Wolf Dancer

February 13, 2010 @ 7:42 pm

I struggled as to how I wanted to word my comments of this FE. I have been a huge fan of the book since it’s original release (well before I knew there was going to be a movie). I guess it is also important to mention that I am half-Sioux (my mother’s side of the fmaily are almost all exclusively full Sioux). So needless to say, I have always had a soft spot for this movie (in the book, the Native Americans are Commanche, not Sioux).

For me, two apects I have always had problems with are these: 1) the over-the-top, stereo-typical, portrayal of the Army personnel. and 2) believe it or not, the portrayal of the Sioux. Very down-played version of what the true Sioux and Sioux life was actually like. Neither of these groups were remotely, accurately portrayed in the movie.

regardless, still like th emovie. I completely agree with Rock Savage’s “four points”. CBB addresses these with his usual expertise. As much as I fond the “Mad Major” out of place inthe original, I understand why he is needed, even in a small way, to remain – the line, “I want to see the frontier before it is gone” is of utmost importance to set the tone for the entire movie.

I always liked the “narration” from the original and was somewhat apprehensive of it being edited it out. Once I watched the movie without it, I can’t now believe I ever thought it was necessary. (think “Blade Runner” as a good reference).

I never liked the “Stands with a Fist” flashback; always fast-forwarded through; and am very glad it has been excised from the FE.

A sign of an effective FE (for me) is as I am watching it and I stop thinking of it as an edit, but as a original movie. I found myself watching this FE initially and trying to spot the edits etc, but as the movie progressed I found myself caught up in the movie.

The technical side: the redesigned audio is VERY well done! If there were any flaws in it, then I missed them entirely. the video quality is excellent. never knew how poor quality my standard DVD id compared to the BR version.

If you are apprehensive about DL’ing this FE because the original is soooo long, have no fear! This FE trims the original down to a watchable length!

Overall, a well paced, excellent FE. CBB never disappoints!

February 14, 2010 @ 5:54 am

Wolf Dancer

Review by Captain Khajiit

**Warning!**

**This review contains spoilers!**

While the blu-ray of the long sprawling director’s cut of this film occupies pride of place in my film collection, the slower moments almost seem to cry out for a more tightly-paced alternative version of the film. Boon has skilfully crafted one.

The voiceover served its purpose well in the original, and it was not a mistake on the director’s part; yet removing it has allowed viewers to draw more of their own conclusions, follow the main character and become a little more absorbed in the film. Inevitably, when an element designed to be integral to a film is removed, events occasionally sit a little awkwardly with the rest of the film and are sometimes a little hard (but not impossible) to follow for those who do not know the film well – notably the scene depicting buffalo butchered by white hunters and the subsequent night scene at the camp. Nonetheless, the overall result is the creation of a refreshingly different way to experience the film, which is always what I look for in a fanedit. The faneditor obviously had a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve with the edit, and it is implemented consistently right through to the end.

Editing: 9 out of 10 for the editing itself. I really liked the way in which the scenes with Spivey and Bauer were trimmed, but the “Mad Major” scene felt a little rushed. I missed the council scene in which the Sioux boys learn of Dunbar’s presence, as they seem to come out of nowhere. One sequence I wish had been cut comes after Dunbar asks to relieve himself; he is bashed on the head, again, and wakes to be interrogated, again. This has always seemed slightly odd, and I would have cut straight to Dunbar washing himself in the stream, as the content of the second interrogation seems to me to be largely implied in the first.

Entertainment: 9 out of 10 (theatrical – 9 out of 10; director’s cut 9 out of 10)

Image and video quality: The video – derived from the director’s cut blu-ray – was of excellent quality. It really shows how sloppy the plethora of official DVD transfers of this film has been. 10 out of 10

Audio editing and audio quality: The voiceover has been extremely well removed. The audio does very occasionally sound a little odd, but given the extent of the undertaking, the soundtrack is very impressive. 9 out of 10

Presentation: I actually burnt this DVD to disc, which shows you how much I liked it. Menus always do nothing for me, but I confess that I did actually love the wolf emerging from the darkness. The lettering of the menus and the opening credits was perfectly chosen, though I must say I really didn’t like the yellow subtitles, and wished they had been placed entirely in the black border (thought there might have been a technical reasons for their placement). 9 out of 10

Overall: 9 out of 10 CBB’s latest edit is an impressive achievement.

March 8, 2010 @ 1:20 pm

Really, really good. loved the axed narration and loss of journal entries.

Some nitpicking:

I think some of the spivey removal (and explanation) is a bit much, tho…

It would have been nice to have scenes of john USING the journal during the film so that his reason to retrieve it is more obvious.

August 7, 2011 @ 8:34 am

*This rating was given before reviews were required*

August 19, 2011 @ 2:03 am

*This rating was given before reviews were required*