a brave new world
With The New World being only his fourth feature since debuting with Badlands in 1973, Terrence Malick is not exactly a prolifi c fi lm-maker.With a track record that also includes The Thin Red Line, however, one should expect nothing but quality from his latest outing as writer-director, this epic reworking of the tale of Pocahontas.
The legendary love affair between conquest soldier John Smith and a Native American princess during the English colonisation of Virginia has become particularly well known since the much-loved Disney adaptation. But this is no cartoon; we have here a vivid and heartfelt portrayal of cultures colliding and of the pain of forbidden love.
From the fi rst frame Malick immerses us in the colonial world of 17th century, with everything from set design to the extras contributing to a supremely authentic historical depiction. Most effective is the director’s command of imagery as a means of recreating this world, each shot becoming a celebration of the unspoilt beauty of nature before colonisation.
It is through this visual language that the impact of cultural change is starkly conveyed as the unrestricted lush expanses surrounding the indigenous Virginians slowly gives way to the cold stone buildings and ordered spaces of the English. The authenticity in Malick’s imagery is matched by his avoidance of the usual imperial clichés. Thus the English are not the pantomime villains of a Mel Gibson fi lm but nor are they inherently superior beings to their subdued foe.
The impoverished and bitterly divided character of the Jamestown colony offers a subtle critique of the sharp line often drawn between ‘civilised’ conquerors and ‘savage’ natives, with the fi lm suggesting instead a considerable blurring of this dichotomy. Colin Farrell adopts a suitably angstridden demeanour throughout as Smith, but the soul of the fi lm is with Pocahontas, who is played superbly by newcomer Q’Orianka Kilcher.
At once embodying the wonderment of discovery and the suffocating hold of love, she also conveys the solace to be found in nature as a last remaining link to an old way of life. Yet be warned, Malick is no crowdpleaser and his meditative style of long silences and repetitive visuals may be off-putting to some.
Those willing to lose themselves in the majestic images and poetic narrative voiceovers, however, will uncover a movingly honest and engaging refl ection on love, loss and cultural upheaval.
23rd Feb 2006