Jamie passion and passionfruit!

Legendary (if only for lack of output) director Terrence Malick takes on the Pocohontas story.  This is a visually excellent film as Malick’s films all are, the sound and music (James Horner) are also first class.  It is slow and in an almost documetary style we get to really feel we are in Virginia of 1607 with the textured look that Malick and his crew have created.  Time also stands still and text is sparse giving us the sensation of being in a land that is still part of nature and uncivilised by the world of words.  All of this makes the film special.  Of course, in terms of story the film winds up being less than satisfactory – it sort of peters out in the end and although some interesting dramatic dilemmas emerge, they are, for the most part, unexploited.  I felt in two minds over this.  Yes, the subject matter is safe from a cliched 21^st century Hollywood exploitation and this can only be good, but from the Greeks on we know that the dramatic arts need conflicts, resolution of conflicts  and this is just a little too lethargic in parts.  Colin Farrell does a fair job as Smith.  I found Christian Bale more interesting as Rolfe and Q’orianka Kilcher is a fine Pocahontas.  I saw this on video and would have liked to see it on a huge screen.  All the same it is a good piece of cinema with the reservations I have mentioned above.

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