The New World (2005)
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A sprawling historical drama depicts the complex relationship between an English explorer and a Native American woman during the founding of the Jamestown settlement.
The story
In 1607, Pocahontas, the adventurous daughter of Chief Powhatan, and others from her tribe witness the arrival of three ships sent by English royal charter to found a colony in the New World. Aboard one ship is Captain John Smith, sentenced to death for mutinous remarks, but once ashore pardoned by Captain Christopher Newport, leader of the expedition. While the settlement's prospects are initially bright, disease, poor discipline, supply shortages, and tensions with local Native Americans, whom Newport calls "the naturals", jeopardize the expedition. Taking a small group upriver to seek trade while Newport returns to England for supplies, Smith is captured by Native Americans and brought before Chief Powhatan.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1607, Pocahontas and her tribe witness the arrival of English ships to found a colony in the New World. Captain John Smith, pardoned after a mutiny, is captured by Native Americans and brought before Chief Powhatan, where Pocahontas intervenes to save him. Smith is treated well by the tribe and falls in love with Pocahontas. When he returns to the struggling Jamestown settlement, he is made governor. During a brutal winter, the settlers are saved by Pocahontas and a rescue party. As tensions rise, Powhatan exiles his daughter. The English later abduct her to negotiate for prisoners. Smith is imprisoned but resumes his affair with her. When Captain Newport returns, Smith chooses to return to England, telling her he died in the crossing. Devasted, Pocahontas is comforted by John Rolfe, to whom she is eventually married. In London, she meets Smith, who reveals he is alive but chose his career over her. She eventually accepts Rolfe as her true husband. She dies in England shortly after, and the film ends with her son playing in a garden, while Rolfe reads a letter about his mother.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 136
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Terrence Malick
- Writers
- Terrence Malick · writer
- Cast and characters
- Colin Farrell · Captain John Smith; Christopher Plummer · Chief Powhatan; Christian Bale · John Rolfe; August Schellenberg · John Smith; Wes Studi · John Rolfe; Q'orianka Kilcher · Pocahontas
- Genres
- historical romantic drama; biographical drama
- Themes
- cultural clash; forbidden love; colonialism; identity
- Tone and mood
- poetic; somber; atmospheric
- Premise and plot tags
- historical fiction; romance; biographical
- Source material / true-story basis
- historical figures
- Reception
- The film was a box-office failure but received several award nominations and was later praised by some critics as one of the best films of the decade.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 63% · scale: percentage · review count: 189; Metacritic · score: 73 · scale: 100 · review count: 38; CinemaScore · score: D+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Cinematography · nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was the first collaboration between Malick and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki.; The film was originally set to be released in November 2005 but was delayed due to editing.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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