I figure if one is reading this they already know the film and are questioning whether to buy this upgraded version or not - I would have to say a resounding yes.
Knowing how he filmed this and with what equipment I had very high expectations on clarity. I tested this thoroughly by pause checking over 50 different scenes and light levels (dark, dim, bright, motion, fine detail, etc.) and I could not find fault in anything; The running water scenes, moving pans through trees - all of it. The colors, contrasts and light level all came across beautifully. The smaller LCD panels looked wonderful, but I even scrutinized on the larger Plasmas and it still looked awesome. The sound has the TrueHD and English 5.1, and the mix maintains being able to crank up the volume above normal listening levels as to immerse in the sounds/music but still hear the dialogue adequately.
This is the 172 minute version with the 10 part documentary series from the other releases included. I am very happy with this preservation so I hope that those who enjoy his work will appreciate this package. The New World: The Extended Cut
I watched this movie on DVD, and that probably made a difference in my experience. With that said, I found this movie very poetic and beautiful, but rather slow moving and in need of editing.
On the plus side, I admire Colin Farrell, who always offers a powerful performance, and newcomer Q'orianka Kilcher was marvelous and has enormous potential for future roles.
On the other hand, while I appreciated the lengths that the cast and production crew went to present an authentic Native American tribe, the director's "noble savages" perspective quickly grew weary, a problem that was compounded by the length of the film.
Probably not the film for everyone, but if you have time and appreciate aesthetics in films, I would recommend watching this movie.
The tale of the English settlers at Jamestown gets a wonderful retelling here revealing the hunger, struggle, disease, hardship, cold, and superstition that the early settlers encountered in the new world. I actually think this film does a wonderful job of revealing the wonderful paradise that was the new world before the arrival of the Europeans. The native people here are shown as primitive aboriginals, complete with tatoos, rituals, a power hierarchy and complex societies. The views of Virginia are stunning in their beauty, what a wonderful sight Virginia must have been to these early European arrivals, and how dreadful their lives could become as they learned how to survive in a world full of plants, insects, and animals they had never encountered before. The film gets 4 stars for giving us a glimpse of what the encounters between the old and new world must have been like for all parties involved.
The love story between John Smith and Pocahontas is dream-like, a world not unlike Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Yet the story is one of JOhn Smith's betrayal of Pocahontas and the incredible price she pays for her loyalty to him. Yet the film is also one of her recovery from this obsessive love so that she is free to accept the love of her husband, John Rolfe. Colin Farrell does a great job of playing the brash, brave, adventurer John Smith. Smith sees the time he and Pocahontas were in love in her father's village as a dream that he must leave behind. She on the other hand saw it as a reality that she wished to pursue to the end.
Thus in some ways the film is also about obsessive first love and the strong mature love that holds relationships together for decades. Christian Bale plays Rolfe, a tobacco farmer, who loves and marries Pocahontas, and fears losing her to Smith, but is finally rewarded in the end when she realizes that Smith was an obsession that is now passing and she must cling to the true love of her life, her partner, Rolfe.
I found the Wagner music grand, sweeping, and perfect for the grandeur that is found in North America. This is a tale told with images rather than words. It is well done and not typical.
I remember about a year ago when I saw the previews to this movie while at the local cinema. "Oooooo," I thought, "I can't wait for this to come out!" Well, I waited and waited and waited and still nothing ever came out. To my surprise, I discovered earlier this spring that it had already had its run at the box office and apparently none of the cinemas here in Memphis, TN. desired to carry it. So . . . I waited for the DVD to come out and rushed out to Circuit City to grab it on the morning of its release. I was full of anticipation all the way home about how good this "historical" movie was going to be. Would it be like "Braveheart," or "The Patriot," or maybe "Troy," or even "King Arthur" or "Alexander"? So I settled down and waited for the intense action and suspense to unfold. And I waited and I waited and I waited!
If you, like me, are under the impression that this movie is an "epic" telling or re-telling of history, or if you desire the intensity of action then you had better look elsewhere. For all of these reasons I was totally disappointed. Yet, you might ask why I would give it a 5 star review. Hmmmmm, well let's see. This movie is great for one, even if it is completely NOT what I expected.
At the center of this movie is a love story. In fact, it's more of a love story that just so happens to be set in 17th-century Virginia rather than a movie based on the founding of Jamestown that just so happens to include a love story. Does this make any sense? I've read a few other reviews that call this movie "poetic" and I can't agree more, although I've never really thought of a motion picture as being "poetic." If we want to run with the poetry analogy then I'll say that this is more of a "Tintern Abbey" than a "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." It's a "Dover Beach" as opposed to a "Dulce et Decorum Est." In other words, it's subtle, reflective, surreal, and even pensive. Sure there are a few short battle sequences, but it is centered more around the spoken thoughts of Pochahantas/Rebecca, John Smith, and John Rolfe. It's sort of a dramatic monologue if we wish to keep the poetry analogy alive.
While Christian Bale and Colin Farrell occasionally give convincing portrayals of brave, adventurous explorers, it is not really this aspect of their character that is highlighted. Instead, we delve into the innermost confines of each character's soul as this movie unfolds. We see firsthand the inevitable UNcompatibility of European and Native cultures and how diificult it truly must have been for the earliest settlers of this country. Indeed, the movie places quite a bit of emphasis on the harsh conditions faced by these first settlers and actually exposes the pitiable circumstances that rendered them virtually helpless. One may stop and wonder if we could do the same thing today. Who for the love of God would leave England with it's bountiful fields, lush gardens, paved streets, and brick houses with glass windows for the rustic "stick and mud" abodes of the New World? The contrast between the two worlds is certainly striking from the European perspective.
I had high hopes of showing this movie to my high school class, and I suspected it would be worthwhile for a U.S. history class or an English class that focuses on American literature. I suspect, however, that most adolescent minds will be bored to tears with this one. While I can't wholeheartedly recommend that you go and buy it today, I will insist upon at least a trip to Blockbuster for a weekend rental.
Again (and pardon me for sounding arrogant), this is a "thinking person's" movie. If you want action and adventure, then buy "The Patriot" or "The Last of the Mohicans." - Love - America - Sea - Discovery'
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