02/27/06 The New World

The New World (2005), directed by Terrence Malick

watched solo; theater (Blue Ridge Cinema, Raleigh, NC)

Fortunately we didn't have to wait another 20 years between Malick's last film (The Thin Red Line) as we did with his last hiatus. Thankfully so in this case. I was not at all a fan of Thin Red Line, but did really enjoy his famous work in Badlands. Whatever the historic framework, or geographical landscape, Malick focuses his treatment of film as a layered introspection. This "New World" project recreates the arrival of the English to the Americas, and the encounters early Western settlers had with the native tribes of this land. Taking a page from history books, the film chronicles the love affair between the English explorer John Smith and the Native American princess Pocahontas. Forced into a coexistence of cultures, the struggle for land and identity flows between peaceful, sympathetic, inquisitive, and ultimately violent. Through amazingly poignant cinematography, this film truly captures the Americas as they once were. It also turns the discussion through introspective monologues into a vital understanding of humanity and our rights on this earth. OK, preachy & artsy at times, but with more punch than Red Line's "horrors of war" attempts.

4 out of 5 stars