he names Two Socks and eventually encounters the Sioux people. Through a series of interactions, he learns their ways, is given the name Dances With Wolves, and falls in love with a white woman raised by the Sioux, Stands With A Fist. The film highlights themes of cultural understanding and the clash between Native American life and westward expansion.
1 Britannica Source
1. Dances With Wolves
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Who directed and starred in Dances With Wolves?
The 1990 American epic western film, Dances With Wolves, was directed by and starred Kevin Costner. Costner also won Academy Awards for best picture and best director for his work on the film. He portrayed Union army Lieutenant John Dunbar, who requests a post on the western frontier and eventually assimilates into a Sioux community, adopting the name Dances With Wolves. The film was noted for its use of the Lakota language and the advisory assistance of Native Americans.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
When and where is the story of Dances With Wolves set?
The story of the film Dances With Wolves is set in the American West during the Civil War era. The narrative begins with Union Army Lieutenant John Dunbar, played by Kevin Costner, requesting a post on the western frontier after an act of bravery in Tennessee. He is sent to Fort Sedgewick in Kansas, an isolated outpost. The film beautifully captures the landscapes of South Dakota, where it was filmed, immersing the audience in the frontier setting as Dunbar encounters the Sioux people and begins to integrate into their culture.
1 Britannica Source
1. Dances With Wolves
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Which Native American tribe is featured in this film?
The film "Dances With Wolves" prominently features the Sioux people, also known as the Oceti Sakowin. The narrative follows Union army Lieutenant John Dunbar, who is sent to a remote frontier outpost and eventually integrates with a Sioux village. The film showcases aspects of Sioux culture, including their language (Lakota), interactions with the natural world, and their way of life. The dialogue in much of the film is in the Lakota language, with subtitles provided.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How does the main character's relationship with the Sioux tribe develop?
The main character, Lieutenant John Dunbar, initially encounters the Sioux tribe with caution, stemming from a horse-stealing attempt. However, his decision to visit their village and his subsequent rescue of a white woman, Stands With A Fist, who was adopted by the Sioux, begins to foster trust. Through shared experiences, such as a successful buffalo hunt, and the translation efforts of Stands With A Fist, Dunbar is given the name Dances With Wolves and becomes integrated into the tribe. His relationship deepens as he falls in love with Stands With A Fist and aids the Sioux in defending themselves against a Pawnee attack, solidifying his place within the community before he ultimately chooses to leave to protect them from further U.S. military encroachment.
1 Britannica Source
1. Dances With Wolves
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Why is Dances With Wolves considered an important film in American cinema?
Dances With Wolves is considered an important film in American cinema due to its critical acclaim and cultural impact. Directed by and starring Kevin Costner, the 1990 epic western film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Drama. The film was noted for its use of the Lakota language and the advisory assistance of Native Americans, contributing to its authentic portrayal of Sioux culture. Its selection for preservation in the National Film Registry further underscores its significance.
1 Britannica Source
1. Dances With Wolves
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Dances With Wolves, American epic western film, released in 1990, that was directed by and starred Kevin Costner and won widespread admiration as well as seven Academy Awards, including that for best picture. It also received the Golden Globe Award for best drama.

(Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.)

After an apparently heroic act during a Civil War battle in Tennessee, Union army Lieutenant John Dunbar (played by Costner) is offered his choice of posting, and he requests to be sent to the western frontier. He is transferred first to Fort Hays in Kansas, where the unhinged Major Fambrough (Maury Chaykin) assigns him to the army’s most distant outpost, Fort Sedgewick. When Dunbar arrives at the post, he is surprised to find it deserted and in disrepair, but he chooses to stay nonetheless. He sets about restoring the fort, and he keeps a journal of his experiences and activities. A wolf with two white feet begins frequenting the post, and Dunbar, dubbing the wolf Two Socks, attempts to tame it.

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One day Dunbar returns from bathing in the river to find a Sioux man, Kicking Bird (Graham Greene), trying to steal his horse. Dunbar chases Kicking Bird away. Later, the Sioux warrior Wind In His Hair (Rodney A. Grant) leads a group to try again to steal the horse. Dunbar then decides to visit the Sioux village. On his way he comes across a white woman in Sioux clothing who is bleeding badly, and he brings her to the Sioux. The Indians are wary of Dunbar, but Kicking Bird persuades them not to attack him. The village chief, Ten Bears (Floyd Red Crow Westerman), enjoins Kicking Bird and Wind In His Hair to learn more about Dunbar, and a series of increasingly friendly visits and gift exchanges ensue. Eventually the white woman, Stands With A Fist (Mary McDonnell), who was rescued and adopted as a small child by Kicking Bird after her family was killed in a Pawnee raid, begins to act as a translator.

When Dunbar is awakened one day by a buffalo stampede, he notifies the Sioux and joins them in a successful buffalo hunt, and he celebrates with them afterward. Dunbar is later offered a home with the Sioux, and he is given the name Dances With Wolves. Over time, he and Stands With A Fist begin to fall in love. When a Pawnee war party attacks the Sioux encampment, Dunbar provides the Sioux with firearms from the fort and helps them fight off the Pawnee. Afterward, Dunbar and Stands With A Fist are married.

Dunbar tells Kicking Bird that they will soon be overrun by white men, and Ten Bears decides that it would be best for the Sioux to move to their winter camp. Dunbar realizes that his journal, if found, would reveal the location of the Sioux village, and he returns to Fort Sedgewick to retrieve it. He finds the fort now occupied by U.S. soldiers, who quickly take him prisoner. He is treated as a deserter and beaten, and it is decided that he should be taken to Fort Hays and hanged. However, Wind In His Hair leads a war party against the military convoy transporting Dunbar and rescues him. When they reach the Sioux winter camp, Dunbar tells them that the military will continue to search for him and that he can keep the Sioux safe only by leaving. He and Stands With A Fist ride away, and Wind In His Hair calls out that he will always be a friend of Dances With Wolves.

The three-hour-long film was beautifully photographed in South Dakota. Dances With Wolves was noted for incorporating the advisory assistance of Native Americans and for the use of the Lakota language (subtitled in English) for much of the dialogue. Lakota instructor Doris Leader Charge provided Lakota translations for the movie and coached the actors in speaking the language. The movie began as a script idea by Michael Blake, who later turned it into a novel at Costner’s suggestion and adapted the screenplay from his novel. Dances With Wolves was selected in 2007 for preservation in the National Film Registry.

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Production notes and credits

Studios: Tig Productions, Majestic Films International, and Allied Filmmakers
Director: Kevin Costner
Music: John Barry
Cinematographer: Dean Semler

Cast

Kevin Costner (Lieutenant John Dunbar/Dances With Wolves)
Mary McDonnell (Stands With A Fist)
Graham Greene (Kicking Bird)
Rodney A. Grant (Wind In His Hair)
Floyd Red Crow Westerman (Ten Bears)

Academy Award nominations (* denotes win)

Picture*
Lead actor (Kevin Costner)
Supporting actor (Graham Greene)
Supporting actress (Mary McDonnell)
Cinematography*
Costume design
Direction*
Editing*
Music*
Sound*
Writing (screenplay)*

Patricia Bauer

Dances With Wolves

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Production notes and credits

Cast

Academy Award nominations (* denotes win)