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| Up The Missouri River With Lewis and Clark |
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Part 1, May 14-June 26, 1804 |
Dakota Epic
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Kevin
Costner's award-winning film, Dances With Wolves was first released in
1990. Dakota Epic is a first-hand account of the filming from an
extra's viewpoint. Bill Markley, a reenactor on the set, kept a journal
during the filming. "When I was selected to be in Dances With
Wolves, I had no movie or reenacting experience, so everything was new
to me." From a rookie's viewpoint, Bill takes us into the world of
movie making and reenacting. Experience the filming of the opening Civil
War scenes. Visit the "frontier" at Ft. Hays. And be with the
Lakota and cavalry at the concluding "Search for Dunbar."
Dakota Epic is a
rousing, humorous look behind the scenes of movie making. The
illustrations were created by Jim
Hatzell, a reenactor and artist, who
drew a wide variety of sketches while on the set. Bill and Jim have
worked together to develop a unique view of life on the Dances With
Wolves film set. If you have ever wondered what the background people
were doing and thinking during and between filming, then this is the
book for you. You will never view the people in a film's background
quite the same after reading this book.
Reviews
As Markley says in his introduction this is not a book about how to make a movie since he still doesn’t know what a grip or a gaffer is. Neither is it about sitting around after a day’s filming and sipping martinis with Kevin Costner or other big name movie stars. They didn’t know him although they might have noticed him walking around in a dirty Civil War era uniform. Neither is the book a handbook for how to be a Civil War reenactor, nor rubbing elbows with the Lakota Sioux, since he had nothing to do with that filming. It is a book based on Markley’s daily journal he kept of his adventures filming Dances With Wolves, making friends of regular people also dressed in Civil War era uniforms; sweating in the summer heat on the prairie while waiting to film; and “shooting the bull” at the end of the day before rolling up in a sleeping bag or tent. A first hand account of moviemaking from the perspective of an extra, Markley’s book is humorous, informative, and makes being an extra sound like so much fun I’d love to do it myself. Does any casting director need a lady of a certain age as an extra? -- Roundup Magazine
By one measure, a movie works only to the
degree that the audience forgets it’s watching a movie. When the
actors and the script and all the tricks of the filmmaking art combine
to draw us into the story, to take us out of ourselves, the movie is a
success.
Enter the reenactors, men and women who dress in period
clothing and are the human background in epic battles or scenes of
frontier town life. Enter Bill Markley. By day he is the Ground Water
Quality Program administrator for the South Dakota Department of
Environment and Natural Resources. By night he is a Civil War infantry
and frontier cavalry reenactor. He’s been an extra in five movies,
including Far and Away, Gettysburg, and the film which put South Dakota
on Hollywood’s map, Dances With Wolves.
Markley was part of the opening Civil War battle, the
scenes at Fort Hays, and the winter pursuit of Dunbar through Spearfish
Canyon. He kept a detailed journal of his experiences, which makes for a
fascinating look at moviemaking from an extra’s point of view. The
first rule: Be flexible.
“I am not sure what time we got up, but it was later than
5:30 a.m. Today I was to be a Yankee, so I put on a blue uniform.”
After breakfast, Markley and the other reenactors march to get their
makeup on — it’s never too early to get in character — then march
back to the field hospital set. “I was selected to sit at a table
outside a tent and play chess with a soldier named Steve from Montana.
He had been an extra on several different TV shows. I had never heard of
any of them.”
So it goes in the world of extras. You sit in front of a
tent and play chess. And when the movie comes out on video you pause the
tape and say to your disbelieving friends, “That’s me! The guy
playing chess over Kevin Costner’s shoulder!”
Jim Hatzell, a reenactor and artist from Rapid City,
collaborated with Markley on the book. His illustrations of life on the
set and various characters are a fascinating study in themselves.
Hartzell manages to tell a story and evoke a mood with what, to the
untrained eye, are no more than a few squiggles and scratches. Less is
more in this case. His work contributes mightily to the end product, and
helps make Dakota Epic the fun, entertaining read that it
is. -- South Dakota Magazine
Enhanced with black and white illustrations by Jim Hatzell, Dakota Epic: Experiences Of A Reenactor During The Filming Of Dances With Wolves is Bill Markley's fascinating, first-hand, personal account of what went on behind the scenes of the award-winning 1990 movie Dances With Wolves. This is the revealing viewpoint of a hard-working extra who kept a journal during the filming of what was to become an acclaimed and successful major Hollywood movie. Sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant, always fascinating, Dakota Epic is a superb, up-close scrutiny of the trials, tribulations, and successes of a great move and highly recommended reading for film buffs, aspiring actors, and anyone who sat in a darkened theatre and got completely caught up in the Kevin Costner's award-winning epic film. -- Midwest Book Review
