 |
It goes without saying that ‘Pocahontas’ is not remotely historically accurate and takes enormous liberties with the past. This isn’t automatically a terrible thing, because an animated movie aimed at kids would struggle to depict a clash of civilisations like this in a way that was both true to life and appropriate. Personally, I really like films set in the past even when they deviate a bit, because I enjoy following up the film by looking up the true story and context. But ‘Pocahontas’ is different, firstly because it is a Disney film. The fact that it is a Disney film gives it an extra responsibility, not necessarily to stick strictly to the past, but to leave an accurate impression, because Disney films have a habit of embedding themselves so deeply in popular culture that they become the accepted version. Looking at some of the publicity and behind the scenes stuff made for this film really brought to my attention the thing about it that annoys me most: Disney totally knows that it has this responsibility and they’ve chosen to rewrite history. Disney’s ‘Making of Pocahontas’ documentary vaguely acknowledges that the film is based on Pocahontas folklore as well as the reality, but still makes out that it captures the ‘spirit’ of the real characters. It doesn’t though. Because it is determined to make people believe that the centre of this story is a romance between Pocahontas and John Smith. The problem is, there is no evidence at all that this romance actually happened. The director comments that ‘Pocahontas was a little younger in real life than she is in the film’. Yeah. She was ten or eleven in real life. John Smith’s character is perhaps my least favourite in the film, and is quite unrecognisable from the man who emerges when reading the pages of his own diary. The film goes out of its way to present him as a virtually flawless hero who is also compassionate. As a result, his prejudices don’t fit and the idea that he’s killed many ‘savages’ in the past is not at all believable. This is the kind of problem you come across when attempting to adapt seventeenth century morals for the late twentieth century. I think what frustrates me the most is the fact that the true story of Pocahontas is incredibly interesting, but it isn’t the story that’s told here. In fact, if you removed the totally fictitious romance you could instead tell a suitably cinematic story about the eleven-year-old girl who really was caught between two conflicting societies. Pocahontas was genuinely instrumental in bringing peace between the English and her native tribe, so this should have been presented as the central storyline, rather than just as a by-product of her love for John Smith. But, to end on a positive, I still appreciate the movie for the encouraging message that’s bundled up underneath the romance. ‘If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you’ll learn things you never knew you never knew’. In a comment on ‘Colours of the Wind’ on YouTube (yeah, I kind of love that song now) one person recalled how they had grown up influenced by a deeply prejudiced father, and it was this film that had made them see things differently. [Review copy and pasted from 'Movie Education' blog]Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Quite a sad film but it brilliantly portrays a very brave woman. Well written, good animation, clear voices.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Fast and good quality
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
My disabled daughter loves all things Disney.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Arrived on time in great condition
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best-selling in DVDs & Blu-rays
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on DVDs & Blu-rays
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
