10 Deleted Movie Scenes That Explain Confusing Moments
1. Why Was Fort Sedgwick Abandoned? - Dances With Wolves
The Confusing Moment
Early on in the film, Lt. John J. Dunbar (Kevin Costner) is sent to the Fort Sedgwick outpost, though when he arrives there he finds the fort deserted. This leads to him rebuilding the fort himself as sets the rest of the movie's events in motion.
And yet, despite this being such a pivotal event, we're never actually told why Fort Sedgwick was abandoned in the first place.
The Deleted Scene
Given the film's 181-minute theatrical runtime, it's not unreasonable that some material was cut, though almost a full hour of deleted scenes were restored for the epic home video Director's Cut.
One such scene explains how Fort Sedgwick came to be deserted.
The garrison of soldiers posted there had been worn down from attacks by Native American soldiers and the theft of their horses, and so after receiving no support from Major Fambrough (Maury Chaykin), they decided to up and abandon their post shortly before Dunbar gets there.
Of all the scenes cut from the theatrical release, this is surely the most important.