Friday, June 02, 2006

Weekend Recommendation - The New World (2005)

It was one among the movies I watched this during this Memorial Day weekend. And probably my favorite of them all.

I really wanted to watch it when it was released last year. The beautiful Virginia landscapes would have been even better on the larger screen. Unfortunately it didn't stay on for more than a week. So I had to wait till the DVD came out.

When I say it is a long movie, I am not cutting any corners. It has a running time of 150 mins. I can see lot of you going "Whoah!". Trust me, it was not that difficult. Think of a lovely slow cooked meal. It is impossible to achieve that kind of tenderness and flavor with a fast food approach.

In fact that's exactly the directorial style of Terrence Mallik. If you have watched The Thin Red Line you will know what I mean. He is content to do the slow simmer than blast away with a blow torch. And if you think about it, human emotions are also pretty much the same. They usually simmer away within us and at times blow up too :)

The movie's star performer is undoubtedly Q'orianka Kilcher (With such a cool name how can you not be a star, ay?). She effortlessly portrays the transition of Pocahontas (Interestingly the movie never mentions her name) from a young girl smitten in love with Captain Smith (played by Colin Farrell) to the lovely lady who arrives on the British Shores and charms the King and Queen.

But ultimately the movie belongs to Terrence Mallik. The delicateness and tact with which he handles the entire story is mesmerising. The dialogue in the movie is sparse. And that only serves to enhance the experience. Almost gives one the sense that Mallik has taken a scalpel to the screenplay.

The cinematography is simply outstanding. The shots which intermingle with Smith's narrative are so breathtaking and downright poetic.

"The New World" is ultimately a discovery for all involved - Smith & Co discovered their New World on the shores of US, Pocahontas discovers a new world among the settlers and later in Britain and we discover the sumptuousness of a movie which does not hurry through the details but instead lets us take in every ounce of artistic flair that it has to offer.

My rating : 4.5/5

1 comment:

Vijayeta said...

I watched The New World last month but slept thru it after 45 mins :(
Will try watch it again!
But, i loved your last post Jazz Together... :)
Really sweet! Do continue it soon, please!