The New World
The story of Pocahontas is the stuff of legend, and there is no doubt that The New World bears the personal stamp of writer/director Terrence Malick’s artful combination of historical documentation and brilliant imagination to bring a fresh and multi-layered story to the screen. And if you generally appreciate director Terrence Malick's body of work (The Thin Red Line, Badlands, Days of Heaven), The New World will reinforce your devotion. The film is visual poetry, with stunning cinematography and impassioned acting accompanied by an impressive classical score by James Horner. And while the story itself is largely speculation, the movie is incredibly well researched, with much of the voiceover (one of Malick's favorite cinematic devices) lifted directly from the writings of the colonists.
Malick's story of the young Pocahontas follows her journey from being a free-spirited Native American girl through her passionate love affair with John Smith, her father’s disownment, and her ultimate immersion into the Western culture, complete with Christian baptism and the adoption of a Western name. It is a complex story, told largely through silence, which is simultaneously distressing and beautiful.
The foundational underpinnings of the story revolve around tension between choices—and in true Malickian form, he offers no moral commentary. Rather, the characters are shown in all their conflicted vulnerability, making their choices for their own reasons—reasons that aren't always clear to the audience. We're not privy to the rationale behind John Smith's choice to fabricate his death, nor are we certain why Pocahontas betrays the plans of her tribe's attack on the colonists. In superb parallel with real life, we are only able to speculate on why the characters choose as they do. One of Malick's great strengths is his ability to portray characters and their actions completely neutrally—there are no white hats or black hats, only people making difficult choices.
Part of the beauty of the story is the contrast between the dream and the reality for Pocahontas. The passionate romance with John Smith represents the dream—the Christian marriage to John Rolfe represents the reality. Like the Englishmen whose expectations of abundance and freedom ultimately gave way to the reality of work, disease, and war, the young Pocahontas dives headfirst into a steamy relationship with a less-than-stable man, yet ultimately finds her reality in the man who loves her so much as to be willing to let her go back to Smith if she should so choose. The conflicts between dreams and realities allow the audience to remain morally neutral as well—a stunning accomplishment for Malick when so many moral and ethical issues are in the forefront of the story (cultural imperialism, faithfulness, personal integrity, just to name a few).
It must be said that Q'Orianka Kilcher shines in her first major role. The 15-year-old was forced to master the art of silence, as there is very little dialogue in the 2 ½ -hour movie. When asked about the need to express so much without words, Kilcher noted that she was often required to speak only the first part of a written line, and "act out" the rest. This she does with stunning depth, retaining the historically playful nature of Pocahontas while plumbing the depths of grief, loneliness, and despair.
Pocahontas' conversion to Christianity (including changing her name to Rebecca), like other morally neutral choices in the movie, begs an interesting question for both the characters and the audience. It appears as though the adoption of the Christian faith is simply the next step for the young woman—a necessity for marriage to John Rolfe and integration into the colonists' community. Her conversion itself carries no more weight than her squeezing into a corset and shoes, or her learning to read and write in English. And despite going through the rites of baptism and christening, she continues addressing her "Mother" in prayer, though whether she addresses her biological mother or Earth Mother, we are not certain. What is clear, however, is that there is no joy or hope depicted in the conversion. There is no heartfelt embrace of something many cling to in times of loneliness and grief. In short, there appears to be no heart in her decision to convert; it is rather another step toward her Westernization.
Probably the most profound realization for me was that the celebrated New World simply was not a New World. It was the collision of two very old worlds, combining to form something very new, but not separate from its dual heritage. I had never thought about how the story of Pocahontas was less a story of the beginning of America than of the merging of two very long histories into one. There is nothing "new" about the New World, as the English-Americans wanted to believe. There was no way to leave their Englishness behind, nor was it possible to avoid permanently disturbing the Native American cultures as they imposed themselves upon the land. Rather than "discovering" or "establishing" a New World, an Old World descended upon an Older World, and the nation-child born of the union was only new in its form; its genetic history stretches farther than the stories we can tell.
Malick's story of the young Pocahontas follows her journey from being a free-spirited Native American girl through her passionate love affair with John Smith, her father’s disownment, and her ultimate immersion into the Western culture, complete with Christian baptism and the adoption of a Western name. It is a complex story, told largely through silence, which is simultaneously distressing and beautiful.
The foundational underpinnings of the story revolve around tension between choices—and in true Malickian form, he offers no moral commentary. Rather, the characters are shown in all their conflicted vulnerability, making their choices for their own reasons—reasons that aren't always clear to the audience. We're not privy to the rationale behind John Smith's choice to fabricate his death, nor are we certain why Pocahontas betrays the plans of her tribe's attack on the colonists. In superb parallel with real life, we are only able to speculate on why the characters choose as they do. One of Malick's great strengths is his ability to portray characters and their actions completely neutrally—there are no white hats or black hats, only people making difficult choices.
Part of the beauty of the story is the contrast between the dream and the reality for Pocahontas. The passionate romance with John Smith represents the dream—the Christian marriage to John Rolfe represents the reality. Like the Englishmen whose expectations of abundance and freedom ultimately gave way to the reality of work, disease, and war, the young Pocahontas dives headfirst into a steamy relationship with a less-than-stable man, yet ultimately finds her reality in the man who loves her so much as to be willing to let her go back to Smith if she should so choose. The conflicts between dreams and realities allow the audience to remain morally neutral as well—a stunning accomplishment for Malick when so many moral and ethical issues are in the forefront of the story (cultural imperialism, faithfulness, personal integrity, just to name a few).
It must be said that Q'Orianka Kilcher shines in her first major role. The 15-year-old was forced to master the art of silence, as there is very little dialogue in the 2 ½ -hour movie. When asked about the need to express so much without words, Kilcher noted that she was often required to speak only the first part of a written line, and "act out" the rest. This she does with stunning depth, retaining the historically playful nature of Pocahontas while plumbing the depths of grief, loneliness, and despair.
Pocahontas' conversion to Christianity (including changing her name to Rebecca), like other morally neutral choices in the movie, begs an interesting question for both the characters and the audience. It appears as though the adoption of the Christian faith is simply the next step for the young woman—a necessity for marriage to John Rolfe and integration into the colonists' community. Her conversion itself carries no more weight than her squeezing into a corset and shoes, or her learning to read and write in English. And despite going through the rites of baptism and christening, she continues addressing her "Mother" in prayer, though whether she addresses her biological mother or Earth Mother, we are not certain. What is clear, however, is that there is no joy or hope depicted in the conversion. There is no heartfelt embrace of something many cling to in times of loneliness and grief. In short, there appears to be no heart in her decision to convert; it is rather another step toward her Westernization.
Probably the most profound realization for me was that the celebrated New World simply was not a New World. It was the collision of two very old worlds, combining to form something very new, but not separate from its dual heritage. I had never thought about how the story of Pocahontas was less a story of the beginning of America than of the merging of two very long histories into one. There is nothing "new" about the New World, as the English-Americans wanted to believe. There was no way to leave their Englishness behind, nor was it possible to avoid permanently disturbing the Native American cultures as they imposed themselves upon the land. Rather than "discovering" or "establishing" a New World, an Old World descended upon an Older World, and the nation-child born of the union was only new in its form; its genetic history stretches farther than the stories we can tell.
4 Comments:
"Rather than "discovering" or "establishing" a New World, an Old World descended upon an Older World, and the nation-child born of the union was only new in its form; its genetic history stretches farther than the stories we can tell." That is a great line. Good work and very interesting review.
I've read a lot from the Pilgrim's diaries and early American colonists. It is some of the best writing I've read as it creates such a picture of how hard it was for both cultures to merge. Not to mention the difficulty colonists had with the environment. I like the merging of two old worlds description. Of course History trudges on. We pick and choose where it starts, despite it's actual beginnings. I enjoyed reading your review. I'm looking forward to the movie. Fortunately I know the story too.
Thanks, Mike. I'll be interested to hear your views on the movie. Malick is certainly not my style, but I'm very curious to hear about others' reactions to the film.
This one is right up there with 2001: A Space Odysssey as a film that captures beauty and wonder with a combination of wonderful images, classical soundtrack, and little dialouge. Then there are the performances, which are absolutely astounding. Q'Orianka Kilcher, of course, is the best. And John Smith and Pocahontas' love takes me back to a time I haven't remembered so vividly for a while, when I had my first love at 16. That innocence and naturalness. Not a film to excite or entertain so much as to awaken longing. For the natural way of things. To accomplish that in a film is remarkable indeed.
Aaron,
I think you put this beautifully. You have really expressed the intent of the film, I think -- I agree that to this purpose, Malick's film is quite remarkable. Thanks for your comment!
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