The aim of this paper is to analyze Malick’s film with regard to earlier notions of assimilation and othering. By exploring how earlier notions of assimilation, othering and sentimentalism of the late 19th century are combined with a newly interpreted version of the Pocahontas myth, I will analyze the film’s cultural work in the historical context of its making.
In order to do this, I will rely on concepts linked to historical film, and on a comparative approach that takes earlier representations of Native Americans and specific notions like Social Darwinism into account. As a blind person, I am particularly suited to analyze the sound design, since this is a dimension of film that is often ignored. I will therefore pay close attention to the use of music, and to specific techniques of tone like the use of voice-overs. In order to analyze music, I will concentrate on the used instruments, and on the effect that music creates concerning the atmosphere of the film and the film’s interpretation. By considering how concepts and ideas from the 17th and 19th century survive in contemporary media, I want to analyze what happens to these notions when they are adapted to new forms of media (film), and how these old ideas are adapted to an entirely different situation of the present American society.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. THEORY AND METHOD
2.1 CONTEXTUAL APPROACH
2.2 CULTURAL WORK (JANE TOMPKINS)
2.3 HISTORICAL FILM
2.4 ANALYTICAL CATEGORIES OF FILM ANALYSIS
2.4.1 Music and Sound Techniques
2.5 DEFINITIONS OF CENTRAL TERMS AND CONCEPTS
2.5.1 Sentimentalism and the Cross-Cultural Love Plot
2.5.2 The Cruel Indian and the Noble Savage
2.5.3 Othering and Assimilation
2.5.4 Darwinism and the Doomed Race
3. REPRESENTATION OF NATIVE AMERICANS IN AMERICAN LITERATURE AND ART
4. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF THE NEW WORLD
4.1 NATIVE AMERICANS AS NOBLE SAVAGES AND CRUEL INDIANS
4.2 SENTIMENTALISM AND THE CROSS-CULTURAL LOVE PLOT
4.3 OTHERING AND ASSIMILATION
4.4 SOCIAL DARWINISM AND THE DOOMED RACE
4.5 MUSIC AS A MEANS TO CREATE CULTURAL WORK
5. CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Themes
This thesis examines how Terrence Malick's film The New World (2005) integrates historical, cultural, and literary concepts regarding Native Americans. The central research question explores how 17th and 19th-century notions of othering, sentimentalism, and assimilation are adapted into the contemporary medium of film and whether these representations contribute to a more nuanced understanding of indigenous history within present-day American society.
- Contextual analysis of historical film as a medium for social commentary.
- Evaluation of the "Noble Savage" and "Cruel Indian" tropes in cinematography and sound design.
- Examination of sentimentalism and cross-cultural love plots in colonial narratives.
- Critique of Social Darwinism and the concept of the "doomed race" through film analysis.
- Investigation into the role of music and sound in shaping cultural work and audience perspective.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1 Native Americans as Noble Savages and Cruel Indians
As a contemporary film, The New World includes several earlier established notions about Native Americans, and shows the Powhatan tribes as a multi-faceted community. Concepts like the cruel Indians, noble savages, or Native American women that function as mediators between different cultures are central to this film, and relativize each other throughout the story.
At the film’s beginning, the Powhatans appear as muscular, tall characters (cf. 0:09:05). Several jump cuts show the Powhatans as very harmonic and peaceful characters. At first there are only a few Powhatans to see; then they gather around Captain Newport. The camera turns to playing Native American children, and a short scene in which Smith stands in the middle of a crowd of indigenous people follows. The shots change from a low-angle close-up of a Native American, who hears the noise of an axe, to a wide shot in a loose, closed frame, similar to documentations that try to observe animals out of a safe distance. The shot depicts the man from far away, and changes in a tight-opened medium shot that shows the crowding Powhatans around Captain Newport. They speak in a friendly tone with him in Algonquian language, and welcome him. When Smith stands in the middle of Native Americans, he comments on them with a voice-over, which will be quoted at the end of this paragraph. During the different types of shots, there is no music. One only hears the shouts and words of the Powhatans in Algonquian language, their steps in the grass, the sound of a fly, and the laughter of the playing indigenous children. This silence creates a realistic, calm atmosphere that is often associated with the concept of the noble savage. Smith’s voice-over describes the Powhatans as follows: “The savages often visit us kindly... timid, like a herd of curious deer” (0:10:25). This statement already embodies several notions about them. It represents them as a peaceful, cautious people similar to deer that can be associated with pride and shyness.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: This chapter introduces the historical discourse on Native American and European relations, outlining the development of captivity narratives and the shift towards sentimental novels in the 19th century.
2. THEORY AND METHOD: This section defines the foundational concepts used for analysis, including cultural work, the theory of historical film, and specific social constructs like Darwinism and othering.
3. REPRESENTATION OF NATIVE AMERICANS IN AMERICAN LITERATURE AND ART: This chapter analyzes how historical art and literature established the tropes of the "Cruel Indian" and the "Noble Savage" to justify settler ideologies and displacement.
4. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF THE NEW WORLD: This central chapter applies the established theoretical framework to Malick's film, dissecting how sound, lighting, and narrative voice-overs construct and deconstruct historical myths.
5. CONCLUSION: The final chapter summarizes how the film balances contradictory representations to engage in cultural work, concluding that the film provides a platform for critical reflection on colonial history.
Keywords
The New World, Terrence Malick, Pocahontas, Cultural Work, Sentimentalism, Othering, Assimilation, Noble Savage, Cruel Indian, Social Darwinism, Doomed Race, Sound Design, Cross-Cultural Love Plot, Native American Studies, Historical Film.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this thesis?
The thesis focuses on how Terrence Malick's 2005 film The New World portrays Native Americans by reinterpreting historical tropes from the 17th and 19th centuries.
What are the primary thematic fields examined?
The work examines themes such as the "Noble Savage" vs. "Cruel Indian" dichotomy, the impact of assimilation policies, the influence of Social Darwinism, and the use of sentimentalism in cultural narratives.
What is the central research question?
The research explores how historically established notions about indigenous peoples change when adapted to modern cinema and how these adaptations address the realities of present-day American society.
Which methodology is applied in the research?
The author employs a contextual approach combined with film analysis, specifically focusing on sound design, camera work, and voice-overs to identify the "cultural work" of the film.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main part of the work provides an in-depth interpretation of the film, focusing on music usage, representations of cross-cultural love, and specific scenes that critique colonial ideologies.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include Pocahontas, Cultural Work, Othering, Assimilation, Noble Savage, and Social Darwinism.
How does the film use music to influence the viewer's interpretation of Pocahontas?
The thesis argues that Malick uses Wagner's Das Rheingold and specific Native American instrumentation to parallel Pocahontas with the "treasure" of the Nibelungen, highlighting her role as a victim of imperial desire.
Why is the author's background relevant to the analysis?
As a blind student, the author provides a unique perspective on film analysis, placing heightened importance on sound design, silence, and tone—elements often overlooked in purely visual film studies.
- Citar trabajo
- Isabel Kern (Autor), 2016, Pocahontas in Malick's "The New World". A Contextual Analysis, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/469843
