The New World (2005)

Directed by: Terrence Malick
Starring: Colin Farrell

**1/2

There isn't all that much about The New World that is entertaining. In fact, good portions of it could be considered by some as borderline boring. Its a very slow moving film both in story and style. However, it has something that very few films I've ever seen have and that is in its style. Malick creates an amazing illusion in the way he films this story. Its not documentary but its not narrative... it is, in a way, a peep show.

Historical dramas are always recreating true events and so often the intrigue is in how its done... how certain actors portray characters that we are already familiar with and how events are reinvented in a stylistic and entertaining way. Never, or at least infrequently are we so engrossed in a particular event that we really feel like we are there, experience something that has never happened before. The brilliant subtlty of Malick's style in The New World creates the feeling that we are spying on the events transpiring. When Native Americans gather and watch with confused and curious expressions as ships come ashore their never before discovered land, surprisingly, I really shared that confusion and curiosity.

In the midst of this brilliant style of filmmaking however, I was forced to endure the slow moving development of a non-believable relationship between Captain Smith (Colin Farrell) and Pocahontas (Q'orianka Kilcher) followed by a less than believable one between she and John Rolfe (Christian Bale). Fortunately, performances were well above average and while slow and not believable, all was watchable. While Kilcher's performance was the critically acclaimed or the film, I recognized Christopher Plummer as Captain Newport who gave me two reasons to want him on screen. He was not only a pleasure to watch thanks to his performance, but his character was so in charge, so sure of his actions, so deliberate, that I was much more comfortable having him around. He really kept chaos away from the settlers of the new world and when he was gone, he was clearly missed. A character like that really helps films because by not even being in scenes, conflicts are immediately created.

I give Malick enormous credit for maintaining his style and his pace throughout the film. He really tried (and succeeded) to create that illusion I mentioned regardless of what that meant about the entertainment quality of the film. There is always something to be said for a film that doesn't need a million things going on in order to sustain itself. Granted, when those millions of things going on come together well in a film... it too is a success and often more entertaining from start to finish but that doesn't necessarily make a better film. The New World at times runs long but the fact that everything is so deliberate I'm hard-pressed to suggest that even a frame should have been cut.