page_title: Pocahontas (1910 film)
section_title: Production
hierarchical_section_title: Pocahontas (1910 film) / Production
caption_attribution_description: English: Front view of a replica of Henry Hudson's ship Halve Maen (Half Moon) Nederlands: Vooraanzicht van een replica van Henry Hudson's schip Halve Maen, gebouwd de Rijksmarinewerf te Amsterdam. De kiel werd gelegd op 29 oktober 1908; 15 april 1909 werd het schip te water gelaten. Het werd op het vrachtschip Soestdijk van de Holland-Amerika Lijn naar de VS gebracht als gift voor het 300-jarig jubileum van de ontdekking door Henry Hudson
context_page_description: Pocahontas is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The scenario was written by Lloyd Lonergan based on Lydia Sigourney's Pocahontas poem. The film is a retelling of the well-known story of Pocahontas, played by Anna Rosemond who saves the life of Captain John Smith, played by George Barnes. Pocahontas is captured and held hostage by the English. She is converted to Christianity and marries Rolfe, played by Frank H. Crane. Pocahontas then sickens and dies, spending her last hours wishing to return to her native home. Released on October 11, 1910, the film was met with praise by most reviewers. It is believed that a replica of Hendrik Hudson's ship, Halve Maen, was used for the opening scene to establish the Jamestown landing. Though minor costuming and historical accuracy errors were pointed out, the film was praised as being of the highest quality of any Independent company. The film is presumed lost.
context_section_description: The story was adapted from Lydia Sigourney's Pocahontas poem by Lloyd Lonergan. Originally published in 1841 as part of Pocahontas and Other Poems. Film historian Q. David Bowers states that while the story of Pocahontas was well-known, few people had ever read Sigourney's poem. Lonergan an experienced newspaperman employed by The New York Evening World while writing scripts for the Thanhouser productions. The film director is unknown, but it may have been Barry O'Neil. Bowers does not attribute a cameraman for this production, but at least two possible candidates exist. Blair Smith was the first cameraman of the Thanhouser company, but he was soon joined by Carl Louis Gregory who had years of experience as a still and motion picture photographer. The role of the cameraman was uncredited in 1910 productions. Anna Rosemond, a leading lady of the company, played the key role of Pocahontas and Frank H. Crane, a leading male actor, played the role of John Rolfe. George Barnes was cast in the role of Captain John Smith and it marked his first known credited Thanhouser appearance. Barnes played the role of the bandit who shot Broncho Billy in Edwin S. Porter's The Great Train Robbery. The rest of the cast credits are unknown, but many 1910 Thanhouser productions are fragmentary listings. In late 1910, the Thanhouser company released a list of the important personalities in their films. The list includes G.W. Abbe, Justus D. Barnes, Irene Crane, Marie Eline, Violet Heming, Martin J. Faust, Thomas Fortune, George Middleton, Grace Moore, John W. Noble, Mrs. George Walters. According to a reviewer of the film, the cast included real Native Americans.
  It is believed that a reproduction of Hendrik Hudson's ship, Halve Maen (English:Half Moon), was used in the film. The replica was originally constructed for the Hudson-Fulton Celebration in 1909. This belief comes from the identification of the vessel by The New York Dramatic Mirror reviewer who states, "One scene shows the copy of Henry Hudson's vessel used in the Hudson-Fulton celebration, and it is supposed in the film to represent the ship that brought John Smith and his party to America." Another reviewer from The Moving Picture World confirms the usage in the production: "We all know the story, but it was left for this enterprising concern to show us John Smith landing from the Half Moon, which was borrowed for the occasion. This occurs at the very beginning and gives the film a stamp of reality that seldom has been obtained in any historical subject." One flaw in the production was the scene in which Pocahontas appears in the court of King James and the setting draws attention over the action itself. The lack of a throne and unusual shaped windows, likened to those of a conservatory or enclosed veranda by the reviewer, diminishing the effect of the short scene.
caption: 1909 Replica of Halve Maen
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