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I saw this film on DVD yesterday. I thought it was a pretty good try compared to the past films I’ve seen on Native Americans.
The costumes were great, but they didn’t seem to get much lingering on accept for the special features section on the DVD.
I think they are getting there, but they really need to start focusing more on our side of the story and our prespectives. Also they could have had the Saponi or other Southeastern Siouans in there a little. You would think from watching the film that the Powhatan were the only tribes in the area. They messed up the part about Rev. Alexander Whitaker being dead before he baptized Metoka. They didn’t even talk about his brother Jabez. The other thing they messed up was that Metoka or Rebecca had, if my memory is correct, two or three children. I think it was her last child that went with them to England and they both died there. Also I thought she was supposed to have been like 12 when the John Smith incident occured.
Now this next statement may raise some hackles, but I haven’t ever thought very highly of Metoka/Pocahontas/Rebecca. She betrayed her people by warning the Jamestown colonists of an empending attack. At the same time perhaps she thought she was trying to save her people by showing the English that not all of the Powhatan hated them. I had many mixed feelings about this film as I do about most of the ones made concerning Native Americans.
Over all I would give the movie a 6 out of 10. They did try in there own way to do the story justice. As always with movies about Native Americans they just don’t seem to be able to hit it right on the mark.
I would like to see a movie in the future about how people of mixed ancestry are treated and their journey of self identification.
Collins says>>>> I think it was her last child that went with them to England and they both died there.
Actually her son returned to America to claim the 4000 acres on the south bank of the James River left to him by his grandfather, Powhatan. He is the ancestor of all the 1000s and 1000s of Pocahantas descendents. Bolins (many spellings), Flemings and Clacks to name a few.
My Pocahontas/Metoka/Rebecca history is a bit rusty. It has been a while since I read about it. Thanks for the correction.
Collins, the only reason I knew that was because Becky and I visited the site on our honeymoon. (7 months ago) On the road to the south landing of the Jamestown ferry is a historic site called Fort Smith (named for the never finished breastworks of a fort started by John Smith) This land was a gift from a father to his daughter upon her marriage.
http://www.powhatan.org/pocc.html
This is a link I found on Matoaka. I was spelling it wrong as well as not remembering the number of children she had. I take back my piont of view at this piont because I guess I really just don’t know the whole story. I have a book called “The Powhatan Indians of Virginia” by Helen C. Roundtree and she doesn’t go into the Pocahontas story in that one. (I think Helen C. Roundtree wrote several books on the Powhatans and one on Pocahontas. I probably should try and find them all and read more about it before I attempt a critic on this film.) That is about the only book I’ve read on the Powhatan with the acception of articles about the the Nansemond with here and there mentions of things.
Oh well, I’m used to eating crow by know. At least I learn more and more by sticking my foot in my mouth, lol. Thanks Dreaminghawk for spurring me on to look deeper into it. In the famous words of Roseann Roseanna Dan “Never mind”.
Any body for a crow leg?
All,
The above link (from Collins post) states the story as I’ve heard and surmised it, and even before, I doubted the “Pocahontas saving John Smith” story anyway. It was Capt. Samuel Argall that was captain of the ship Treasurer where she and several friends were lured onto and then held prisoner. I also have a Disney book with that story in it but I won’t read it to my grandson, but instead tell him the real story. The marriage between Pocahontas and John Rolfe was one of convenience, sanctioned by the provincial governor, his name escapes me right now, in order to ease relations with the Powhatan, plain and simple! It’s one of those “nasty little distortions of history” that makes the “winners” looks like the “good guys”! History is written by the winners! And I didn’t go see the movie because I knew how the events were going to be portrayed. Americans, for the most part, don’t want to hear the truth and probably wouldn’t recognise it if it “slapped them in the face”. I’ll put my soapbox up now. Sorry for the rant! But this one gets me fired up quick.
Jim
Jim
All,
The reason why the Pocahontas story is so “near and dear” to me is that I had a direct ancestor on the Treasurer, captained by Samuel Argall, that arrived in 1613. His name is Capt. John Clay(e), called the British Grenadier. He was sent by the British Crown with fifty soldiers under him (In that time, a grenadier was equal to today’s Special Forces.) to protect the settlers of Jamestown and the Crown’s investment. I’ve never proven anything, but I suspect that Capt. Clay had a hand in the Pocahontas kidnapping plot. He was the military leader in charge. But to this day I’ve never found any evidence to prove this theory.
Jim
Hello everyone,
I rented the dvd of “The New World” and I thought it was pretty good, especially visually.
I also think that Coharie Roy is right about using metaphors. I can’t help but feel that this was a chance to tell the true story. Why use Pocahontas and John Smith in a story that didn’t happen? Some people will probably believe this movie shows history as it happened. I’m not opposed to using metaphors but I think they could have used unknown characters and kept it historically correct. I also agree it should have been from a Native American perspective. Most people know the basic story from the colonist’s viewpoint.
I think it is worth seeing and afterward, while you have the dvd, don’t forget to look at the section on the making of the movie. It was pretty interesting and you may recognize some of the actors.
Dan
Hi Coharie Roy,
Let’s hear other reviews…
I bought the film and watched it at home.
I found the images haunting and thought about them for days afterward.
But overall I was left with a profound sense of loss.
One of the worst senses of loss, was the landscape. It was the most magnificent of all the lost things.
I haven’t watched the film again, and I don’t think I ever will.
Lynne
I bought the DVD last week since I had heard that they showed Eastern Indians NOT living in teepees. I thought hey that’s a start! I believe the Smith story of him and Pocahontas was marketing rubbish to help sell his book on his New World exploits. I was willing to overlook the main “story” of the movie to catch all of the other more interesting visual tidbits. Lovely nature scenes and realistic fort/indian town. (no Teepees).
I ran into a problem with the movie right away, however. I must be too picky because no one else mentioned it. When the NDNs see the ships sailing near the shore for the first time, their amazement was shown by having them slightly crouch, then stand, then sway or rock. It reminded me of the Planet of the Apes movie! From what I read, an indian fearlessly went aboard their ship and received gifts. He in turn went fishing and returned to them a gift of his catch. I do not believe the timid behavior shown on the screen to be accurate. I guess you could say it was poetic license as a way to show the indians as innocent people of nature, “naturals” vs the high tech heavily armed and armored whites who came to take their land. Still, it struck me as showing the indians as too simple.
Still, a movie worth watching.
White Hawk wrote: I bought the DVD last week since I had heard that they showed Eastern Indians NOT living in teepees. I thought hey that’s a start! I believe the Smith story of him and Pocahontas was marketing rubbish to help sell his book on his New World exploits. I was willing to overlook the main “story” of the movie to catch all of the other more interesting visual tidbits. Lovely nature scenes and realistic fort/indian town. (no Teepees).
I ran into a problem with the movie right away, however. I must be too picky because no one else mentioned it. When the NDNs see the ships sailing near the shore for the first time, their amazement was shown by having them slightly crouch, then stand, then sway or rock. It reminded me of the Planet of the Apes movie! From what I read, an indian fearlessly went aboard their ship and received gifts. He in turn went fishing and returned to them a gift of his catch. I do not believe the timid behavior shown on the screen to be accurate. I guess you could say it was poetic license as a way to show the indians as innocent people of nature, “naturals” vs the high tech heavily armed and armored whites who came to take their land. Still, it struck me as showing the indians as too simple.
Still, a movie worth watching.
Yes, I recall what you are speaking of. I also read that its believed that Pochahantas was acting as an ambassador of her people when she married Rolfe. I read this in “Facing East Toward Indian Country”, a book that I recommend. The author had a lot of illuninating things to say about the first 200 years of Indian and settler interaction all along the east coast, including the rebuttal that a literate Indian wrote in response to some hogwash that Daniel Webster wrote.
I did think that it was effective to show those ships the way they did…..it was as if they landed from Mars. The impression that I had, was that they were entirely alien, almost unnatural….and the settlers were so clumsy, and so out of their own element.
You know, I have to suppose that this movie looks entirely different to people who don’t identify with the Indians. What it looks like to them, I find hard to imagine.
I asked my Dad, a long time ago, how could those settlers starve in a land so full of game and food? He told me that those people were from cities, like London and Liverpool, and couldn’t find their ass with both hands…his words. When you think about it like that……why the hell did they ever think they could make it? If the Indians hadn’t helped them so frequently, I suppose they wouldn’t have. But tribes have always had the reputation of never letting a fellow human being starve. Their virtues may have led to a downfall…but virtue never dies.
Be Well,
Lynne
Responding to “I also read that its believed that Pochahantas was acting as an ambassador of her people when she married Rolfe. I read this in “Facing East Toward Indian Country”, a book that I recommend.”
I just read that recently (library copy, I don’t have it here now), and also recommend it — though I can’t relate it specifically to this movie, which I haven’t seen. Anyway, it’s FROM Indian country, not toward… it’s toward Europe, basically. The book is by Daniel K. Richter. I’ll paste in a link to a pretty thorough book review of it.
http://eh.net/bookreviews/library/0691.shtml
PappyDick wrote: Responding to “I also read that its believed that Pochahantas was acting as an ambassador of her people when she married Rolfe. I read this in “Facing East Toward Indian Country”, a book that I recommend.”
I just read that recently (library copy, I don’t have it here now), and also recommend it — though I can’t relate it specifically to this movie, which I haven’t seen. Anyway, it’s FROM Indian country, not toward… it’s toward Europe, basically. The book is by Daniel K. Richter. I’ll paste in a link to a pretty thorough book review of it.
Heh…I can never remember whether its *from or *toward. I read a library copy, and liked it so much that I bought the book. However, I have so many books, I doubt that I could find this one before next January.
Say, speaking of Library books….a good one to check out is “The Indians of the Southeastern Untied States”, Swanton. published by the Smithsonian Inst. , Bureau of American Ethnology. originally published in 1946, third ed 1987.
Sadly, it relates over and over again that little is known of the Sioun peoples. But there is some material in there.
regards,
Lynne
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