Jamestown Movie Essay

Jasmine Rogers

Western Civilization

3 April 2017

Carringer

Jamestown is vital to American History because the colonization represents coming to terms with a past that at times demonstrated painful and conflicted ideas but eventually laid the foundation of what we know today as modernized America. The founding of Jamestown, America’s very first permanent English colony created a series of cultural encounters that shaped and molded the nation and the world. The government, languages, customs and beliefs of these early native Virginian colonists are all vital to the rich heritage of the United States’ today (Davidson). Jamestown represented freedom, hope, and above all, independence. In the fresh minds of Jamestown’s firsts, this was the land

of opportunity. The lives of the settlers are depicted in Terrence Malicks’ 2008 film, New World, which introduces ideas and perspectives that give the viewer a new stance on the could-be accuracy of the time period. Although the movie focuses mainly on the alleged love interest between Pocahontas and John Smith, there are aspects of the movie that portray the characters and struggles of the settlers in a realistic manner. Conflicts and relationships created a hostile environment for the colonists to evolve. Hostile relationships with natives and the relationship between John Smith and Pocahontas, all proved to have inaccurate distinctions, yet still told the story beautifully.
Almost immediately after their first steps upon this new land, the film shows the inhabitants beginning to cause a ruckus and the settler’s ability to maintain friendships and peace was impossible for the rest of the movie. By the time, John Smith and his fellow colonists landed in Virginia in 1607, many European colonies had failed already. The failing of other colonies was talked about greatly amongst John Rolfe and his team in the film. Harsh winters, defecating diseases, and angry Indians created a dense unlivable environment that doomed colonies (Horn). English colonization however, created powerful destruction and brought unimaginable misery for Indians (Huntley). Near the middle of the film, tensions rise, and the settlement is destroyed by fighting amongst Indians and whites. War in the film was depicted as bloody, gruesome, and overall brutal. Hostilities between the English and Powhatan Indians began a destructive cycle of violence, plundering, and exploitation that would spread over the continent during the following three centuries (“to plan”). The heartbreaking story of the native people’s lives began with the destruction of their land, culture, and lives (Mcpeak). All the circumstances in the film that made colonization impossible was depicted in a visually appealing way, and allowed the audience to get a glimpse of the hardships that followed.
One of our country’s founding fathers, John Smith, exhibited an adventuresome, well-rounded, and strong leadership spirit which led to his great fame.

Despite his portrayal in many movies, mysteries still surround this American hero. In Malick’s version, Smith is characterized as a fearless, yet cold character with little substance and the need for reassurance due to his loss of respect while on the voyaging ship. In the film, trouble looms and John Smith is brutally captured by the natives. A painting of John Smith evokes the popular image of a romanticized detail of the man who was rescued by the legendary Pocahontas, which is over-portrayed throughout the movie. Important aspects of Smith’s literary achievements in the following decades contributed invaluable knowledge to England's imperial aspirations, yet had little mentioning in the movie (Horn). Many historians once believed that the heroic adventures described in his writings were simply to promote himself, but the majority of Smith’s writings depicted the truthful reality for the new settlers (“Rewriting”). As a Protestant, Smith was dedicated to a Protestant Slovenic battalion under a Count Modrich, to whom he remained loyal through his coming campaigns. Loyalty is a questionable trait for New World Smith because he literally leaves his peoples for many months, and maybe even a year. This part of the movie did not make sense to me because he did not bother to even tell them where he was going, yet he still is seen

as an adventurer with brains when he returns. Realistically, John Smith loved his people and would never betray their trust nor safety.
Indian “princess” Pocahontas is commonly thought of as the trusty sidekick of John Smith, and the leading force that drove unity amongst the white settlers and her native peoples.

Reputedly, the favorite daughter of the Algonquian chief Powhatan, Pocahontas contributed a significant role to the success of Jamestown and played a dramatic role in the life of John Smith. Despite what the movie portrays, there is little evidence that she ever had relationships with John Smith. She is clearly a mature woman in the film, however when discovered by the Puritans, she was merely 10 years old (Vaughan). However, she did contribute to the colony by providing food, teaching settlers to grow their own food, and by cooking food for the settlers (“To make”), which was seen various times in the movie, and she even fed the sick John Smith. Besides being a teaching tool for the new and uninformed foreigners, she also learned and adapted to the language well enough to act as a informer between Indians and settlers (Horn). The communication barrier led to a great deal of hardship between the peoples, however Pocahontas was the glue that kept both sides at ease. John Smith claimed in one of his writings that she saved his life when her father was going to execute him by placing her head upon him, which was accurately depicted in the film. Later the English held Pocahontas captive near Jamestown, where she was forced to be baptized and convert into Christianity( Vaughan). One aspect of the movie

that was really enjoyable was the scenes following the breakup of Pocahontas and her fictional lover John Smith because the audience was engaged in her life after Jamestown. Her marriage to John Rolfe was indeed sadness due to the loss of her family and customs, and the new restraints English women were subjected to was a hard adjustment(Ankeny). The push to be a Christian was clearly seen as a sorrowful change for Pocahontas. Seeing the other side of Pocahontas’ story made her and even more important character for the English, because she proved all misconceptions talked about in the film incorrect. Both before her work and long after her death, Pocahontas remains a mystery to America’s story because she did not write any of her circumstances, so none of her true feelings and thoughts are known (Huntley). In the film, all of her thoughts are spoken so at least the viewer has a simple understanding of what she may have been thinking.
The English knew Pocahontas was the favorite daughter of the wonderful Powhatan, and was seen as an important person. On one occasion, she was sent to negotiate for the release of prisoners. According to Smith’s writings, it was for Pocahontas that he released them finally (Vaughn). Pocahontas’ work to release the prisoners was shown in the movie as well. As time passed, the settlers and the Indians began to come on bad terms in their friendship.
Terrence Malick's The New World contains numerous historical inaccuracies that some would argue undermine the significance and usefulness of the film as a depiction of American history. The relationship between John Smith and Pocahontas that the film portrays is more than likely fiction, and was never clearly documented. The foundation of America’s success and their depictions in Malick’s New World is flawed, yet still gives both characters accurate credit for their roles as predecessors. Additionally, the voiceovers that are such a necessary narrative vehicle in the film are entirely invented by the producers of the movie, which have little resemblance to the diaries John Smith kept. However, rather than undermining the historical relevance of the film, these internal thoughts add a degree of realism that is never included in more conventional historical films, and because of this, I believe the movie was interesting.