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New World (The)
R3 - Hong Kong - Panorama Distributions Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak and Shahir Daud (16th August 2006). |
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The Film
 Fans of Terrence Malick are probably just glad that it didn't take another twenty years for the reclusive auteur to direct another film. "The New World" comes hotly anticipated after his mesmerizing Oscar nominated WWII extravaganza "The Thin Red Line" (1998). Despite the anticipation, star studded cast and controversial subject matter, "The New World" seems to have been buried by distributors, and finally makes it debut on DVD. Shame too, since "The New World" not only affirms Malick as one of the genuine living master filmmakers of our time, but is a haunting, sublime and exhilarating look at the formation of America as a union between nature and technology; English settlers and Native Americans, and the body and spirit. The significance of the Pocahontas story, regardless of its historical accuracy has always been appropriated as the great American tale, perhaps more insidiously it marks the assimilation of the native American with the English settlers. Historians would argue that the great myth of Pocahontas (played here by newcomer Q'Orianka Kilcher) throwing herself upon Captain John Smith (Colin Ferrell) to save him from death may not have in fact been the heroic act Smith saw it as, but Malick smartly interprets it as both an act of affection from Pocahontas and an initiation into the Powhatan tribe. Smith arrives to the titular new world a prisoner, but is soon freed to explore and liaise with the 'naturals'. He meets a young Pocahontas whom he falls deeply in love. And so begins the great affair which unites the two waging factions. In The Disney company's hands, the romance epitomises the spirit of racial harmony (despite the eventual obliteration of native lands by English settlers), while Malick turns his camera towards the sky, the land and the waters surrounding our lovers. Their union forming the new country and their naivety sowing the soil of future wars. Like all of Malick's leading men, Ferrell's Smith is a haunted fragment of a human being, reinvigorated by nature. The decision to play his muse at her genuine age (she was somewhere between 10 and 12 when they met) may be unsettling, but highlights the youthful innocence he was so attracted to. Q'Orianka Kilcher may be a relative newcomer, but her presence is magnetic in every scene, making her Pocahontas more haunting and beautiful than any Disney cartoon. Another aspect to note is that prior to start of photography Malick and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki established a dogma in respect to how the photography would be handled on this film. The rules they followed included that everything was to be shot in natural light, They used no cranes or dolly shots (only a combination of handheld and Steadicam shots), everything is shot in the subjective view, all shots are 'deep-focus shots' (foreground and background are visible and focused), the camera crew were encouraged to go and shoot unexpected things that might happen in accident or if instinct told them to. Malick was selective in his shots and as a result many shots that did not exhibit 'visual strength' were dropped (as a result the filmmaker had shot over a million feet of film to construct his final cut with). Unconventional by contemporary means, Malick and Lubezki followed these rules effortlessly and the result makes the film all the more beautiful. There are few films that capture me so completely that I almost never want them to end, "The New World" is one of them.
Video
This film is presented in its original theatrical ratio of 2.40:1 this anamorphic transfer is much like the film itself beautiful. The image is as pristine as one could have hoped for. The image is sharp and detail is as infinite as DVD can deliver. Blacks are deep and bold and shadow detail exhibits fine detail and is consistent throughout the entire film. Colors are lush and vibrant, while skin tones are accurate and natural. The natural photography shines in this transfer and is certainly one of the best transfers for a film I have seen this year.
Audio
Three audio tracks are included on this film, All of which are in English. We have a half bit-rate DTS 5.1 track, a Dolby Digital 5.1 plus a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track which if you don't select your preferred sound option is the default track. For the purposes of this review I chose to view the film with its DTS track and much like the image I am happy to report that its a splendid affair. The dialogue is clean and presented distortion free. While the dialogue is clean it's the atmospheric surrounds, directional effects and the music that shine on this track. They make effective use of the 5.1 channels as to immense the viewer in this film. The surrounds are subtle when when they have to be and active and punchy as required (such as the battle scenes with the natives). The mix brings out the natural environment of the location to life and makes for a wonderful listening experience. This film includes some Native American dialogue, for these scenes English subtitles are brunt into the print. Additionally optional subtitles are also included in both Chinese and English.
Extras
None!
Overall
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