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Delegates, state officials, archeologists, and anyone who is anyone in the Virginia Film Office gather for one of the many private screenings of the Terrence Malick's The New World. The film speaks of perhaps one of the most underrated, yet important, stories not only of Virginia but of our nation's history.
You may remember the old Disney animation that virtually destroyed one of our nations greatest stories. Malick's vision and interpretation was to keep everything as authentic as possible by filming every location in Virginia (except for the scenes that obviously take place in England) and consulting with the renowned Jamestown archeologists. I had a chance to converse briefly with one of the chief archeologists. His take on the movie seemed to be that concerning prop and costumes design, Terrence was convincingly taking the viewer back in time to a world not to commonly seen. But as for the story and dialogue he had no comment.
Malick's unique style, which can be seen in films such as The Thin Red Line, is one that you either love or hate. Instead of a contemporary narrative film, Terrence almost creates poetry with his long internal monologues and beautiful scenery, which, in return, almost creates Virginia as a character in itself.
As for the acting, Colin Farrell carried the lead male with steadfast ruggedness, yet dignity. His character was tough and surviving amongst the fittest, yet his tender moments with Pocahontas are graceful and convincing. If you are going to see the movie because our new hero, Batman, makes an appearance, don't hold your breath. His presence is brief, but crucial. The real actor in this movie was definitely not the Hollywood veterans but new-comer Q'Orianka Kilcher who played Pocahontas. Her presence and motion will make the strongest man weak at the knees. Among the rest of the cast were veteran actors Christopher Plummer (Syriana, Alexander), Ben Chaplin (Lost Souls, Murder by Numbers) and Jonathan Pryce (Brazil, Pirates of the Caribbean).
The story opens up with the three ships pulling into the New World and carries us through the first contact with the Indians and the almost-execution (and not the last) of John Smith on charges of mutiny. As an opportunity to redeem his honor, Captain Smith leads an expedition into the wilderness we now call Virginia. There, he is captured and rescued by our saving queen Pocahontas. Here, the relationship begins, and the movie carries us slowly through the beautiful, slow-paced story that is the birth of our nation.
This movie is not for everyone. Your attention span and interest in the topic need to be heightened to truly appreciate this film. Although exceptionally well done and crafted with the most intricate care, from every swipe of Indian paint to every starving-going-insane settler, the average viewer can only take so much. The pacing of the film is more like a visual poem painted with the canvas of Virginia than a straightforward typical ticket-seller. The thing that spoke most loudly in the movie was a quotation from Christopher Plummer's character. To me, this is the essence and importance of the story: "I beg of you, let not America go wrong in her first hour."
Shea is an amatuer filmmaker with a passion for entertainment. Looks like he's in the right place.
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