"Love: Shall we deny it when it visits us? Shall we not take what we are given? There is only this. All else is unreal."
I was fortunate enough to watch 'The New World' last night.
What a powerful, moving and evocative 2 1/4 hours. My heart sank when I saw the length of the film - it is rarely a film of that duration can hold my attention. I have come to expect them to focus on long drawn-out battle scenes, but this masterpiece enveloped me with poetry and mesmerising landscapes. It is a filmmaking meditation. A place where dreams and reality mingle.
The film reveals the story of John Smith and Pocahontas; of the clash between the Native Americans and the 'civilised' Englishmen in Virginia. It is a simple plot, far from original - paradise lost, human greed, illusion and reality, celebration of the human spirit and love across cultural boundaries. Yet, somehow, this is totally unique.
One of the most poignant things about this film is the lack of dialogue. It presents you with an invitation to have all your senses deliciously seduced. You are not required to UNDERSTAND this film, you are required to FEEL it. Just open up your heart and allow yourself to travel a land that is open and uninhibited, where you are free to roam around and know what it truly is to be unbound from technology or other human 'advances'.
The acting is amazing - all emotions expressed with minimal words. It's heart wrenching stuff, in a feel-good way. Stolen glances, forbidden touches, light and darkness unifying with the songs of the river and the whispering of the wind. We are reminded that everything we do mingles with Mother Nature. Inner thoughts, secret longings and prayers are uttered through gentle voice-overs that add to a dreamlike quality of the movie. This is a 2 1/2 hour poem that will leave a wealth of emotions in your heart.
Colin Farrell is magnificent and plays a character who falls in love with Pocahontas, embracing her world. His eyes speak volumes of emotion that could never be expressed in spoken words. He struggles with the seeming madness of falling for someone from such a cultural divide, before finally allowing himself to be fully immersed in the ravages of impossible love.
Q'Orianka Kilcher is absolutely faultless as Pocahontas - a truly great actor who expresses a full range of emotions without uttering a word. She is captured, transformed into 'Rebecca' and submits to the inevitability of adopting the customs and attitudes of the English culture, yet she never loses her freedom of spirit or inner strength. She never allows herself to be defined by clothes, language or custom. I am reminded of the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote: "What you do speaks so loud I cannot hear what you say" when I see her.
Don't put this film on expecting an intense action drama or a solid well-defined plot. Watch it with an open heart and you will experience a truly amazing and meaningful film. It's a work of art that will rock the core of your BEing.........
Main Menu
"Love: Shall we deny it when it visits us? Shall we not take what we are given? There is only this. All else is unreal." 
