Hunting. By that time, Damon had acted in five films,
none of them memorable. Neither expected to sell
their film to a major production company. They
toyed with the idea of raising enough money to pro-
duce it themselves. They insisted that the film pro-
vide an acting vehicle for both of them.
Two Hollywood agents had enough faith in the
screenplay to arrange an auction for it. Damon and
Affleck had one stipulation: They would sell it only if
the purchaser agreed to cast them in major roles in
the ensuing film. Castle Rock bought the manu-
script for $600,000, later selling it to Miramax for
just under $1 million.Good Will Huntingwas released
as a film in 1997, with both of its authors playing
prominent roles, including Damon as the title char-
acter.
The film was enormously successful and won sev-
eral prestigious awards, including two Academy
Awards—one for Best Original Screenplay. Damon’s
acting career was blossoming. He gave an admirable
performance as an emaciated soldier with a drug
problem inCourage Under Firein 1996, a role for
which he lost forty pounds. In the same year, he
played inGlor y Daze. He next acted inChasing Amy
(1997) andThe Rainmaker(1997). In 1998, he played
the title role inSaving Private Ryan, followed in 1999
byDogmaandThe Talented Mr. Ripley. By this time,
Damon was in great demand as an actor, command-
ing $5 million for every role he accepted.
Impact Matt Damon’s rise to success demonstrates
how perseverance can help people to accomplish
their dreams. Faced with leaving Harvard to pursue
his acting career, Damon encountered incredible
difficulties but eventually prevailed.
Further Reading
Busch, Kristen.Golden Boy: The Matt Damon Stor y.
New York: Ballantine, 1998.
Girod, Christina M.Matt Damon. San Diego, Calif.:
Lucent Books, 2001.
Greene, Meg.Matt Damon. Philadelphia: Chelsea
House, 2001.
R. Baird Shuman
See also Academy Awards; Film in the United
States;Saving Private Ryan.
Dances with Wolves
Identification Revisionist Western
Director Kevin Costner (1955- )
Date Released on November 9, 1990
A sympathetic treatment of Lakota (Sioux) culture, this
film was one of the most successful Westerns of all time and
sparked a revival of the genre during the 1990’s.
Debuting in 1990,Dances with Wolveswas a Holly-
wood blockbuster, earning $184 million domesti-
cally and $424 million worldwide. The movie won
seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Direc-
tor. Its sensitive portrayal of American Indians and
environmental themes proved a winning combina-
tion with audiences and critics.
The film centers on Costner as Lieutenant John J.
Dunbar, a disillusioned Civil War hero who flees to
the Dakota frontier. Stationed alone in the wilder-
ness, the lieutenant begins a journey of self-discovery
and metamorphosis as he gradually “goes native,”
rejecting American society in favor of the Lakota
culture he sees as more spiritual, life-affirming, and
in tune with nature. As the story progresses, Dunbar
sheds his Army blue, takes a white Sioux captive as
his wife, and becomes a respected leader of the
Sioux band. He is branded a traitor by his Army
colleagues, portrayed as villainous savages in the
movie. In expert detail, Costner allows audiences to
experience Lakota culture, witness a dramatic buf-
falo hunt, and cheer as Dunbar’s Lakota brothers
rescue him from captivity. The film ends with the
lieutenant and his wife leaving their beloved tribe to
its unhappy fate; an epilogue notes the Sioux’s
ancient way of life is destined for destruction and
disappearance.
The epic’s beautifully rendered landscape scenes,
sensitive American Indian characters, and anti-
military theme stuck a chord with 1990 moviegoers.
Native Americans and critics hailed Dances with
Wolvesfor overturning negative Hollywood stereo-
types of American Indians, while animal rights activ-
ists and environmental groups applauded it as the
first “eco-Western.” Costner attempted to portray
American Indian culture accurately, utilizing Lakota
language and indigenous actors, including Graham
Greene, who secured an Oscar nomination for Best
Supporting Actor. Although the film was a hit with
critics, many academics and American Indian schol-
ars were not so kind to the movie, claiming the film240 Dances with Wolves The Nineties in America