The New World (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Pocahontas enters 'The New World' in a drama directed by the legendary Terrence Malick. It's based on the story of a Native American girl who falls for estranged Englishman, Capt. John Smith. But this is far different than any other version you may know of, including Disney's whimsical, Pocahontas. I didn't flat-out love the film, but nevertheless, I am fascinated by it. Narrative is told by point of view of 3 characters (sometimes difficult to distinguish who is talking or what's being uttered). Most screen time is spent focusing on nature shots (I'm not necessarily calling this a detriment to the film). Interaction btwn. the major characters is spare. And yet, this is a beautiful, haunting film & intriguing to see this story through the eyes of Malick & how it would be conveyed in this dramatic fashion.
It is 1607 & British ships have landed at soon-to-be Jamesport, Virginia. Aboard is Capt. Newport (Christopher Plummer), a band of tired explorers, & a troubled soldier, John Smith (Colin Farrell). After landing on hard ground, they encounter the natives, which they refer to as the 'Naturals'. The natives are in awe of the oncoming ships, much the same way the Brits are in awe of these new human beings along the shore. Members of both parties slowly investigate each other. The Natives begin by sniffing the Brits, much as animals in their truest form would. It's great witnessing what these people must think of each other. Smith ventures into the woods & lurks deep into the 'Naturals' territory. He is captured & brought to Chief Powhatan (August Schellenberg) for judgment. Right before he must die, one of the Chief's daughters, the aforementioned Pocahontas (Q'Orianka Kilcher), throws herself into the situation & begs her father to spare Smith's life.
From here, Smith & Pocahontas begin what can be described as a 'thoughtful' relationship. He teaches her some English words and they fall in love. Because of the tedious nature of their situation, they meet in tall grass, dense woods, & do not want to make that big a deal of their relationship. When things go terribly sour for the British settlers, Pocahontas arranges for a delivery of food/aid for them. Seen as scrutinizing with the enemy, Pocahontas is banished from her tribe and never to be considered Powhatan's daughter again; it pains him too much in his old age to simply kill her.
Smith becomes disenchanted by the war btwn. the 2 peoples & feels guilty about what has happened; he leaves Jamesport (word is sent that Smith 'died' en route to England). John did not want Pocahontas to long for him, he knew he would not be returning to Jamesport again. Enter John Rolfe (Christian Bale). John is a British tobacco farmer who has arrived and, similarly, becomes enamored by this young Native American princess. Except - unlike Smith - Rolfe makes a point to interact with more than meaningful glances. He talks with her. He wants a true relationship to be established. He is not fearful of this forbidden relationship that consumed John Smith. He & Pocahontas (newly named Rebecca) marry, have a child & move back to England. It's wonderful watching Rebecca's eyes as she takes in all that England offers by way of food, architecture & humanity. I almost felt as if I were coming off of that boat for the first time & marveling with her.
What transpires in England, I will leave you readers to discover. This has been a challenge to summarize. The positives & negatives that surround this film is the fact that nature takes the steering wheel in this film, & dialogue is stuffed back in the trunk. On a negative note, the lack of distinguishable dialogue made various sections of the 2 hour + film rather static. I also feel that some characterization isn't completely authentic. It felt contrived to me that the beautiful Rebecca would not fall prey to the 'desperate' British explorers. Instead, they seemed to place her on a pedestal & treat her as regal as the Queen of England. In reality, I suspect they would not have regarded her as high as they did on screen.
Colin Farrell is stellar as John Smith; as is Christian Bale as John Rolfe. And Q'Orianka Kilcher is 2005's Keisha Castle-Hughes (from Whale Rider). Her physical presence & command of this fabled character is spellbinding. Malick put most of his focus on the gorgeous, lush beauty of the land. The cinematography is entrancing. And I truly believed (what with dialogue, sets, costumes, & the land shots) that I was watching a sort of documentary taking place in 1607; very inspiring. Malick gives us many glimpses of rushing water skimming over mossy rocks. He shows us tall grass swaying & waving in the breeze. We see countless shots of still-water rivers, marshes, tall trees ... and it as all gloriously important & essential to the film. Nature is the star & the humans are the supporting characters.
Either you love this type of film, or you don't. It's not perfect, but I truly appreciate the departure-from-the-norm that Terrence Malick lends with this film. He covers life, love, art, nature, & tragedy. I came into the theater with a general idea of how I felt the film would 'feel' (slow, moody, immersive). I am pleasantly content with how the film plays out. And I always find it to be nothing short of a miracle when a movie actually lives up to my expectations.
It is 1607 & British ships have landed at soon-to-be Jamesport, Virginia. Aboard is Capt. Newport (Christopher Plummer), a band of tired explorers, & a troubled soldier, John Smith (Colin Farrell). After landing on hard ground, they encounter the natives, which they refer to as the 'Naturals'. The natives are in awe of the oncoming ships, much the same way the Brits are in awe of these new human beings along the shore. Members of both parties slowly investigate each other. The Natives begin by sniffing the Brits, much as animals in their truest form would. It's great witnessing what these people must think of each other. Smith ventures into the woods & lurks deep into the 'Naturals' territory. He is captured & brought to Chief Powhatan (August Schellenberg) for judgment. Right before he must die, one of the Chief's daughters, the aforementioned Pocahontas (Q'Orianka Kilcher), throws herself into the situation & begs her father to spare Smith's life.
From here, Smith & Pocahontas begin what can be described as a 'thoughtful' relationship. He teaches her some English words and they fall in love. Because of the tedious nature of their situation, they meet in tall grass, dense woods, & do not want to make that big a deal of their relationship. When things go terribly sour for the British settlers, Pocahontas arranges for a delivery of food/aid for them. Seen as scrutinizing with the enemy, Pocahontas is banished from her tribe and never to be considered Powhatan's daughter again; it pains him too much in his old age to simply kill her.
Smith becomes disenchanted by the war btwn. the 2 peoples & feels guilty about what has happened; he leaves Jamesport (word is sent that Smith 'died' en route to England). John did not want Pocahontas to long for him, he knew he would not be returning to Jamesport again. Enter John Rolfe (Christian Bale). John is a British tobacco farmer who has arrived and, similarly, becomes enamored by this young Native American princess. Except - unlike Smith - Rolfe makes a point to interact with more than meaningful glances. He talks with her. He wants a true relationship to be established. He is not fearful of this forbidden relationship that consumed John Smith. He & Pocahontas (newly named Rebecca) marry, have a child & move back to England. It's wonderful watching Rebecca's eyes as she takes in all that England offers by way of food, architecture & humanity. I almost felt as if I were coming off of that boat for the first time & marveling with her.
What transpires in England, I will leave you readers to discover. This has been a challenge to summarize. The positives & negatives that surround this film is the fact that nature takes the steering wheel in this film, & dialogue is stuffed back in the trunk. On a negative note, the lack of distinguishable dialogue made various sections of the 2 hour + film rather static. I also feel that some characterization isn't completely authentic. It felt contrived to me that the beautiful Rebecca would not fall prey to the 'desperate' British explorers. Instead, they seemed to place her on a pedestal & treat her as regal as the Queen of England. In reality, I suspect they would not have regarded her as high as they did on screen.
Colin Farrell is stellar as John Smith; as is Christian Bale as John Rolfe. And Q'Orianka Kilcher is 2005's Keisha Castle-Hughes (from Whale Rider). Her physical presence & command of this fabled character is spellbinding. Malick put most of his focus on the gorgeous, lush beauty of the land. The cinematography is entrancing. And I truly believed (what with dialogue, sets, costumes, & the land shots) that I was watching a sort of documentary taking place in 1607; very inspiring. Malick gives us many glimpses of rushing water skimming over mossy rocks. He shows us tall grass swaying & waving in the breeze. We see countless shots of still-water rivers, marshes, tall trees ... and it as all gloriously important & essential to the film. Nature is the star & the humans are the supporting characters.
Either you love this type of film, or you don't. It's not perfect, but I truly appreciate the departure-from-the-norm that Terrence Malick lends with this film. He covers life, love, art, nature, & tragedy. I came into the theater with a general idea of how I felt the film would 'feel' (slow, moody, immersive). I am pleasantly content with how the film plays out. And I always find it to be nothing short of a miracle when a movie actually lives up to my expectations.