History Film / DancesWithWolves

* DeathByAdaptation: In the movie, Stone Calf meets his end in the battle against the Pawnee. He survives in the novel, eventually becoming a part of ThoseTwoGuys with Wind in His Hair.

* HateSink: The film doesn't really have a true villain, but you can definitely hate the squad of Union soldiers that captures John Dunbar (especially Corporal Spivey). With the exception of [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Lt. Elgin]], they're a bunch of sadistic [[JerkAss Jerk Asses]] who [[spoiler: kill Cisco right underneath John, and later kill Two Socks just for fun]]. To a lesser extent, the Pawnee, who are also mostly depicted as [[KickTheDog dog-kicking machines]] as they kill innocents and shoot dogs with arrows.

** [[spoiler: No tears were shed over Spivey and Sergeant Bauer considering what they did before they get killed]].

* DirtyCoward: When the platoon of soldiers who captured John is under attack by the Sioux, Bauer immediately passes himself off as a corpse in order to make his escape, even as Edwards is screaming for the man to come to his aid less than a few feet away.
* TheDogBitesBack: After being captured and abused as a prisoner before being rescued, John wasted no time strangling Spivey and drowning him.

* MightyWhitey: Debatable if not nearly as overt as most other examples. Rather than being superior to the Sioux, John works for the entire span of the story to get acknowledged by them as part of the tribe, struggling with their culture and language while adapting. He never takes any special position and, in several particular instances, is given inferior role and duties due to being an outsider. [[spoiler: By the end of the story, he needs to be saved by the rest of the tribe, in the process also endangering its existence]].

* UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar: Shown in the beginning of the film, shown to be authentically as cruel and barbaric as it actually was.
** And surprisingly more balanced than most modern depictions of the war. The sides are almost indistinguishable in both looks and behavior. Aside from the uniforms, you can hardly tell it.

* {{Jerkass}}: Corporal Spivey lies about finding John's/Dances With Wolves' journal, and then later [[CrossesTheLineTwice uses it to help out at the latreen]].

* NothingLeftToDoButDie: When Dunbar meets Famborough, it's immediately apparent that the Major's world-weariness and disillusionment with his own life has already made him quite unhinged, but Dunbar's request to see the frontier sends him right over the edge. He completely loses his mind at the thought of a noble young soldier going on a "knight's errand" into the wilds. Famborough toasts both their "journeys" and promptly blows his brains out.

* SeenItAllSuicide: When Dunbar meets Famborough, it's immediately apparent that the Major's world-weariness has already made him quite unhinged, but Dunbar's request to see the frontier seems to send him right over the edge. He completely loses his mind at the ridiculousness of a man willingly going off on a suicidal "knight's errand" into the wilds. Famborough toasts both their "journeys" and promptly blows his brains out.

* NameThatUnfoldsLikeLotusBlossom: All the Native Americans (except Otter). While this does somewhat reflect [[TruthInTelevision real life Indian naming conventions]], the actual names are usually ''much'' less poetic than the movie kind. Take for example that fierce Comanche warrior Toboibita, who's name translates roughly as "A Group of Men Standing On A Hill"

* NameThatUnfoldsLikeLotusBlossom: All the Native Americans (except Otter). While this does somewhat reflect [[TruthInTelevision real life Indian naming conventions]], the actual names are usually ''much'' less poetic than the movie kind. Take for example that fierce Comanche warrior ''Men Standing Around On A Hill''

* NameThatUnfoldsLikeLotusBlossom: All the Native Americans (except Otter), which is a pretty accurate representation of RealLife naming conventions. Or not. Real Life Indian names are ''much'' less poetic than the movie kind. Take for example that fierce Comanche warrior ''Men Standing Around On A Hill''/

* WarIsHell: Unfortunately, John learns too late that it really doesn't make that much of a difference if it's Union vs. Confederates or Sioux vs. Pawnee. It's always messy, brutal, senseless waste of human life.

** Oh, a special place in Hell should be reserved for Corporal Spivey. If it wasn't for him, Dunbar would have his journal, and therefore a record of all of his activities. Without it, there's no proof that Dunbar was at Fort Sedgewick, let alone what he did to make peaceful contact with the local Sioux. And why does Spivey steal the journal in the first place? No reason. Especially since '''he can't even read'''. And if it wasn't enough already, he then tries to steal from imprisoned Dunbar for the second time, thinking he's sleeping.

** Oh, a special place in Hell should be reserved for Corporal Spivey. If it wasn't for him, Dunbar would have his journal, and therefore a record of all of his activities. Without it, there's no proof that Dunbar was at Fort Sedgewick, let alone what he did to make peaceful contact with the local Sioux. And why does Spivey steal the journal in the first place? No reason. Especially since HE CAN'T READ.
* HiddenDepths: John would make an amazing ethnographer with his insight on many subjects, keen observations and the way he tries to document as much as possible. Yet, to the Army he is mostly valuable as someone actually willing [[ReassignedToAntarctica to be posted at the frontier]].

* DefiantToTheEnd: When surrounded, the Pawnee chief lets out a defiant whoop before his death.

* OneManArmy: Subverted. After the ''third'' attempt by the Sioux to steal his horse, John determines to ride out to the Sioux encampment in full colors and make a spirited resistance. [[spoiler:Instead he runs into Stands With A Fist, wounded and bleeding, and carries her back to the Sioux encampment, not as a soldier but as a ''rescuer.'']] This does ''not'' go unnoticed by Kicking Bird, who makes sure John is allowed to leave unmolested.

[[caption-width-right:323:...Tatanka...]]

* OneManArmy: Subverted. After the ''third'' attempt by the Sioux to steal his horse, John determines to ride out to the Sioux encampment in full colors and make a spirited resistance. [[spoiler:Instead he runs into Stands With A Fist, wounded and bleeding, and carries her back to the Sioux encampment to get her help.]]

* OneManArmy: Subverted. After the ''third'' attempt by the Sioux to steal his horse, John determines to ride out to the Sioux encampment in full colors and make a spirited resistance. [[spoiler:Instead he runs into Stands With A Fist, wounded and bleeding, and tries to help her.]]

* OneManArmy: Subverted. After the ''third'' attempt by the Sioux to steal his horse, John determines to ride out to the Sioux encampment in full colors and make a spirited resistance. [[spoiler:Instead he runs into Stands With A Fist.]]

* BaitAndSwitch: John makes a huge bonfire to burn the rotted deer corpses he finds. The next scene shows some Pawnee saying, "Only a white man would make a fire for everyone to see!" as they prepare to attack. But it turns out they were watching Timmons, who had built a campfire. It doesn't end well for him.

** It also should be noted that a ''lot'' of the antagonism from the Pawnee comes from Wes Studi's warrior, who is a BloodKnight through and through. It gets to the point that the rest of his scouting party starts grumbling that he's going to get them all killed. The way he kills [[spoiler:Timmons, unarmed and harmless,]] marks him not so much a great warrior as a {{Sadist}} through and through.

** It also should be noted that a ''lot'' of the antagonism from the Pawnee comes from Wes Studi's warrior, who is a BloodKnight through and through. It gets to the point that the rest of his scouting party starts grumbling that he's going to get them all killed.

* JerkassVictim:
** Parents of Standing With A Fist, all things considered. [[spoiler: From what little is shown, they've decided it a wise choice to antagonise a group of Pawnees and treat them like dirt, despite the tense situation, while essentially squatting on the tribe's land. It escalates into TooDumbToLive when they face the natives unarmed, trying to shoo them away like dogs and then turn their backs on the Pawnees]].
** [[spoiler: No tears were shed over Spivey and Sergeant Bauer]].