| Photos (See all 34 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 7) |
Directed by | |||
| Terrence Malick | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Terrence Malick | (written by) | |
Produced by | |||
| Ivan Bess | .... | associate producer | |
| Toby Emmerich | .... | executive producer | |
| Sarah Green | .... | producer | |
| Trish Hofmann | .... | executive producer | |
| Peter La Terriere | .... | co-producer: UK | |
| Bill Mechanic | .... | executive producer | |
| Rolf Mittweg | .... | executive producer | |
| Mark Ordesky | .... | executive producer | |
| Carey Russell | .... | assistant producer | |
| Sandhya Shardanand | .... | associate producer | |
| Billy Weber | .... | associate producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| James Horner | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Emmanuel Lubezki | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Richard Chew | |||
| Hank Corwin | |||
| Saar Klein | |||
| Mark Yoshikawa | |||
Casting by | |||
| Kathy Driscoll | (as Kathy Driscoll-Mohler) | ||
| Francine Maisler | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Jack Fisk | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| David Crank | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Jim Erickson | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Jacqueline West | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| David Atherton | .... | key makeup artist | |
| Gina Baran | .... | hair stylist (as Gina M. Baran) | |
| John R. Bayless | .... | makeup department head | |
| Julie Callihan | .... | makeup artist | |
| Francesca Crowder | .... | hair artist: UK unit | |
| Paul Engelen | .... | makeup designer | |
| Naomi Gathmann | .... | makeup artist: UK unit | |
| Philip Ivey | .... | key hair stylist (as Phillip Ivey) | |
| Cheryl 'Pickles' Kinion | .... | makeup artist | |
| Melissa Lackersteen | .... | makeup artist: UK unit | |
| Gemma Richards | .... | additional makeup | |
| Jennifer Santiago | .... | hair stylist (as Jennifer A. Santiago) | |
| Chris Varosky | .... | makeup artist | |
| Tracey Wells | .... | hair artist: UK unit | |
| Joani Yarbrough | .... | hair designer | |
| Coni Andress | .... | hair stylist (uncredited) | |
| Sherri Bramlett | .... | additional hair stylist (uncredited) | |
| Carol S. Federman | .... | assistant makeup artist (uncredited) | |
| Suzy Mazzarese-Allison | .... | key hair stylist (uncredited) | |
Production Management | |||
| Jack Deutchman | .... | post-production executive | |
| Trish Hofmann | .... | unit production manager | |
| Erik Holmberg | .... | executive in charge of production | |
| Jody Levin | .... | executive in charge of post-production | |
| Nina Sagemoen | .... | production manager: UK unit | |
| Christa Vausbinder | .... | production supervisor | |
| Heidi Vogel | .... | post-production supervisor | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Andy Cheng | .... | second unit director | |
| Richard Hewitt | .... | first assistant director: UK unit | |
| Alyson Latz | .... | second assistant director | |
| John Nasraway | .... | first assistant director: second unit (as John D. Nasraway) | |
| Rudy A. Persico | .... | second second assistant director | |
| Toby Sherborne | .... | second assistant director: UK unit | |
| Michele Ziegler | .... | first assistant director | |
| Lucy Egerton | .... | third assistant director: UK (uncredited) | |
| Peter Foster | .... | daily third assistant director (uncredited) | |
| Mark Hedges | .... | assistant director: second unit (uncredited) | |
| Emma Lawson | .... | assistant director: UK (uncredited) | |
Art Department | |||
| David Balfour | .... | property master: UK | |
| Ross Balfour | .... | construction manager: UK | |
| Jamie Bishop | .... | assistant property master (as James D. Bishop) | |
| Richard Blankenship | .... | construction coordinator | |
| Michael Boone | .... | carpenter | |
| Cherie Bowers | .... | greensman | |
| Kenneth Bryant | .... | leadman | |
| Jimmy L. Carmickle | .... | general foreman | |
| Harris Chandler | .... | carpenter (as John Harris Chandler) | |
| Michael Clark | .... | painter | |
| Doug Cordonier | .... | carpenter (as Douglas Cordonier) | |
| William Crodick | .... | carpenter | |
| Dinkus Deane | .... | gang boss (as Christopher Deane) | |
| Jeffrey DeBell | .... | lead greensperson (as Jeff DeBell) | |
| Clifford D. Eubank | .... | assistant props (as Cliff Eubank) | |
| Rolfe D. Eubank | .... | painter | |
| Dandro Fralinger | .... | general foreman | |
| James Fulgham | .... | greensman | |
| Steve George | .... | property master (as Steven H. George) | |
| Thomas B. Grimes | .... | stand-by greensperson (as Tommy Grimes) | |
| Eric Gruber | .... | gang boss | |
| Wes Gustafson | .... | carpenter | |
| Joe Harper | .... | carpenter | |
| Dale Haugo | .... | charge scenic | |
| Sarah Hauldren | .... | art director: UK | |
| Phil Hayes | .... | carpenter | |
| Anthony Huff | .... | gang boss | |
| D. Blake Huff | .... | carpenter | |
| R. Mark Hughes | .... | second props | |
| Howard Jones | .... | general foreman (as Howard L. Jones) | |
| Jeff Juberget | .... | painter | |
| Stephanie Macomber | .... | on-set scenic | |
| Susan Maye | .... | construction buyer | |
| Gordon McVay | .... | set dresser | |
| Beth Morris | .... | art department coordinator | |
| Mike Raybould | .... | set dresser | |
| Rick Reeder | .... | carpenter (as Richard Reeder) | |
| Taylor Savas Reese | .... | set dresser (as Taylor S. Reese) | |
| Ronald H. Sachs | .... | stand-by greensperson | |
| Richard Salinas | .... | scenic foreman | |
| David Satterfield | .... | art department production assistant | |
| Robert Schleinig | .... | assistant set decorator | |
| Paul Schultz | .... | carpenter | |
| Jonathan Short | .... | assistant art director | |
| Cassandra Smith | .... | painter | |
| Christopher Spiel | .... | carpenter | |
| Pete Stewart | .... | carpenter (as Peter Stewart) | |
| Craig M. Taylor | .... | greensman foreman | |
| Bradley Torbett | .... | supervising stand-by propman | |
| John Wynne | .... | carpenter (as John B. Wynne) | |
| Andrew Carnwath | .... | propmaker (uncredited) | |
| Terry Clark | .... | set dressing (uncredited) | |
| Jack Garwood | .... | dressing props (uncredited) | |
| Rosie Hardwick | .... | assistant art director (uncredited) | |
| Matthew Richard Harris | .... | graphic designer (uncredited) | |
| Jonathan Holbrook | .... | painter (uncredited) | |
| Kristine Kennedy | .... | set dressing (uncredited) | |
| Jon Marson | .... | props (uncredited) | |
| Kelly Neary | .... | assistant to set decorator: UK (uncredited) | |
| Jason Torbett | .... | stand-by propman (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Erik Aadahl | .... | sound effects editor | |
| Eric Bautista | .... | cableperson | |
| Craig Berkey | .... | sound designer | |
| Craig Berkey | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Lance Brown | .... | additional sound re-recording mixer | |
| Marko A. Costanzo | .... | foley artist (as Marco Constanzo) | |
| Joel Dougherty | .... | assistant sound editor | |
| Susan Dudeck | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Jonathan Fuh | .... | boom operator (as Jonathan Lee-Ger Fuh) | |
| José Antonio García | .... | production sound mixer (as Jose Antonio Garcia) | |
| Peter Germansen | .... | sound recordist | |
| Aaron Glascock | .... | additional sound re-recording mixer | |
| Michael Haight | .... | adr editor | |
| George A. Lara | .... | foley mixer (as George Lara) | |
| Skip Lievsay | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Skip Lievsay | .... | supervising sound editor | |
| Bryan Pennington | .... | sound consultant: Dolby | |
| Bruce Pross | .... | sound effects recordist | |
| John Joseph Thomas | .... | foley editor | |
| Clive Winter | .... | sound recordist: UK | |
| Ed Callahan | .... | sound editor (uncredited) | |
| Johnna Chism | .... | sound intern (uncredited) | |
| Wayne Lemmer | .... | second assistant sound editor (uncredited) | |
| Chris Navarro | .... | adr recordist (uncredited) | |
| John A. Pagano | .... | post sound intern (uncredited) | |
| Jeremy Peirson | .... | sound editor (uncredited) | |
| Eric Thompson | .... | adr mixer (uncredited) | |
| Derek Vanderhorst | .... | sound editor (uncredited) | |
| Jordan Wilby | .... | intern (uncredited) | |
| Eric Taylor Williamson | .... | adr recordist (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Michael Clark | .... | special effects technician | |
| Michael H. Clark | .... | special effects technician | |
| Charles W. Gill Jr. | .... | special effects technician | |
| Lisa Reynolds | .... | special effects foreman | |
| Bob Shelley | .... | special effects coordinator | |
| Jeff Zook | .... | special effects technician | |
| Steve Lucas | .... | special effects supervisor: UK (uncredited) | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Raymond Gieringer | .... | on-set visual effects supervisor | |
| Lisa Maher | .... | visual effects producer: CIS Hollywood | |
| Thomas J. Smith | .... | visual effects supervisor: CIS Hollywood | |
| Krista Allain | .... | visual effects production manager: Intelligent Creatures Inc. (uncredited) | |
| Patrick Clancey | .... | digital opticals (uncredited) | |
| Michael Hatton | .... | visual effects technical advisor: Intelligent Creatures Inc. (uncredited) | |
| Wendy Lanning | .... | executive visual effects producer: Intelligent Creatures Inc. (uncredited) | |
| Lon Molnar | .... | visual effects creative advisor: Intelligent Creatures Inc. (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| Damon Caro | .... | stunt player | |
| Andy Cheng | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Ilram Choi | .... | stunt player | |
| Paul Eliopoulos | .... | stunt player | |
| Mitch Gould | .... | stunt player (as Mitchell Gould) | |
| Yoshio Iizuka | .... | stunt player | |
| Reuben Langdon | .... | stunt player | |
| Samuel Le | .... | stunt player (as Xuyen Sam Valdivia) | |
| Paul Anthony Scott | .... | stunt player | |
| Dan Southworth | .... | stunt player (as Daniel Southworth) | |
| Dan Speaker | .... | stunt player | |
| Jen Sung | .... | stunt player (as Jen Sung Outerbridge) | |
| Don Thai Theerathada | .... | stunt player (as Don Tai Theerathada) | |
| Jon Valera | .... | stunt player | |
| Garrett Warren | .... | stunt player | |
| Mike Washlake | .... | stunt player (as Michael John Washlake) | |
Casting Department | |||
| Jeanne Boisineau | .... | extras casting | |
| Jeanne Boisineau | .... | local casting | |
| Sunday Boling | .... | casting assistant: US (as Sunday Bolling) | |
| Matthew Burchfield | .... | local and extra casting assistant (as Matt Burchfield) | |
| Shannon Cain | .... | local and extra casting assistant | |
| Celestia Fox | .... | casting: UK | |
| Jeff Ham | .... | casting associate: principal Native Americans | |
| Rene Haynes | .... | casting: Native Americans | |
| Alex Johnson | .... | casting assistant: UK | |
| Caitlin McKenna-Wilkinson | .... | adr voice casting (as Caitlin McKenna) | |
| Megan Moran | .... | casting assistant: US | |
| Sam Stevenson | .... | casting associate: UK | |
| Loveleen Tandan | .... | casting consultant: India | |
| Joanne Brooks | .... | casting assistant (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Susan Antonelli | .... | key set costumer | |
| Gillian Brown | .... | mask maker (as Gillian H. Brown) | |
| Andrew Crawford | .... | armor costumer | |
| Ed Fincher | .... | lead key costumer (as N. Edward Fincher) | |
| Catharine Fletcher Incaprera | .... | costume supervisor | |
| Alexandra Krost | .... | set costumer (as Alexandra Benwell) | |
| Cheralyn Lambeth | .... | ager/dyer | |
| Jenny McGurk | .... | set costumer | |
| J. Andrew Richardson | .... | native costume fabricator/costumer (as Andy Richardson) | |
| Robert Surratt | .... | key tailor (as Robert Lee Surratt) | |
| Sean Tribble | .... | ager/dyer | |
| Suzi Turnbull | .... | assistant costume designer | |
| Kathy B. Washington | .... | tailor/costumer | |
| Karen Wolfe | .... | ager/costumer (as Karen D. Wolfe) | |
| Lynalise Woodlief | .... | jewelry maker | |
| Emily Curtis | .... | costumer (uncredited) | |
| K. Drew Fuller | .... | costume supervisor (uncredited) | |
| Janet Melody | .... | tailor (uncredited) | |
| Amelia Zontini | .... | additional costumer (uncredited) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Elise Ballard | .... | post-production office assistant | |
| Hanly Banks | .... | post-production office assistant | |
| Mary Duque | .... | post-production coordinator | |
| A.J. Edwards | .... | editorial intern | |
| Donald Freeman | .... | final colorist | |
| Nicolas Gonda | .... | post-production assistant: Terrence Malick | |
| Phil King | .... | post-production office assistant | |
| Emily Morris | .... | editorial production assistant | |
| Jim Passon | .... | color timer | |
| Carey Russell | .... | post-production consultant | |
| Steven J. Scott | .... | digital color supervisor | |
| Patrick Thornhill | .... | assistant editor | |
| Liv Torgerson | .... | first assistant editor | |
| Matthew Walcutt | .... | assistant editor (as Matthew C. Walcutt) | |
| Jeff Etcher | .... | assistant editor (uncredited) | |
| Scott Farrar | .... | post-production services: New Line Cinema (uncredited) | |
| Jim Garrow | .... | colorist: mastering (uncredited) | |
| Greg Reed | .... | assistant editor (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Dick Bernstein | .... | supervising music editor (as Richard Bernstein) | |
| Bob Bornstein | .... | music preparation | |
| Paul Broucek | .... | executive in charge of music | |
| Sandy DeCrescent | .... | music contractor (as Sandy De Crescent) | |
| Tony Hinnigan | .... | musician: ethnic woodwinds | |
| James Horner | .... | orchestrator | |
| Randy Kerber | .... | orchestrator | |
| Randy Kerber | .... | synthesizer programmer | |
| Kevin Kliesch | .... | orchestrator | |
| Jon Kull | .... | orchestrator | |
| Barbara McDermott | .... | assistant music editor | |
| Simon Rhodes | .... | music scoring mixer | |
| Simon Rhodes | .... | score recordist | |
| Peter Rotter | .... | orchestra contractor | |
| Lori Silfen | .... | music business affairs executive | |
| Philip Tallman | .... | music editor | |
| James Thatcher | .... | musician: French horn | |
| Ian Underwood | .... | synthesizer programmer | |
| Sylvia Wells | .... | music score supervisor | |
| Jessica Dolinger | .... | music clearance executive (uncredited) | |
| Tom Hardisty | .... | score recordist (uncredited) | |
| James Horner | .... | conductor (uncredited) | |
| James Horner | .... | score producer (uncredited) | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Peter Arenstam | .... | captain: Shallop | |
| Gary Duncan | .... | transportation captain (as Gary W. Duncan) | |
| Bob Foster | .... | transportation coordinator | |
| Kris Golashesky | .... | transportation assistant (as Kristine Golashesky) | |
| Ronald Jenkins | .... | transportation captain (as Ronald M. Jenkins Jr.) | |
| William T. Reynolds | .... | captain: Half Moon | |
| Eric Speth | .... | captain: Jamestown Fleet | |
| Simon Jones | .... | driver: Colin Farrell, UK (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Jason Acimovic | .... | assistant location manager | |
| Sheila Allen | .... | production accountant | |
| Cassandra Barbour | .... | rights and clearances: Entertainment Clearances | |
| Charles Thomas Baxter | .... | location manager (as Charles Baxter) | |
| Brian Beckstoffer | .... | location assistant | |
| Dana Belcastro | .... | production executive | |
| Kevin Black | .... | production assistant | |
| Susan H. Bodine | .... | legal services: Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein (as Sue Bodine) | |
| Mirjam Bohnet-Brew | .... | second assistant accountant | |
| Barbara Branch | .... | first assistant accountant | |
| Lisa A. Brown | .... | accounting assistant | |
| Mitchell Byrnes | .... | animal trainer | |
| Eva Z. Cabrera | .... | script supervisor | |
| Catherine Charlton | .... | dialogue coach | |
| Alison S. Cohen | .... | legal services: Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein (as Alison Cohen) | |
| Kyle Cooper | .... | title designer: main and end titles | |
| Thomas M. Cornelius | .... | craft service | |
| Vern Crofoot | .... | armorer (as R. Vern Crofoot) | |
| Felicia Dames | .... | location assistant | |
| Bill Delaney | .... | production assistant | |
| Carol Doleski | .... | production intern (as Carol M. Doleski) | |
| Billy Duberstein | .... | production intern | |
| Gary Duncan | .... | marine coordinator (as Gary W. Duncan) | |
| Cindy Fand | .... | production intern | |
| Claudine Farrell | .... | assistant: Colin Farrell | |
| Cherry Fiddaman | .... | production accountant: UK unit | |
| Alex Gladstone | .... | location manager: UK unit | |
| Courtney Hale | .... | assistant production coordinator | |
| Julie Hansen | .... | post-production accountant | |
| Andrew Hart | .... | production secretary | |
| Dickie Haskell | .... | production intern | |
| Jennifer Henderson | .... | animal wrangler | |
| Buren Hodge | .... | animal trainer (as Buren M. Hodge) | |
| Susan Humphrey | .... | animal wrangler | |
| Jonathan Jones | .... | location assistant | |
| Nick Jones | .... | production intern | |
| Lucas Krost | .... | production assistant | |
| April Mackin | .... | animal wrangler | |
| Peter Marziale | .... | set medic (as Peter J. Marziale) | |
| Chanelle S. Matthews | .... | production assistant (as Chanelle S. Mathews) | |
| George E. McKann | .... | animal trainer | |
| Ann Minarik | .... | production intern (as Ann-Ruffin Minarik) | |
| Heather Neeld | .... | production coordinator | |
| Brian Niemczyk | .... | set | |
| Caryn Nowland | .... | location assistant | |
| Michael O'Connor | .... | production assistant | |
| Amy Panzer | .... | craft service | |
| Alice M. Peschl | .... | production assistant | |
| Tina Allen Pleasants | .... | production assistant | |
| Mark Preisser | .... | historical ship coordinator | |
| Paul Prokop | .... | executive in charge of finance | |
| Blair Rudes | .... | translator: Algonquian (as Blair A. Rudes) | |
| Jane Sakowski Bell | .... | craft service assistant (as Jane Sakowski) | |
| Elyse Sams | .... | production office assistant | |
| Gary W. Samuels | .... | set medic (as Gary Samuels) | |
| Laura Sevier | .... | rights and clearances: Entertainment Clearances | |
| Cris Silvent | .... | production intern | |
| Michael Singer | .... | unit publicist | |
| Jackie Snow | .... | movement director | |
| Trish 'The Dish' Stanard | .... | key production assistant (as Trish Stanard) | |
| Kelly Stultz | .... | payroll accountant (as Kelly Brett Stultz) | |
| Rulan Tangen | .... | assistant choreographer | |
| Raoul Trujillo | .... | choreographer | |
| Lawrence 'Law' Watford | .... | production office assistant (as Lawrence A. Watford) | |
| Eric Weiss | .... | travel coordinator | |
| C.J. Whelton | .... | assistant: Trish Hofmann | |
| Robert S. Wilhelm Jr. | .... | key production assistant | |
| Sarah Willis-Hart | .... | production office assistant | |
| Beverly Winston | .... | script supervisor: UK unit | |
| Buck Woodard | .... | animateur | |
| Scott Carter Woodard | .... | craft service assistant | |
| Matthew Ariail | .... | production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Stephanie Barker | .... | unit nurse (uncredited) | |
| Matthew Clarke | .... | production assistant: UK (uncredited) | |
| R.H. Davies | .... | marine coordinator: UK (uncredited) | |
| Richard Fiddaman | .... | assistant accountant: UK (uncredited) | |
| Jacqueline Goldenstein | .... | assistant to director and producer: UK (uncredited) | |
| Adam Gordon | .... | assistant to producer (uncredited) | |
| John David Gunkle | .... | location assistant: Cornwall (uncredited) | |
| John David Gunkle | .... | location scout: Cornwall (uncredited) | |
| Darren Helman | .... | location assistant (uncredited) | |
| Seth Kleinberg | .... | associate producer: main and end titles (uncredited) | |
| Richard Kroll | .... | researcher (uncredited) | |
| Ori Latter | .... | production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Dominique Leroutier | .... | location scout: Canada (uncredited) | |
| Christian McWilliams | .... | location scout (uncredited) | |
| Janet Melody | .... | textile artist (uncredited) | |
| David Midthunder | .... | adr voice (uncredited) | |
| Patrick Tendai Pfupajena | .... | production assistant: pre-production (uncredited) | |
| Ada Shen | .... | assistant to producer (uncredited) | |
| Louise Taylor | .... | set production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Kenneth Thompson Marchesi | .... | daily location assistant (uncredited) | |
| Daniel Villagomez | .... | credits administrator (uncredited) | |
Thanks | |||
| Brad Briggs | .... | special thanks | |
| Marton Csokas | .... | thanks | |
| Andrew Dominik | .... | thanks | |
| Justin Geoffroy | .... | special thanks | |
| Grant Hill | .... | thanks | |
| Randall Duk Kim | .... | thanks | |
| Pablo Proenza | .... | special thanks | |
| John Womack Jr. | .... | thanks | |
| Valdís Óskarsdóttir | .... | thanks | |
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| Squanto: A Warrior's Tale | Australia | Creation | Cabeza de Vaca | Gone with the Wind |
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The New World
reviewed by Sam Osborn rating: 3.5 out of 4
Filing out of The New World, completely speechless and without notes, I could fathom only single adjectives to describe the experience. Looking at these listed words on my memo-pad now, they read "Thunderous, True, Beautiful, Solemn, Forceful, Gripping, Honest, and Slow." And for those who watch The New World with a calm countenance, an open mind and a ready cache of patience, Terrence Malick's long-awaited picture will have a similar effect. The film is a masterpiece thirty years in the making.
His goal is plain enough: to affectively and honestly portray the love Pocahontas experienced in those first years that Europeans cut their first, fresh swath from the New World. But Malick goes far beyond a simplistic love story. I was at the screening for Casanova a few days earlier, where the film's objective was essentially the same: to portray the love between Casanova and Francesca in the days of Inquisition Venice. But where Casanova approaches love at a bubbly, comedic perspective, The New World throws itself into a headlong narration of love's sorrow. Every frame of The New World reflects this painful, aching emotion, utilizing the sounds and images of environment to incredible, innovative effect. The first shot of the film--an extended shot several minutes in length--finds the camera staring into a river. It's clear and pristine, carefree and surrounded by the blissful sounds of an unperturbed forest. Soon ripples begin forming, and we notice the quiet droplets of rain pit-pattering around us, causing the water to flow a little, bringing about a contented onslaught of lily pedals. The scene continues on, drawing us farther and farther into Malick's deafening reality with only the sounds and images of nature. He creates a calm within us with these images, a kind of serene canvas for him to later paint the vivid brush-strokes of human love later in the film. In this entire first act, little is even said. But these scenes rarely grow tiring. He finds rich beauty with every situation. His forest is lush and his settlements picturesquely Dickensian. Malick shows great and rare confidence with this picture. Few filmmakers would have the cool audacity to create a film so primarily reliant on nothing being said.
The first and most important of Pocahontas' (Q'Orianka Kilcher) romances is with the infamous John Smith (Colin Farrell). He's brought to the New World bound in a cage, punished for earlier mutiny. But because he's the only soldier of the expedition, Captain Newport (Christopher Plummer) opts to let him free on a strict probation. Their first encounters with the Naturals, as they're called, go coolly enough, with curious interest from the Naturals and tense hesitation from the settlers. And even here Malick plays with flights of romantic whimsy. These scenes of first encounter are shot in windswept, overgrown grassy fields, with Pocahontas dancing and twirling about them with her brother, catching the spry interest of Smith.
Soon the settlers hear of a great city of Naturals down the river, and Smith is sent to investigate. Things have been going badly for the settlers and Captain Newport has left back for London and a new store of food and supplies. Smith's expedition is cut short, however, when he runs into a narrow, maze-like complex of swamps and is ambushed by warrior Naturals. He's taken prisoner by the Naturals, but granted life because of Pocahontas' curious interest and her favoritism with Chief Powhatan (August Schellenberg). This catalyzes our entrance into The New World's most prominent territory. The scenes of Smith's time with the Naturals are Malick's best. They're those first strokes of paint on his canvas and the seeds of that palpable, historical romance.
But admittedly, even with The New World's supreme sense of confidence and slow-moving progression, it sometimes wanders into the realm of self-indulgence. It especially grows tiresome in the final act, when we're brought from Virginia to London, our beloved Smith left behind to be replaced by John Rolfe (Christian Bale) and his stonewall courting of Pocahontas. I'd even venture to say that Malick could have left 30 minutes of these segments on the editing room floor, re-attaching them later to the Extended Cut DVD release that's sure to come. But movie-going patience is the mantra of the Awards season, and so some bottom-dragging in films is what's to be expected.
What was not to be expected, however, was Q'Orianka Kilcher, the debuting actress playing Pocahontas. Few words she says, but dialogue is not always what makes a forceful performance. Her body language and expressions are allowed to do the speaking for her. She's advantaged also by her strong, muscular features that often betray hints of divine femininity. Farrell also does well, particularly in his somber narration. He reads it as though he speaks the words to himself, whispering them almost, for only his imagination to hear. But his physicality is manipulated nicely as well, exuding bubbly chemistry for Kilcher. The two mix ideally. Their sorrow and love and deeply resonated emotions are echoed about with their strong performances and Malick's supreme direction. And although Christian Bale strides into picture in the latter parts of the film, our hearts lie with Smith and Pocahontas, and we find ourselves resentful of Rolfe's advances. But this is just Malick's narrative trickery. We find ourselves raggedly torn between these two equally honorable men, and put almost into the same position as Pocahontas. It's precisely the reason we go to the movies. We've let the director take his grip on us and lead us down the path into characters and identities of his own creation. And with Malick leading our way, and with characters as tastefully dimensional as these, movie-going becomes a deep artistic pleasure.