The New World
February 16, 2007
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“New World”, is Terrence Mallick’s 2005 epic film of European settlers putting down roots in a strange new land.
In 1604, with the arrival of the Susan Constant and her accompanying ships, come scores of colonists who truly have no idea what kind of world they are entering. As new arrivals to an unusual and seemingly undeveloped land, they see it as a new world, where it is an ancient and revered one to the Native peoples that have been there for thousands of years.
Aboard the Susan Constant, chained in the hold, is John Smith, a mutinous soldier of fortune, destined for execution upon landing. Instead, Captain Christopher Newport spares his life, realizing that they are ill-equipped for survival in their new home, without the benefit of every man’s resourcefulness and skills.
While the main plot is to show how “civilization” came to America, what the movie shows through the struggles of new and old peoples acceptance of each other and their worlds, is how devastating and permanent even the smallest intrusion can be. The meshing of cultures, either from acceptance or surrender, almost takes second place to the splendid cinematography that shows the unspoiled beauty of America, as it once was.
Although the movie was a bit slow-paced in places, the performance by Q’Orianka Kilcher as Pocahontas was incredible. Her portrayal of the noble Native princess conflicted between her love for John Smith and loyalty to her tribe was moving. But when her father disowned her and supposed love Captain Smith left her, is when her performance began to take off.
I don’t know if it was because Colin Farrell’s character was such a selfish dirtbag (there was NOTHING honorable in the way he was portrayed in this movie), but his performance seemed so lacklustre. It seemed he tried to show his emotion in his eyes. They’re gorgeous eyes for sure, but they just didn’t do it for me in this movie. He just seemed like a schoolboy with a shorlived crush. So, why people focus on Colin Farrell being in this movie is beyond me. Q’Orianka was the star of this movie hands-down. Not because she had a larger part, but because her performance was flawless.
By the way, as can be expected, this is a very different account of the story as presented by APVA Presentation Virginia. It’s interesting to see the contrasts…and one could hope that John Smith wasn’t so much of a dirt bag after all.
Directed by: Terrence Malick
Produced by: Trish Hofmann, Mark Ordesky, Rolf Mittweg
Starring: Colin Farrell, Christopher Plummer, Wes Studi, August Schellenberg, Raoul Trujillo
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Posted by admin | Filed Under Entertainment
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