"The New World" movie, first review

[Story]

from[url] Foxnews.com[/url]

Pocahontas on Acid: New Malick Movie

I did get to see an advance screening yesterday afternoon of Terrence Malick’s new movie, "The New World." This is a much-anticipated New Line Cinema release for Christmas, with high hopes for awards, etc.

Malick directed one of my all time favorite movies, "Days of Heaven," as well as the much respected “Badlands” and "The Thin Red Line." He’s a noted recluse and eccentric, not bad things at all.

"The New World" is set in 1608-1616 mostly on the Virginia shore near Jamestown. It tells the story, sort of, of a romantic triangle involving Pocahontas, Capt. John Smith and English aristocrat John Rolfe.

In many ways the story is similar to that of "Days of Heaven," which revolved around a triangle ”” Richard Gere, Brooke Adams and Sam Shephard. "New World" has the same dreamy texture, with breathtaking, award-winning cinematography and music that sounds like Wagner’s "Gotterdammerung."

However: in most ways “The New World” is surreal, slow, confusing, choppy and just plain weird. I mean this in the best way ”” it’s really interesting filmmaking. But it’s also psychedelic and kooky.

For one thing, Smith and Rolfe are played by Colin Farrell ”” doing his first real work as an actor and movie star that counts ”” and an always reliable Christian Bale. With makeup, they each look like they’re in their late 30s.

Pocahontas (Q'Orianka Kilcher), however, is a child. She was 14 when they shot the movie, and, attractive as she is, she still a child.

Malick used 16-year-old Linda Manz in “Days of Heaven” as a wise narrator, but she wasn’t the object of anyone’s affection. It worked beautifully.

Here, I had a lot of trouble believing the love stories ”” and not just because of Kilcher’s age. Her narration was mumbled a lot, and I can’t recall anyone explaining how she learns English so fast. As for Farrell, he has a lot of inner monologues ”” there is very little dialogue in the movie at all.

Then there is the matter of nothing happening for a long time. It’s only at the 90 minute mark that there’s a real bloody skirmish between the Indians and the Brits.

It doesn’t last long, however. About 35 minutes or so later, the movie finally picks up unexpected speed when Rolfe takes Pocahontas to England. Malick’s eye is so keen that putting Pocahontas in this setting suddenly enlivens the entire film.

It may be too late, though. At that point, we’ve spent too much time in the Virginia woods.

You will find much brilliance in "The New World." Sometimes I felt like Malick made the dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History come alive. The scenes on the ships are enough to keep you captivated.

But I worry that "The New World" won’t find a mass audience. I wish it didn’t have to. Malick is a superior filmmaker. This film may turn out to have critical legs, but it’s almost too much to digest in the face of "King Kong," "Munich," "Memoirs of a Geisha," "Match Point," "Mrs. Henderson Presents," "Capote," "Walk the Line," "Transamerica" and other more, shall we say, coherent productions.

 

[Story]

December 31, 2005
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"The New World" is a Visual Banquet, a "Must See Film"


By Brian Orndorf

(AXcess News) Hollywood - In 1687, John Smith (Colin Farrell) was part of a small fleet of ships that set sail from England to find mysterious new worlds on the other side of the Atlantic. They landed in Virginia, immediately meeting up with "The Naturals," a Powhatan tribe of Native-Americans who apprehensively greeted the strangers, waiting for them to turn around and leave. Among the tribe is Pocahontas (Q'Orianka Kilcher), a teenage girl who takes an immediate liking to Smith, eventually saving him from execution. Amidst the turmoil of the two cultures bent on war, Smith and Pocahontas form an intimate bond, which is tested when Smith is forced to choose between sides, and Pocahontas is slowly Europeanized.

"The New World" is the latest from Terrence Malick, the legendary director who likes nothing more than to hibernate between his productions. "World" is Malick's fourth film in just over 30 years, the last being 1998's "The Thin Red Line." Throughout his career, Malick has fed his obsession with nature, and how man mindlessly intrudes over it. "New World" is the first film I've seen of his that really finds a way to express this concern, and utilizes the contrast between Mother Nature's pristine harmony and humanity's thoughtlessness to the fullest effect.

"World" opens much like Malick's other pictures, establishing quickly the director's trademark visual tone poems to the locations used. With rippling streams of water, birds chirping away, insects going about their daily business, and the sun breaking in the brand new day, Malick and superb cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki ("Sleepy Hollow") capture the untouched beauty of Virginia, and the union the Powhatans have with the land. Shot crisply and cautiously, "World" is a visual banquet, with Malick soaking up every single detail of the forests and shores of the land, deliberately elongating the pace of the movie so the audience can get drunk on the location. This effect pays off the English arrival well, for these are men who stomp loudly and disrupt the symbiosis of the land quickly and without guilt, making their disruptive presence feel like a knife in the heart of Eden.

I would never argue with anyone who felt Malick can be too ambiguous a storyteller for his own good, but the tale told here is a perfect fit for the director's vision. Finding a genuinely effective romantic story to hang his favorite ornamentations on, "World" connects together wonderfully, avoiding pretension as much as humanly possible due to the great efforts of Farrell and Kilcher. As the young Pocahontas (though that name is never used), Kilcher is a real find. She's faced with an extraordinarily difficult role, and surrounded by acting pros (Christopher Plummer also stars), but Kilcher is able to discover Pocahontas's innocence and tragedy as her life is slowly taken out of her hands. Born with a memorable face, and blessed with a director who knows how to film it perfectly, Kilcher is pitch-perfect as the iconic Native-American, and the character's slowly dwindling life essence is one of the most heartbreaking character arcs I've seen this year.

Filmed repeatedly, most notably in an exceptionally well-done 1995 Disney animated feature, the love story of John Smith and Pocahontas is only the start for Malick. He delivers the heart-tugging goods well, through visually interesting acting improvisations, and long takes of desire and flirtation. However, the final act takes Pocahontas through the rest of her life, including a stint with John Rolfe (Christian Bale), the man who married her. This part of her story is often cut out, since it effectively kills the romance, and doesn't present a crisp happy ending. Yet, I'm thrilled Malick took Pocahontas all the way to the end, providing a true pictorial of the girl we know from myth to the woman she became.

Given ethereal life by James Horner's vital score (which also utilizes Wagner's "Das Rheingold"), "New World" might take its sweet time to get where it's going, but the point of the film and Malick in general is the journey, not the destination, and the path chosen by the filmmaker here is astounding in its detail and tragic exquisiteness. I rate this movie, A-

 

[mikee51848]

What's the movie rating on this? Reason I ask is it looks like it was geared toward women. Sorry, but this sounds like a turkey and I'd expect it to be out on DVD within a couple of months.

 

[cavscout]

I was really looking forward to seeing this movie until i saw who directed it. He directed the Thin Red Line, which IMO was one of the worst movies i have attempted to watch. I was stationed at FT Polk,LA at the time, and we all looked forward to seeing the thin red line, thinking it would be good. Like most movies that deal with the military , and the theater being near aa Army base, the theater was full. After about 20 minutes of sufferinig, everyone started walking out. It is the only movie i have ever walked out of the theater before finishing the movie. I won't believe it is good untill i see a review by a normal person not the nuts in Hollywood. I do hope it is worth watching.

 

[flm_shooter]

Throughout his career, Malick has fed his obsession with nature, and how man mindlessly intrudes over it. ....... Mother Nature's pristine harmony and humanity's thoughtlessness ..... capture the untouched beauty of Virginia, and the union the Powhatans have with the land.... for these are men who stomp loudly and disrupt the symbiosis of the land quickly and without guilt, making their disruptive presence feel like a knife in the heart of Eden..... Kilcher is pitch-perfect as the iconic Native-American, and the character's slowly dwindling life essence is one of the most heartbreaking character arcs I've seen this year.

You know, I try not to be a knee-jerk reactionary stereotyper type, but why must the aboriginal native-types always be "in perfect harmony" and the newcomers "thoughtless clod-stomping Bambi-killers"? :shake:

Flame away, I'll don my turnouts...

 

[cavscout]

I agree

 

[mikelange]

It's the Hollywood types who see males of western European descent as murderous oafs, and everyone else as victimized, nature-loving innocents, who are the knee-jerk reactionaries. They are as guilty of stereotype-based bigotry as anyone they presume to criticize -- the difference being, in their minds, that they're right, and therefore exempt from the same criticism and standards of conduct that they subject the rest of us to.

 

[Story]

Indian Country, a native american newspaper, weighs in with an interview of the actress playing Pocahontas.
[url] http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412244[/url]

Thought this was interesting -

What little we know about Matoaka is pieced together from the historical accounts of others, especially Smith. The real Pocahontas was probably about 10 or 12 when she met the bedraggled colonists in 1607. They were camped on the disease-ridden lowlands near the James River. More than half of them died by the end of the first summer. More were murdered in periodic fighting with the Powhatans. Pocahontas visited the fort during the peaceful times, and Smith befriended her, likely because he knew the land's inhabitants were the key to his settlement's survival.

Whether or not Pocahontas actually saved Smith's life, or if it was ever in jeopardy, is much debated. But Pocahontas often served as ambassador between the two communities, bringing food to the starving colonists and, most controversially, letting them know of her father's plan to ambush the settlement and be rid of them once and for all. In return, the colonists kidnapped her. She converted to Christianity and married a tobacco farmer named John Rolfe, played in the movie by Christian Bale, who later paraded her around England with their infant son to woo potential investors. She died in her 20s, in England.

 

[No Deer]

I went to see this movie yesterday afternoon. I have to say that after 8 months or so of hype and anticipation I was disappointed. I guess I am glad I paid matinee prices not regular price. Although it was not a terrible movie, I would not call it good either. I thought that it was choppy and somewhat confusing, and would be especially so to someone that did not know the story. Don't watch this expecting to see a LOTM type adventure movie. It was a slow moving story, almost to the point of being boring. We kept waiting for something to happen. There was only one real "action" scene, where the natives attacked the fort and that was very far into the movie.
The scenery was excellent, the forests and villages of the "naturals" and the fort that the colonists constructed.
I cannot speak to the period accuracy of the clothing etc. as I am not well schooled in this, but everything did look good to me. They did at least use matchlock guns :grin:
The main focus of the movie was the relationship between John Smith, Pocohantas, and John Rolfe. Very little of the movie was spent on anything else.

Bottom line, my recommendation would be to wait until it comes out on video or pay per view.

 

[RangerThacher]

They did at least use matchlock guns :grin:

Not only matchlocks, but wheelocks and snaphaunces too! :grin: I enjoyed the film, but I'm also a fan of Malick's unique style. Malick is the kind of director you either hate or like. So I would recommend it to anyone as long as they know what they're getting into. If you saw "The Thin Red Line" and hated it, there's a good chance you won't like "The New World." This is not your average action adventure or historical drama that caters to the lowest common denominator. It's a uniquely artistic, visual and aural experience.

I thought the clothing, weapons and material culture depicted were great, not perfect, but very well done compared to other historical films. Especially the construction of James Fort and John Rolfe's house. I've read a couple reviews of this film by archaeologists involved with Jamestown, and they really praise the film for its surprisingly accurate depiction of the fort and material culture.

:thumbsup:

 

[Itegorm]

I went to see it the day it opened here. I thought the costumes and equipment were very well done with a few exceptions but the movie itself was a bit of a dissapointment. I didn't really expect Hollywood to get it all right but I figured that the movie would have a better story line, even if it was the John and Pocahantas story. Bottom line for me was that the movie was less than I hoped on a story level but visually it was very good. By the way my three big dissapointments as far as clothing and equipment were; The Natives shown wearing pheasant feathers (no phesants here yet), John Smith's tattoos were way wrong, even with the lack of common Tats on 17th century Euros there are a few discriptions so they could have done some that looked right instead of the actor's new age Celtic style tats. And last but not least the fact that Pocohontas suffered the same dilema that almost all women leads as natives have suffered in the movies; here clothes just were way to farfetched, revealing hemlines (or lack thereof) to draw attention to her, but nothing like what one sees in the illustrations from the time. Granted it would have been commonplace to have shown her topless for the time and place, however being that the actress is a minor the legalities can't allow it. They could have atleast made the clothing look right instead of the buckskin halter top. On a side not the other women (both Native and Euro) in the film seemed to have much more correct clothing. But then again what can one say for Hollywood.

 

[bnail]

Well Plumblue, you confim my worries, and I and all the more reluctant about seeing it. However this may be a moot point as Esky has not recieved the movie yet, and It looks like it'll be passing us by. (I did get the theater poster though :thumbsup

 

[Itegorm]

Even with the problems the movie had I would still say it was worth seeing at the theater. The scenery is awesome, the sets were very well done and 90% of the costumeing was right on. Just don't go to the movie expecting a typical action type historical flick (i.e. LOTM, or Patriot). That being said I still think the best 17th century movie I have seen is Black Robe, they will have to go a ways to top that one, but then again I love playing at being a 17th century Frenchman.

 

[Birdwatcher]

I'm glad I went to see it at the movies too, although I dunno how much of that was the effect on my subconcious of watching an attractive young woman lie around in "Pochahantas's Secret" designer buckskins (the kid could pass for nineteen).

In truth, I was expecting the movie to be an absolute dog, I hated "The Thin Red Line", and one reviewer had said of the movie "...he taught her English, and she let him appreciate how smooth her skin was..."

'Twas worth seeing for the scenery alone, Virginia as the Amazon, the edge of a vast and mysterious forest, I wanted to paddle on upstream.

As for the Pochahantas being a teen, my mom met my dad when she was fifteen and he was twenty-three and just back from Okinawa. Likewise, ain't there a Catlin painting of a Mandan girl "accounted a great beauty" and she's twelve?

Not that I'm espousing underage relationships, but such things did commonly happen (Loretta Lynn was 14 when she got married, I forget how old Dolly Parton was).

Wes Studi, as usual, stole every scene they let him be in, I wish he would have had more air time.

I was pleasantly surprised by the portrayal of the Jamestown settlement, sure it was squalor, but understandable squalor given the circumstances, and the portrayal of early Seventeenth Century Englishmen seemed to ring true.

Nit-picking: 1) Pochahantas's off the shoulder camisoles and designer slips.

2) The fact that Studi's character, Opechancanough, wasn't given enough to do, he looms big in the history books. Also 'twasn't he who sailed to England to count the English as the movie portrays, but Pochahantas's in-law Attamutackak (spelling??).

3) Thomas Rolfe, an infant at the time of Pochahantas's death in England, did not return to Virginia with his father as the movie shows, but remained in england until a young man.

Still, I thought it was pretty good, the cinematography, even in England, was great.

Birdwatcher

 

[dougeee]

Just read an article in the local paper the other day.The local Native American women are pretty miffed about it.

 

[Swampman]

"If you saw "The Thin Red Line" and hated it, there's a good chance you won't like "The New World."

I mentioned this comment to my wife and she said "I don't want to see it." Neither of us liked "The Thin Red Line."

 

[bnail]

When I heard that this film was done by the same guy who did Thin Red Line I was very disapointeds. I just new he'd put his own weird slant on history again. :bull:
I will watch it as I watch The Patriot and that's for the cinematography and, hopefully, the costuming.
At least I won't go in expecting another Black Robe.

 

[mmahlock]

I hate to be unkind but. I've seen documentries on snails that had more engaging characters, more interesting plot and more exciting action. The accuracy of the costuming I can't comment on but it did look good. As for the sets, I can understand the squallor but it seemed like they went out of their way to empahsize it rather than just have it. Lastly, I've lived not far form the site of James Town and I remember lots of days when it didn't rain and the sun was out.

 

[capnwilliam]

My wife and I saw it; she is very interested in Jamestown because she had an ancestor who was one of the settlors.

We were both disappointed in the film; we expected to see more action, and more emphasis on the clash of cultures. Instead we saw a sad love story. I don'r like love stories, and my wife doesn't like sadness! :haha:

Capt. William

 

[TFoley]

Dire.

A waste of a good night when I could have been out shooting some foxes with my pals...

There is some talk over here of him doing his version of the last English Civil War.

No doubt we will see that Charles actually cuts his own head off....

By the time the film was half-way through, I was ready to do it to myself with a blunt bicycle chain.

tac