Completely overwhelming experience

Rating: 10/10 (25 December 2006)

I own "The Thin Red Line" and I've watched it a few times and so I have a feeling for what Malick can do with images. What struck me on the first viewing of TNW is that it appears from one angle to be a continuation of an extended meditation in film that began (at least to my limited knowledge) with TTRL. The shots upward into the trees, the swaying effects of the wind on grasses and leaves; the movement, constant movement of water, trees, air, waves in the ocean. If you keep TTRL in your mind when you watch TNW you'll feel a similar pulse, a similar eye that is looking and thinking and creating. Malick is not just presenting history; this is the backdrop, so it would seem. The point of his movies is to draw us all deep, very deep into the mystery and drama of life; how random it can all seem amidst so much chaos, so orderly amidst so much destruction; how tender amongst so much darkness. Malick is not interested in the mindless Hollywood that gives you gratuitous blood, lots of noise and after it is over you forget, you are hardly touched, the fantasy is as important as a bowl of popcorn. Malick is taking life and drawing us into the minds of those who are stretched out like paint on a canvas. We either sit still and are touched or we walk out of the cinema, unable to stand something that is substantial, that is philosophical, that is putting us through deep empathy right into the lives of the actors. If you are up that close you can suddenly get goosebumps, in sympathy with the moment, somehow you too are there. How often does this happen in our movie experiences? Like almost never, right? Let's get back to the basics of the film. Is it historically accurate? Not really. I did some reading up on "Pocahontas" and her story, after I had watched the film. American history has heaped a lot of layers of embellishments on her story and that happens all the time to characters who are put high on pedestal's, who are exaggerated into larger than normal, larger than life proportions. She did exist, that's for sure. However, there seems to be some consensus that she did not have the sort of romantic relationship that is depicted in this movie. I think it is wrong to put the microscope of historical reality to this film; I don't think Malick had a documentary in mind. If he did then the movie would be worthy of such criticism and analysis. Instead what we have here is a powerful drama that just sweeps you away.
I am now remembering the effect that "The Mission" had on me. In that film de Niro's character pulls so much of the story on to his back that almost everyone else in the film is subservient to his suffering. The natives in that film, for sure, are just pretty eye-candy and have little direct contact with moving the plot along. In TNW the native American's are directly engaged in the development of the plot and in the middle of that tension Pocahontas endures. What is elemental and pure in TNW is that there is a spark of love between Smith and her and though he runs from it and her, she cannot deny what they shared.
It is a complicated drama because in this version of the story she is very attached to Smith whereas in reality she might not have been. Nevertheless, the story is told with great sensitivity and we mourn her losses as they accumulate. Hers is a sad story and it never abates, even after her seeing Smith again.
What we are left with are the images, the depiction of the Powhatten natives, their impressions of the Europeans and how filthy, uncouth and foul the Europeans appear. There are layers of loss of innocence and Malick knows that a modern viewer might be unaware that the conquest of the United States came at the terrible suffering of the natives. Perhaps it is this and less the length of the film that makes people so uncomfortable with this film? There are many long scenes that have no dialog. None is needed. We are just so acclimatized to verbal dialog, too much talking. Can we please remember that movies began with "silent" films, where people expressed with their eyes, there facial gestures. The young actress Q'Orianka Kilcher is able to emote depths of feeling that just make words unnecessary. The same is true for Smith (Colin Ferrel). He does not need to speak much. Malick has them "act" with their eyes. For me this just added to the poetry of his film.
I was just blown away by this movie. It is a deeply sad film but Pocahontas's story is that way. Malick has again painted a movie rather than just go through the motions. The soundtrack is as overwhelming as the visual images. To quote from another review on Amazon: "The use of Wagner's Vorspiel from the opera Das Rheingold, along (with) Mozart's famous Piano Concerto #23, are stunning and essential elements to this remarkable film."
So I will stop for now as there is much more to be said. I want to watch it again a few times more. This is a very powerful and wonderful film that is worth the appreciation of a fine opera, symphony or art on a huge canvas. Wonderful.