Dances with Wolves VHS

When most films and television programmes on VHS came in fairly standard transparent plastic cases with a cardboard insert, I would often find myself drawn towards something a little different. Larger boxes, unusual packaging and special editions were always more appealing to me as a collector.

Of course, the words Special Edition and Limited Edition were often used to make a release sound more exclusive than it actually was. Sometimes there really were additional extras worth having, while on other occasions it amounted to little more than a slightly different box and an extra booklet.

This Dances with Wolves release falls somewhere in the latter category. Marketed as a Special Widescreen Version and including a Limited Edition Colour Booklet, it certainly looks a little more interesting than a standard VHS release. But does the extra packaging actually make this a worthwhile addition to a collection?

Let's take a closer look.

Special Widescreen Version + Limited Edition Colour Booklet

The Box

The first thing that stands out is the size of the packaging. Rather than the usual VHS plastic case, this release comes in a larger cardboard box, giving it a little more presence on the shelf.

The front cover features the film's familiar artwork, with additional wording highlighting the Special Widescreen Version and the inclusion of the Limited Edition Colour Booklet. There is also a reference to the film's Academy Award success, which is understandable given that Dances with Wolves went on to win seven Oscars at the 1991 Academy Awards.

Beyond these additions, however, there isn't anything particularly unusual about the artwork. It is essentially the standard promotional material presented in a slightly more elaborate package.

The box measures:

• 174 mm wide
• 40 mm deep
• 240 mm high

Although these dimensions aren't especially impressive by modern collector's edition standards, the larger format does make it stand out amongst the more conventional VHS cases.

Turning the box around, the back is equally conventional. It contains the usual film synopsis, production information and a selection of still images taken from the film.

There isn't much here that makes this particular edition different from other releases, and the back cover is primarily there to provide the usual information for anyone considering buying the film.

The packaging does its job, but it is really the booklet that is supposed to make this edition a little more special.

Limited Edition Colour Booklet

The main extra included with this release is the Limited Edition Colour Booklet.

It is printed on fairly thick card, giving it a slightly more substantial feel than the thin paper inserts often included with VHS releases. The booklet contains 14 pages, excluding the front and back covers.

At first glance, it looks like a nice addition to the box, particularly for anyone who enjoys having something extra to look through rather than simply owning the film on cassette.

However, the title Limited Edition perhaps raises expectations a little higher than the contents actually deliver.

Inside, the booklet is filled with colour photographs from the film, accompanied by selected quotations from Kevin Costner and passages from the original novel by Michael Blake.

The photographs provide a nice visual reminder of the film, and the quotations add a little context to the story and its characters. It is certainly more interesting than a basic advertising leaflet, although I wouldn't describe it as an especially comprehensive companion to the film.

There is enough here to make it worth a quick read, but not enough to provide much insight into the production itself.

The booklet doesn't go into any great detail about the making of the film. Instead, it concentrates on photographs, quotations and some background information.

The final four pages contain biographies of members of the cast and crew, providing a little information about the people involved in bringing the film to the screen.

I would have preferred something with more production information, behind-the-scenes photographs and details about the filming. Given that this is being presented as a limited edition, a little more effort could have gone into making the booklet a genuinely worthwhile collector's extra.

Nevertheless, it is a nice inclusion and does give the box something that distinguishes it from a standard VHS release.

The VHS Cassette

Moving on to the actual cassette, there isn't anything particularly unusual about the tape itself. It is a Guild Home Video release, with the usual copyright and licensing information printed on the cassette label.

The technical information is as follows:

Dances with Wolves (1990) VHS

• Running time: 2 hours 53 minutes
• Audio: Dolby Stereo
• Distributor: Guild Home Video

The cassette also carries the usual copyright warnings, explaining the restrictions on copying, public screenings, hiring, distribution and broadcasting without written permission.

One particularly interesting statement on the cassette is:

This video cassette is a genuine first generation copy produced by Guild Home Video Limited.

This is the sort of wording that was commonly found on commercially released video cassettes, reinforcing that the tape was an authorised copy rather than an unauthorised recording.

The cassette itself is fairly unremarkable, but that isn't really the point of this particular release. The larger box and accompanying booklet are what make it different from an ordinary VHS copy.

My Final Thoughts

So, what do I think of this particular box set?

Honestly, not a great deal has changed since I first acquired it. Apart from the larger packaging and the inclusion of the so-called Limited Edition Colour Booklet, there isn't much here that makes it particularly special.

The booklet is a nice extra, but it doesn't contain enough information to make it an essential item for anyone interested in the film or its production. I would have liked to see something a little more substantial, especially considering the way this edition was marketed.

I have read that this was an exclusive edition available through W.H. Smith, and I have a vague memory of seeing it there myself. I can't say for certain where I bought this particular copy, but I don't remember paying a great deal for it.

Looking around online, it doesn't appear to be a particularly valuable VHS release either. There are examples available for relatively modest prices, which suggests that the Limited Edition label hasn't translated into particularly high collector demand.

That does make me wonder why I still have it.

Over the years, a considerable amount of my VHS collection has been replaced by newer formats. There are plenty of films that I originally owned on VHS that I now have on DVD or Blu-ray, and this is one of those releases where I simply wouldn't choose to watch the cassette again.

I have played this tape a few times over the years, but with the film now available on newer formats, I can't see myself returning to it.

And yet, here it is, still sitting in my collection.

Perhaps that's part of the problem with collecting physical media. Sometimes we hold on to things not because they are particularly rare, valuable or even especially interesting, but simply because they have become part of our collection.

This isn't the most impressive box set I own, nor is it one that I would go out of my way to recommend to another VHS collector. But it has survived the various clear-outs and format upgrades, and for whatever reason, I haven't quite managed to part with it.

KEEP THE MEDIA PHYSICAL!