It was early on in the viewing, about maybe thirty minutes in when I found myself thinking "I could honestly watch this man's movies day in and day out, and not do anything else." This said only having seen "Days of Heaven" prior to "The New World", but nonetheless, I stand by that statement. After seeing this movie, I lamented every time I passed up a chance to buy "The Thin Red Line" or rent out my store's copy of "Badlands", and now intend to sprint to theaters to see "The Tree of Life".
"The New World" is the tale of the establishment of Jamestown in 1600's Virginia. It's also a love story, a tale of paradise lost, and one woman's journey from within the heart of her people into the minds of an alien populace.
The film begins with the settling of Jamestown by a group of bedraggled British colonists (Led by the regal yet vaguely sinister Christopher Plummer) and the release of John Smith, a supposed trouble-maker (Played by the ever-so rugged Colin Farrell). Plummer leaves with the ships, vowing to return with more people come Spring, leaving a petulant David Thewlis with the heavy mantle of leadership. Smith is then promptly sent out on an expedition to find the Natives and attempt trading with them.
After a slight journey, he finds them (Or rather, they find him) and he encounters Pocahontas (Q'orianka Kilcher in her break-out role) daughter of the local chief. They begin a romance that seems doomed from the start, despite their love for one another, and tragedy ensues.
Now, my brief summary up there, it doesn't really do the film justice. Anyone who's seen it or hell, seen any other films by Malick, knows that telling someone what a Malick film is about is one thing, whereas actually experiencing it is completely different. It's almost seems a portal, not a film, giving us glimpses not only into the past, but into the unconscious of the Americas. As though he is somehow able to pick up psychic strains, the memories of the wounded past, and transcribe them to film.
I once described "Days of Heaven" as an American fable. "The New World" feels like a shared dream, a skein of relived memories. It's a journey, chronicling the birth of a new era and leading up into a realization of sorts, a transcendence.
And now that I'm done being a pretentious Schmuck (Which is how I feel re-reading that bit, though I must admit to liking it quite a lot), I'll get down to using more banal vernacular to describe why this movie is a masterpiece. Yes, I said it, it's a fucking masterpiece.
The cinematography is orgasm inducing. The acting is naturalistic and the performances wonderfully nuanced. It blends popular myth with historical accuracy, resulting in something that feels somehow more true than any simple documentary or history book and the attention to detail is bloody astounding.
But, in a way, none of that matters. I mean, it does, but it doesn't. And I'm not making sense, dear god. Just do yourself a favor and GO SEE/RENT/BUY THIS MOVIE!
Another fun highlight is to note how schizophrenic European society is as displayed via the colonists. Sure, they brought the evils of liquor, currency, and alien ailments with them into America, but more than that, you get a sense of the mindset brought over as the most damaging thing. The film really rams home that we, white people, are INSANE. Not all of us, but the majority...though I suppose that can simply be said about mankind as a whole.
Now, is there anything bad about "The New World"? Gee, let me think. Well, ya know, if you're impatient, then maybe. But then why in the fuck are you even watching a Terrence Malick film? Go away man, just skedaddle.
5/5
Seriously, why haven't you already seen this?
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