1) Starmax - Korean (Director's Cut Disc 1 & 2) - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT

4) Kinowelt - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - RIGHT

1) Image Ent. (DTS - 2 Disc Ed.) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP

2) Image Ent. (THX - 1 Disc Ed.) - Region 0 - NTSC - SECOND

7) Kinowelt - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes

Image Ent. (DTS - 2 Disc Ed.)

.

Image Ent. (THX - 1 Disc Ed.)

MGM (Special Ed.)

Starmax - Korean (Director's Cut Disc 1 & 2)

Image Ent. (Laserdisc Director's Cut)

Unavailable

Starmax - Korean (Theatrical Cut Disc 3)

Blu-ray

English DD 5.1

English DD 5.1

English 5.0

English DD 5.1, DD 2.0

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen letterboxed - 2.35:1

Edition Details:
• Movie issued in 2 parts;
• Disc 1 - 2:01:48 8.59 mb/s
• Disc 2 - 0:58:50 8.78 mb/s
• comm. by Dir. Kevin Costner and Prod. Jim Wilson
• Text Filmographies

DVD Release Date: 01/26/99
Cardboard case holding 2 Snappers

Chapters 25
 

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1

Edition Details:
• Movie issued on 1 disc;
• Disc 1 - 3:00:42 5.70 mb/s
• comm. by Dir. Kevin Costner and Prod. Jim Wilson
• Text Filmographies

 

Chapters 25

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen letterboxed - 2.35:1

Edition Details:
• Movie issued in 2 parts, Extras on Side 2 & Disc 2;
• Side 1 - 2:15:36 6.44 mb/s - Director's Cut
• Side 2 - 1:40:36 6.96 mb/s - Director's Cut
• comm. by Dir. Kevin Costner and Prod. Jim Wilson
• comm. by DP Dean Semler and Ed. Neil Travis
• Original Making of doc. 20:55 min.
• John Barry Music Video 3:50 min.
• The Creation of an Epic doc. 81 min.
• Photo Montage with Ben Glass 9:19 min.
• TV Spot Courage & Passion 0:30 sec.
• TV Spot Academy Campaign 0:30 sec.
• Threatrical Trailer 2:35 min.
• Platoon Trailer 1:19 min. & Windtalker Trailer 1:09 min.
• Poster Gallery - 4 stills
• 4 page insert
 

Chapters 32

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen letterboxed - 2.35:1

Edition Details:
• Movie issued in 2 parts;
• Disc 1 - 2:15:28 6.98 mb/s
• Disc 2 - 1:40:30 7.49 mb/s
• comm. by Dir. Kevin Costner and Prod. Jim Wilson
• comm. by DP Dean Semler and Ed. Neil Travis
• Limited Special Edition issued in 4 discs
• Contains both Dir. & Theatrical Cut with Extras
• Issued in a Special Leather Pouch that holds
• 2 Clear Slim Plastic Cases that hold 2 disc each
• 10 small Postcards and a 6 page booklet in Korean

DVD Release Date: 10/02/03
Leather Pouch - Clear Plastic Cases

Chapters 32
 

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1

Edition Details:
• Movie issued on 3 laser discs, 5 sides;
• The Making of Dances with Wolves 20 min.
• The Illustrated Story of the Epic Film - 144 page book
• Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD - 53 min.
• 6 movie still posters - 11

 

Chapters 43

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen letterboxed - 2.35:1

Edition Details:
• Movie issued on disc 3, Extras on Disc 4;
• comm. by Dir. Kevin Costner and Prod. Jim Wilson
• Original Making of doc. 20:54 min.
• John Barry Music Video 3:50 min.
• The Creation of an Epic doc. 81 min.
• Photo Montage with Ben Glass 9:18 min.
• TV Spot Courage & Passion 0:29 sec.
• TV Spot Academy Campaign 0:29 sec.
• Threatrical Trailer 2:34 min.
• Following 4 items are not on the US MGM Edition;
• TV Spot 1 Style 1:30 min.
• TV Spots 13 Styles of 30 sec.ea. - 6:42 min.
• Neil Travis edited film rush 5:10 min.
• 4 location filmings 9:41 min. total - Forced Korean Subtitles
 

Chapters 25

Chapters 31

A quasi-uproar from occurred Dances With Wolves fans when the, October 2009, UK Blu-ray edition HERE was only the 3 hour theatrical cut - not either the 224-minute extended version nor the almost 4-hour director's cut of the film. There were already European editions, including this one my Kinowelt that contained the longest, most desirable version. Well - we have examined this Kinowelt edition - and the news is all good.

Firstly aside from the two optional commentaries and an HD trailer, the dual-layered Blu-ray disc is almost solely filled by the 3-hour, 56-minute film. So almost 46.5 Gig producing a modest bitrate. Regardless of the technicals - it's easy to see that the Blu-ray visuals blow away even the best DVD representation. Sharper, richer, tighter colors doing their darnedest to support Dean Semler's magnificent sweeping cinematography of the open west vistas. You get a far greater sense of the Panavision 70mm (blow-up) theatrical beauty via this 1080P transfer. We can forget the comparative cropping of the various DVD editions as the Blu-ray seems to show the most information in the frame. The Blu-ray doesn't offer abundant grain but the contrast is very strong and it is the upgraded detail that will 'wow' most purchasers. This is a stunningly beautiful film.

The DTS-HD Master 7.1 English Audio option at 2445 kbps is a big leap beyond the Starmax DTS track. The lossless rendering supports the film's majestic John Barry score akin to the Epic Records Super Audio CD format first offered many years ago and now fetching ridiculous out-of-print prices from 3rd party sellers. I would say that the Blu-ray has very good, if not penultimate, range and depth. Separation is moderate but the occasional subtleties are notable. I did note a few instances were the dialogue appeared a bit out-of-sync. If I get any support for this opinion I will post it here. The Kinowelt region 'B'-locked disc offers only optional German subtitles for the entire feature and English for the Sioux dialog.

Extras offer the previously available commentary tracks - one with Kevin Costner and Producer Jim Wilson and the second with DoP Dean Semler and editor Neil Travis. There is also an HD-Trailer and some previews.

Forgetting this as Kevin Costner's greatest achievement - Dances With Wolves certainly represents a watershed in the type of lengthy epic that is hardly attempted in the fast paced decades following its release in 1990. It's unique that a film would grow in stature but those nostalgic to those rarely seen epics of the past give this director's cut of the film a definite reason to obtain a region-free Blu-ray player IF they reside in region 'A'. For those lucky enough to be in region 'B' - it enters the realm of an essential hi-def purchase.

NOTE: It appears that Kinowelt will be offering another Blu-ray of the director's cut of the film with all the extras from the second DVD disc in February 2010. See HERE - Thanks Frank!   

Gary W. Tooze