A Small Voice for Historical Context

Rating: 5/10 (28 December 2005)

Any film is ultimately laced with the subjective desires of the director. And there has already been several reviews of The New World as a triumph of Malick's view of primitive America--and that the viewer should simply accept it as that. Being a big fan of Malick's Days of Heaven as one of the really great visual movies, I for one revel when somebody dips into history as movie subject matter and gives it the visual treatment it deserves to pull the viewer into the story. There is great visual worth to NW. But I also want to see the context upheld. If Malick was true to his subjectivity, he should have had enough objectivity to do the film either with veiled fictitious names--a typical Hollywood technique--or been more honest with the historical characters to protect the innocent--in this case both Captain John Smith and Pocahontas.
He is wrong-headed about Smith--and it is probably to fit the scripted character to bad boy Colin Farrell that he commits this mortal sin of historical context! Smith was a seasoned military man--that little-boy-lost look of Farrell's doesn't make it! Smith had sustained many a close call, including ship wreck and many battles; he was severely wounded and subsequently sold into slavery; he beat to death his brutal Turkish owner and escaped far northeastern Turkey to return to Europe. He was contracted as a responsible military leader of the Jamestown colony, and he was extremely single-minded in this--though saddled with a wimpy, selfish colonial leadership that caused him to go over the line when called for. Smith was much more black and white than the colorful rebel Malick wishes to paint him as with Farrell as his brush. It is the old Hollywood story of infusing modern character to historical figures, and it will continue to be that way to sell tickets. But climbing inside a 16th-17th century mind reveals people often very alien to modern living--and that is a story too. Smith was unusual even for his time. His drive in life was adventure and quick action and the advancement he could collect. In and out of close calls so often, he probably had no time for sex!--indeed he seems to have been rather indifferent--a monk of war--rather asexual even----he never even married--and that is strange indeed for those times.
On the other hand, there is Pocahontas--one of the truly unique people of American history--not only thoroughly engrossed with the invading European culture but with an adult's pathos to aid the inept Jamestown colonists. It should be made very plain that she was only ten years old at the time she met Smith in 1607--he was and always was known to her and in her own words as "Father". And as a little girl of incredible ability she had much more to do in trying to help and warn Jamestown than as she is depicted--a fifteen year old high school girl in primeval languor succumbing to hot and heavy Colin Farrell. If that isn't a slice of today's internet and e-mail soft porn pandering to the fantasies of middle-aged men (but, of course, back in the old days girls were married off as per-teens--so its alright?)! Hollywood has always beaten history into its own image with the one dictum always ever most--fill the seats--sex, violence, controversy drive the movie industry--the audience isn't interested in accuracy. Very true--but another epic love story of lust that was not?--come on!--how about a true story of unselfish love--too bad the idea that history can be more than fiction isn't tried more often!