The New World Review
Posted by Dave Schilling on 01.20.2006
Terrence Malick is back with one of his most ambitious pictures yet.
CAST: Colin Farrell (Capt. John Smith), Q'Orianka Kilcher (Pocahontas), Christian Bale (John Rolfe), Christopher Plummer (Capt. Christopher Newport), August Schellenberg (Powhatan), Wes Studi (Opechancanough), Noah Taylor (Selway), David Thewlis (Capt. Edward Wingfield)
SCR: Terrence Malick
DIR: Terrence Malick
STUDIO: New Line Cinema
MPAA: PG-13 for some intense battle sequences
RUNNING TIME: 150 min
OFFICIAL SITE: http://www.thenewworldmovie.com/
Terrence Malick's The New World went through a long journey to make it to the big screen. Malick toyed with the idea of doing yet another version of the Jamestown settlement story for over 30 years. The initial version of the film that screened for critics in New York and Los Angeles clocked in at a beefy 2 hours and 40 minutes. Malick, ever the perfectionist, took the film back to the editing room. The finished film was shortened 15 minutes. This last second tweak forced the film to be delayed a week from its initial opening weekend slot.
As the behind-the-scenes story of The New World is about a journey, so is the film itself. Colin Farrell's version of Captain John Smith is the ultimate tortured hero. He longs for the trappings of success. Buried deep beneath layers of contemplation and solemn reflection lies an ambitious, dedicated officer. His journey to the "new world" of America is a journey of self-realization, inner torture, and that most clichéd of story elements, forbidden love.
When we first meet him, Smith has been locked up, prepared to stand trial for mutiny. Spared at the last minute by the benevolent leader of the expedition (Christopher Plummer), Smith becomes charged with making trade with the native king (August Schellenberg) and later, leading the entire expedition.
As any person sent to public school in the United States would know, the complication that arises comes in the form of the king's comely daughter, Pocahontas (Q'Orianka Kilcher). Pocahontas is instantly smitten with Smith from the moment they lock eyes in an expansive corn field. As Smith comes to love Pocahontas, tension flare within Jamestown settlement and between the English and the natives who become restless over the outside incursion. This culminates in a visceral 2nd act battle scene which is guaranteed to wake up even the most jaded filmgoer.
Portrayed by Kilcher, Pocahontas is a spunky ingénue who is filled with the sort of bald naiveté that is so often endearing to audience. She's given very little dialogue, and what she does say is mostly expository. It's her expressive, guileless face that transmits so much of what we're supposed to know about this character. In addition, we get flowery, image soaked narrations from the three principles (Farrell, Kilcher, and Christian Bale, who gets the thankless role of John Rolfe, Pocahontas's eventual husband). This type of shorthand is necessary for characters who all seem so bad at explaining themselves to each other. It also gives the audience something to listen to during seemingly endless shots of the American wilderness.
Narration aside, this is a film that lives and dies on the performance of Colin Farrell as Smith. There's no doubt in my mind that Colin Farrell is quite adept at seething in a movie. He does a whole lot of it in The New World. He's a tangle of emotions, and unlike more run-of-the-mill fare, he never has that one moment where everything comes undone and he gets his speech that lays out everything he's feeling to his lady love. John Smith and Pocahontas were never meant to be, and that notion guides his whole performance. There's a hint of tragedy and resolute sadness that permeates every action Farrell takes in the role. It's a solid performance by an actor many thought didn't have the chops after flailing around like an infant in Alexander.
The fact that the movie hinges on Farrell's role ultimately hamstrings the final act. When Smith makes his final play at glory, Pocahontas (and the audience) are left in the hands of Christian Bale's John Rolfe. Bale is amiable enough, and at times is even more sympathetic than Smith. Rolfe is a broken man, much like Smith, and yet he's far less cynical, far more open, and much more willing to love Pocahontas without reservation. Bale gets to play everything upfront, while Farrell gets the showier, more macho anti-hero role. I'd hazard a guess that Bale would have been even better than Farrell as Smith, considering his turn as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman Begins, but what we get from Bale is exactly what the story required. He's a glaring counterpoint to Smith's haggard, stern aloofness.
This story says nothing new about this period of history, nor does it shed much new light on the age old love story of cross-cultural attraction gone wrong. It does do so in a stylish, self-assured fashion that goes a long way toward making The New World a journey worth taking for the audience.
The 411: The New World will try the patience of today’s modern filmgoer. Other than a harshly cut battle sequence, this is a languidly paced film even in its truncated form. It is also a staggeringly beautiful movie filled with images that will linger in your subconscious long after you step out of the theater. Colin Farrell is passably stoic, and Kilcher is strikingly beautiful. She holds the attention of the audience, even at the tender age of 15. This is less a standard film and more a muddled dream composition that comes close to distilling the essence of America in a few poetic narrations and beautiful vistas.
