Pocahontas (1995)
Written by Carl Binder, Susannah Grant, & Philip LaZebnik
Directed by Mike Gabriel & Eric Goldberg
A lot changes in 42 years. 42 years ago, in 1976, the average national gas price was $0.56/gallon. No cell phones. No Facebook. No internet. And, 42 years before the premiere of Pocahontas, in 1995, Disney released Peter Pan.
It’s amazing to see the difference in the portrayal of Native Americans between those two films. While, admittedly, Pocahontas is not at all historically accurate, it still is a much more sympathetic depiction of Native Americans than was the case in Peter Pan. The settlers in the story might still treat them the same, but the film attempts to be a fair and impartial jury on the matter.
John Smith meets Pocahontas
Perhaps that’s the problem with Pocahontas: as gorgeous as the film is, it’s subject matter is just too weighty, with too much history, to be so easily stripped down and digested. This country’s treatment of Native Americans has always been egregiously abhorrent, and to properly tell this story, one has to have all the background that led to it, in order to fully appreciate what really happened, and how it led to what happened next.
“Colors of the Wind” is the standout of the score
There are, of course, good parts about the film. The score is one of my personal favorites (although the song “Savages”, while a brilliant display of the message the film is desperately trying to convey, is just a poorly written song). Also, hearing Mel Gibson sing is just...not something I would wish on anyone (he’s heard much more in a deleted song from the film, “If I Never Knew You”, which is a heartbreakingly beautiful song, marred only by Gibson opening his mouth). “Colors of the Wind” reaches the ranks of the great Disney songs, but there are more that are right behind it.
Cute, yes, but get on with the story!
There are other qualms, too: The animal sidekicks, as cute as they are (MEEKO), are beginning to be a trope unto themselves even by this point, and it just feels gratuitous, as if children won’t follow the story so here’s some dumb animals doing dumb things to make you laugh. I’m not saying banish them from the film entirely, but I also don’t need whole sequences devoted to them. Respect the kids, don’t pander to them.
I haven’t touched on it, but the finale of this movie WRECKS ME
Another issue I have is the language barrier, and how Pocahontas just magically learns to speak English, and by the film’s end, everyone can understand everyone, but on the other hand, I get it, you have to be able to tell the story somehow.
I’m glad this movie exists, more than I’m not. I think it was a good try, and while it certainly doesn’t at all make up for what‘s been in past Disney films, it’s a step in the right direction. It’s been 23 years since this film was released, perhaps it’s time to try again. I think we owe at least that to the original Americans.
FINAL GRADE: B
