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It’s 11:00 p.m., Friday, January 20th, 2006 as I sit down to begin writing this. I just returned home from seeing the 7:30 feature of the movie, THE NEW WORLD.
I am so moved that I feel compelled to write this before my emotions condense into tears of morning dew and become lost in the dawn’s first rays of tomorrow morning.
First, let me say that NEW WORLD is not so much a movie as it is a poem … a song… a hymn. Conventional story telling it’s not. In fact, you need to know the historical story by heart, before seating yourself for the two hour and fifteen minute love epic that ensues. Yes, this is a love story. And at first, I was disappointed in the director’s interpretation of such a seminal event as “first contact” between two alien races and his having reduced that epochal tumult into a hackneyed ho-hum of daytime soap opera. BUT, then, I began to catch the the director’s metaphor – Pocahontas’ (supposed) love for Captain John Smith transcended all; Her love of her people, Her love of her God(s)/Great Spirit, and even her love for herself. And of course, her love (just as her people’s natural love and desire to rescue from death’s door, those in desperate need) was betrayed by Captain Smith (the English/the white race).
But, Captain John Smith is a metaphor also. He’s the pristine Adam (sans Eve) in this New World Garden of Eden, waiting for God to deliver him from his ethereal (albeit sometimes violent) paradise, into a structured hedgerow of English-trimed, maze-type baronial gardens.
If you can’t see the larger metaphor, even though it violates your recollection of history, you may not enjoy the movie. And, let me tell you, I was put off by several errors (at least as I recall history). Firstly, and please correct me if I’m wrong, the director’s Indians wore “war paint” on/over their bodies and faces during times of peace as well as during times of war. Secondly, Opechancanough never went to England (as far as I know). (By the way, Wes Studi was under-used as the famous brother of Chief Powhatan.) (Opechancanough is my personal hero. If I were 25 years old today, and had a new-born son, I’d be hell-bent to name him Opechancanough.)
Also, it was pretty neat to see some of our own brethren (Haliwa-Saponi and Meherrin, as extras. I spotted three or four [I’m pretty sure]).
It’s impossible to not pay attention to the music. In both the beginning and the end, there’s a haunting, ethereal, and inspiring quality to the soundtrack. It raises goosebumps on your arms and inspires righteous longings in your heart.
And, the cinematography (sp ?) is the director’s sine qua non. Words can’t describe the rapture of his vision. The assembly of English colloquy (sp?); that is to say, “virgin,” “pure,” “pristine,” holy” are wholly inadequate to express the visual verisimilitude of the new world of THE NEW WORLD. The tall grasses, the flocking birds, the soaring raptors, the tumbling waters of pure unadulterated streams are the untrammeled innocence of the soul of the Indian – the covenant of the Indian’s peace with God… before the fall… before the serpent (the white man) entered his Garden of Eden.
Finally, the middle English accents seemed very authentic. The muddy milieu of Jamestown struck this viewer as accurate. And, the savagery of the fighting disquieted even the most ardent of the Indian supporters. (That is to say, our ancestors were some of the most bad-ass warriors you’d ever want to see.)
Rating 3.5 stars (out of a possible 4.0 stars).
Roy
1:15 a.m., Saturday, 1-21-06.
Hi Coharie Roy,
What a great review. I am so glad you enjoyed the film.
Here’s my take. My family sat down to view the long awaited New World here in Virginia Beach last night at 7:20.
Yes, you did spot Thomas “Two Feathers ” Lewis, Meherrin,
Mary Hope of the Accohanock was also in the scene for the long house. There was lots of footage cut from the film. Apparently, we’ll have to wait for the directors cut on the DVD which should be about 3 hours.
I personally did not care for the musical score, it was heavy, prodding and lacked any of the qualities that would have evoked any emotional connection to the Indian aspects. There was not one sound of the drum or of natives singing in the whole 2 and a half hour film. Additionally, the original songs (and drumming) written specifically for the film by some of the core warriors were cut as well and what a shame. The original trailer featured some original work from Marquis Frejo and it gave me absolute chills. There was so much native talent on the set–yet in the film–we seem timid–without form…
While the cinematography was breath taking–they failed to link together a coherent theme. Some how it seems like the story got lost in the weeds…
I agree that Pochantas herself was a metaphor for the New World, pristine, innocent, too trusting etc. John Smith, the solider, the mercenary–took what he wanted–and when Pochantas asked him to run away with her–his response–“Where would we live?” ” In the trees, in a hole in the ground?” It was pretty apparent that the solider/warrior was used to loving and leaving. And an indigenous woman? He just some how couldn’t figure out where they would live???? Yet John Rolfe offered her a home, marriage etc. John Smith was also a metaphor for broken promises, lies, treaties always broken.
Pochantas learned from his betrayal–never trust the mercenary and turned her back and walked away forever.
I loved the scenes at the Jamestown fort. I’ll let you see that for yourself I thought those scenes were the most honest–most real.
As usual, the ‘naturals’ i.e., US–the Indians were wall paper in a story about us. Any one who has seen Last of the Mohigans,
Dances with Wolves, Squanto, WindTalkers etc–even if the story has a native theme–we become the back drop and the story is always told from a European prospective.
Actually I think the directors of Braveheart or the Thirteenth Warrior would have been able to weave a better narrative–cultural conflict, the politics…and then weave in the ‘love story, sparingly–if at all.
My daughters and myself were all extras in the film with numerous other friends, and family. I think that primarily Terrance Malick missed out on a tremendous opportunity to tell a uniquely American story from another prospective. And honestly, I think that was what we had all hoped for–that this artist–Terrance Malick would tell this story–instead he focused on the myth, the legend of John Smith and Pochantas–and the story gets lost in the weeds…
My daughter Blain was in the scene where the village was burned and she told me last night–Mom, if there was a scene that would have made me cry–it would have been the burning of the village–yet we sat there and watched with no emotion–no feeling of connection or empathy.
I think the most honest scenes in the whole movie are the Jamestown Fort scenes..
I watched the Chronicles of Narnia last week–dozed off during the last half an hour–rated it three stars.
The New World, I watched THE WHOLE thing–I’ll give it Two and a half stars. I was VERY disappointed, not because of the footage that was cut, but because I feel it really missed the mark.
Saponi1
Let’s hear other reviews…
‘
I was neutral but had the usual misgivings until I saw the ‘trailer’ on HBO and decided it WAS just another ‘Dances with Wolves’ and I had better use for my time.
Thanks for the confirmation.
Are there any NA films out there that we are selves have or are currently making? If not, we need a production or something going!
Linda, the script writer – What do you think?
I am curious about this, what does everyone think, power in numbers, imagine the potential here?
Why aren’t we banning the movie?
-Just some thoughts, here!
Has anyone heard of Canada’s APTN ( Aboriginal Peoples Television Network), it is often very interesting available on cable and is delivered in several Native languages.,
(ps our federal election was available to native communities in 10 first nations languages, I’mnot sure how to say crooked tongue in that many languages !)
I am so glad that some from this forum saw the movie. I have not had a chance to see it yet, but intend to. Felicia, as I watched Smoke Signals again tonight, I thought of that same question. The ending credits mention the Native AMericanFIlm Association. This was a sundance film. I would really love to own a good film series on Virginia Indians. One that would include Black indians and the mixing that took place as a result of Hampton University (Indian students/Black teachers, etc.).
Deirdre
As I think of it, Mississippi Marsala was the closest thing to a Black/Indian love tale that I have seen. In this movie however, Denzel was American and the female was East Indian which presents a different set of cultural mixing.
Deirdre
I have not seen the movie yet but a few people I know would like to meet up and watch it…….does anyone else within the DC Metro Area would like to see this movie?
Erica Lewis:)
Bill the APTN has movie reviews , APTN is a huge Native voice in Canada and gaining global recognition, if theres a good native review it will be there.
A native voice, just one in the USA, I’d look hard to find it in mainstream society, but up here we have 10!.
I hope that “The New World is as good as Dances with Wolves, if it’s worse well atleast some one tried!!
Hi Erica,
Yes. I’d like to see it with a group that has a common interest. Also, I’d like to follow up on some of our conversations. I’ve decided that I’m going to live differently. I’ve decided that I’m going to be about all of who God made me and I don’t care how other’s feel about it. WHite Indian/Black indian. If it’s all there, it’s all real, and it deserves to be honored. I’ve started wearing some of the Native beaded barrets when I sing at country clubs. Gives me a grounded feeling. I’ll send an email about seeing the movie with you all.
Deirdre
What if you could write a script about us, what do you think it should contain?
Like, for instance:
1. “We don’t have to look for the promise land, because it is right here, and we have been living on it for thousands of years!”
2. Talk about how we feel a connection to each other, our ancestors, and the earth!
…and so on….
What would you say?
Virginia Indian film will dispel myths of “The New World”
By the Associated Press
February 5, 2006
RICHMOND, Va. — In Civil Rights-era Virginia, when many wore their ancestry on their sleeve, Kenneth Adams kept his in a back pocket.
He avoided conversations about his tawny skin and bone straight hair and let people reach their own conclusions, often that he was black or Hispanic.
History books and Hollywood westerns had taught Adams, 58, just about anything was better than his true identity–an Upper Mattaponi Indian.
“I felt ashamed of who I was,” remembers Adams, now chief of the tribe. “I just didn’t tell them because I didn’t want to talk about it.”
Fighting back against portrayals they say damage self esteem and perpetuate stereotypes, Adams and other Indian leaders are producing an hour-long documentary detailing the history of Virginia’s tribes.
Tentatively titled “The Warrior Spirit,” the film will take viewers from the tribes’ first interactions with explorers, through years of state-mandated segregation and up to the current struggle for federal tribal recognition.
The feature will include shots from Indian cultural celebrations, snippets of life on the Mattaponi and Pamunkey reservations and footage from an upcoming meeting of Indian leaders with English organizers of an overseas Jamestown 2007 event.
Material will come from within the community, not from white “experts,” explained director Bryan Reichhardt, owner of Silver Spring, Md.-based BORU Television.
Reichhardt has done projects for PBS and has worked with the tribes on video news releases before.
He’ll split interviews between modern leaders reflecting on colonial times and elders recounting “the hunkering down period”: a span of roughly 160 years when Adams said fear and frustration pushed the tribes into extreme isolation.
The period includes the dark days of Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act, when the law officially limited racial groupings. Back then, marking “Indian” on a birth certificate was a jailable offense.
“It’s a very sensitive subject, but we’re going to try to talk to elders to get first hand accounts,” Reichhardt said. “It won’t be a dry documentary of dates and just historical events.”
Reichhardt also will tackle issues surrounding the founding of Jamestown, an equally touchy subject.
Indians often have taken issue with film portrayals of events in the nation’s first permanent colony, particularly suggestions of a romantic relationship between Capt. John Smith and Pocahontas, the pre-teen daughter of a powerful 17th-century Indian leader. The alleged romance is the topic of the recently released “The New World.”
“We’re gonna set this Pocahontas story straight once and for all, as much as we possibly can,” said Adams, who began talks to preserve the tribes’ largely oral histories about a year ago.
The film is scheduled for a January 2007 release. It would coincide with Jamestown’s 400th anniversary.
But it wont just rehash the bad, Adams said. It also will celebrate the good: annual church gatherings that kept the tribes in touch and vibrant reservation life that thrives today.
Moreover, Reichhardt said, it will honor those who tribes say, “stood in the gap.”
“Those (are) people who lived through those times to bring them to where they are today,” he said. “What they really want to do is make it a story of survival–which it is.”
The film is being funded in part by a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Producers are still selecting a distributor.
I finally saw the film and it left a pretty strong impression on me. The cinemetography was really beautiful, but I was a little disappointed that there was little to no NAtive music for the score. I think that would have added so much to the film that the script could not cover. I was also a little confused at the age of the lead. Wasn’t Pocahontas pre-pubescent upon the settlers first landing?
Anyway, as I watched the scene of the village being burned after help was extended to the starving men at the fort I was nearly brought to tears in much the same way some scenes of Amistad hurt deeply. Watching the NAtives walk away from their land, the beginning of removal, was so sad. I know this is just a dramatazation, but it really made me want to see MY story. (sorry folks for harping on this) Yes, I’d really like to see, or better yet, be a part of the research for a drama on Black Indians from the east. How we came to be. How we came to be grouped together; how Indians and Blacks merged at Hampton University. One that would reveal all of the saga including head rights; race laws; Indians owning slaves and owning plantations, later to have them taken away; assimilation attempts that failed; Jefferson’s role in the establishment of a white supreme race; all of it. And, how we feel about one another today. I think it is a story that needs to be told accurately.
Deirdre.
I finally saw the movie too and I had to say that I left the theator confused.
I do agree with you too Deirdre. I would like to see a movie or read a book that focuses on Virginia/North Carolina Black Indians……that’s right for those of you who don’t like the title “Black Indians”….we do exist and I do embrace both of my cultures. Unfortunately, I do not know enough information about my family history/ancesters to make it happen.
Erica:confused:
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