Pocahontas

Introduction

      Alright you Disney fans, dreamers, and over-thinkers like me. I love Disney with a relentless passion so I have committed to watching at least one Disney movie each week and cataloging my discoveries, revelations and thoughts (I will be sure to keep from boring you to tears). I honestly believe that Disney has much more depth than most claim. Sure, they're kids' movies, but they also carry some super heavy, deep, adult stuff. So here it goes.

     

Pocahontas

     So this week I sat down and watched Pocahontas as the first movie of my blog. It hasn't been forever since I've watched it, only a few months. That's what's great about Disney though: it never gets old.
    The movie starts in 1607, watching men say goodbye to their dear families as they head off into the New World to mine some gold and kick some savage butt.

     Poor Thomas (btw: Christian Bale *insert excited squeal here*) . Really though, everyone forgets that's he has a woman. I truly believe that one of the saddest moments in the film is watching Thomas leave his family.

    Enter: Hunky animated Mel Gibson. They start the movie developing John Smith as this flawless hero, saving poor, dear Thomas and being completely admired by the sailors like a steak on a vegetable platter.. That is why his relationship with Pocahontas is so significant: she reveals his flaws. It shows that love does not have to be perfection and couples in love do not have to see each other as perfect. Love makes us want to be better.

      Then we meet this guy:

     "That man's pink bows and pigtails are really attractive!" Said no one ever. Turns out he is a huge douchebag. Who would have guessed?

     Flash-forward to a tribal village. There are a lot of shots of Native American families, and hunky warriors. What strikes me about these few shots are the contrast they pose to the Englishmen. We have seen them act like immature schoolboys and here are these poised natives. What's really fascinating is the water metaphor. The Englishmen have just fallen victim to a storm at sea, that included chaotic waves and dangerous conditions, yet the rivers near the natives are so calm (later Pocahontas disagrees. We'll get to that). Right away, Disney is demonstrating the relativity of the word "savage" and also pulling out some irony.

     And finally we see the title character, a beautiful native woman diving off a cliff.  Normal, right?

      I sometimes get this sneaky feeling that she would not have survived that fall. But, hey, the real Pocahontas was 12 and had no romantic interest in John Smith whatsoever so it's not really fair to claim the reality card. So here we are: an airy, fun teenage girl and her sassy sidekick as well as a troublesome raccoon and a shockingly mature hummingbird (if anything, I'd want to be a Disney princess for the animal sidekicks). 

      Then we see the dreamy Kocoum. *swoon* 

      "I especially love his smile." Don't you just love Disney sarcasm? Hey, Kocoum:

     

     
Now after a huge incident in which her father tells her that she should marry Kocoum, and he gives her a necklace from her dead mother (we'll get to that), she heads out on the river and makes the stunning accusation that a river is dangerous and chaotic and not at all calm. Meaning, if we stick to my symbolic water theory, barbarity is completely relative. As they say later, savage is different, so the queen of England could be savage as long as there is someone out there with a grand enough contrast in lifestyle. 

      Pocahontas is now completely torn between marrying Kocoum because he is "handsome and sturdy" or being her own woman, so she does what any sensible teenage girl does: she goes and talks to this creepy talking tree. No big deal. (I don't want to discredit Grandmother Willow as she will always have a special place in my heart). They talk about compasses and life and all sorts of stuff and dreams about strange clouds. Then all of the sudden, low and behold, strange clouds!

Hate to burst your bubble, but those are definitely sails. 

     Now we leave Pocahontas who is having this huge internal struggle about marriage and clouds and whatnot and go to Governor Ratcliffe who is evidently having his own dilemma about those "savages".  Remember Ratcliffe? Creepy pigtail dude? His right-hand man has this brilliant idea 

about gift baskets. 

Who just brings gift baskets on a multi-month sea voyage? This guy is prepared.

    Bummer, the natives find out about the colonists. Most people think that Disney implies racism throughout it's use of characters and themes. This movie is the perfect one to contradict those 

theories. The corruption of the exploratory era and overall European mindset is accurately portrayed in this film. Also there is an ethnically diverse princess who is perhaps the most independent Disney has seen. I will address this more later.

     I would like to take this moment to say that "Mine" is one of the best Disney songs. The double 

meaning, melody, everything is just great. Props to Alan Menkin. 

                                      Nothing makes the ladies squirm like those pigtails though. 

    Another great thing about that song is that it contrasts Ratcliffe with John Smith so well. Ratcliffe 

spends the song singing about how beautiful gold and all things shiny are. It's a very superficial form 

of beauty. Smith, on the other hand, nails this solo about how beautiful America is. That demonstrates a more humble form of beauty. In simple terms: Smith=GOOD; Pigtail Man=BAD.

      After Smith nails his solo, he frolics about the forest for a bit before coming across a stream. All is well and normal until suddenly.....BABE!

                                        If only this happened more often when hunting, right, men?

    The music in this sequence is especially wonderful because it introduces a new theme. The music played when the colonists are about plays with Celtic themes. There is a lot of woodwinds and jovial melodies as well as the common repetition. Mostly, there is a distinct emphasis on wind instruments. When the natives are being shown, however, the music has harsher melodies with more of an ominous undertone. This doesn't necessarily indicate barbarism or danger, but is strictly a 

contrast from the colonists. The native music places emphasis on percussion and little emphasis on wind instruments. In this sequence, when Smith and Pocahontas meet, the music is soft and ballad-

like. Ballads are often used as a way of expressing love, so right off the bat there is that promise of romance. The score uses violins and cellos in this part far more than in the others. This music isolates the two, showing their involvement in the moment as well as the isolating effects of true love. In case you need a recap, colonists are woodwinds, natives are percussion, and Smith and Pocahontas are 

strings. Once again, props to Alan Menkin.

     Obviously Pocahontas can't speak English and Smith can't speak...whatever it is that Pocahontas' tribe spoke. It's hard to make your move when a chick doesn't even speak English. Then Grandmother Willow starts singing, "Listen with your heart. You will understand" in the background. Suddenly, 

Pocahontas speaks perfect English. For some reason, I never understood that until now. 

     On the other side of the movie, the natives start looking in on the colonists. I would be a little concerned too if people started digging in my backyard.  A fight breaks out which is completely unfair because the natives only have about three people on their side AND they have less advanced weaponry. 

(From IMDB) Governor Ratcliffe [after witnessing Thomas' lack of proficiency in using a rifle]: "Learn to use that thing properly. A man's not a man unless he knows how to shoot." ...or wears pigtails. Either one works. 

                                           

       Close up of John Smith. *Swoon*. He and Pocahontas get some quality bonding time and examine the extreme culture clash between them. She teaches him how to say hi (Wingapo) and what corn is and he shows her crackers and his dreamy face. Although his eyebrows don't match his hair 

color so that is a bummer. He makes a few stupid moves and ruins his entire play, and continues digging a hole until Pocahontas tells him off. She is definitely her own woman. To those haters out 

there who think Disney is sexist: tell that to Pocahontas. She stands up for herself and doesn't need a man. She makes her own choices and lives for herself. She is the ultimate role model (although, you have to wonder if she's the one your mother is talking about when she says, "If your friends jumped 

off a cliff, would you?")

       Then we plummet into a deep song about the subjectivity of  savageness. In other news, picking up a bear cub right in front of its mama is not the wisest thing to do. Somebody should probably be tallying how many times she could have died in this film. So this song addresses some profound racial issues and greediness. "You can own the earth and still all you'll own is earth until you can paint with all the colors of the wind."

       After the song, it's back to Grandmother Willow.

                                             

                                                                         Smart tree.

     Grandmother Willow talks some more about listening to your heart.

     The next scene, Smith teaches Thomas how to shoot a gun. This will be significant, I promise. All of the characters in this film have so much societal and peer pressure. Nakoma is friends with 

Pocahontas, pressuring her to choose between protecting her friends privacy or safety. Does she 

always side with Pocahontas or does she do what's best for her people? Her character is in an immensely difficult position. Thomas is put under pressure by his peers who are more accomplished 

than he is. He has to rise up and overcome his underdog status. Smith has a battle with his morals. He has the moral compass he was raised with but is also discovering a more instinctual type of morality 

through his love for Pocahontas. Then there is Pocahontas, the queen of pressure. She has to constantly decide between constant stability or spontaneous liberty. If she chooses the former, she cannot be herself or be happy and yet if she chooses the latter, she will be ostracized. 

       It's already been widely addressed that Disney's telling of Pocahontas mimics Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In case you haven't heard the translations, Pocahontas and Smith are Romeo and Juliet, Kocoum is Tybalt, Prince of Cats. Thomas is Mercutio. It could also be argued that Thomas is Benvolio because he is such a peacekeeper, but later events contradict that theory.

      Another point I would like to address: Kocoum is NOT a bad guy! He is a guy who defends his village, respects his leaders, and loves a girl. You can root for Pocahontas and still like Kocoum. If anything, pity him. He had a great thing going for him: a good career, killer abs, a possible fling with the boss's daughter. Then these idiots came to town and took it all from him. That being said, his death is really sad. The fact that the last thing he does is reach for Pocahontas shows that he really does love her deeply. Also, the necklace is symbolic of peace. Pocahontas' father gives it to her when everything is most calm. The breaking of the necklace symbolizes the shattering of said peace and the the plunge into utter chaos and rivalry. This is why its significant that John Smith teaches Thomas how to shoot: Thomas shoots Kocoum, whose murder leads to Smith's own capture and planned execution. Oh, the irony. 

         I'm going to talk about colors now. The movie is color coded, if you notice. The colonists are 

purple:

The Natives are red:

And Pocahontas and John Smith are blue, the most calm and soothing color of the group. The necklace is also blue.

These themes play out across the entire movie (along with the musical themes) if you notice. It really conveyed the separatism of the cultures and their hatred of each other. The colors also work to separate Pocahontas and Smith into their own world, beautifully conveying love at its finest.

     Remember, kids, people are not killed by guns and knives; people are killed by hate.

     Now at last we have reached the infamous tent scene which can only be described as HAAWWWTT!!!!!

Seriously! His shirt is ripped open, the lights are low (notice the blue), her hands are all over his chest, they're throwing out lines like, "I'd rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years without knowing you". There's even some bondage if you're into that sort of thing. 

     Once you cool down from that, we move into this glorious song, divided into three parts (colonists, natives, and Pocahontas). This once again supports the division of culture. Then Pocahontas stops her father from murdering her boyfriend and her father, being the reasonable man he is, calls off the execution. I always admired her father because it takes a strong person to be able to admit to being wrong in a place of authority. Especially to one of your children.

     Another thing I admire: John Smith and Pocahontas don't immediately jump into making out, but instead share a warm, emotional hug.

It decreases the emphasis in culture on physical love and shows that mature romance can be as simple as hugging. Once again: role model. It is so beautiful.....until he gets shot that is. Then the party's over.

Jump to the ending. This ending proves that Disney does not always have flawlessly happy endings but that there are devastating endings. That parallels to real life. Not everything is going to turn out okay. We have to make difficult decisions and Pocahontas made one. And the necklace is restored again, meaning peace is back. Pocahontas made a hard choice, choosing between what was best for her people or adventure. It is the same question that the movie has been constantly asking, and in the end, surprisingly, Pocahontas realizes that sometimes stability is necessary. She goes back to her "handsome and sturdy" life, leaving her true love for obligation. It's tragic but it happens. We make these decisions everyday and this movie shows that we do not have to succumb to guilt or shame for what we choose. 

Anyway, John leaves, devastated, and Pocahontas runs to see him (which is where I always start crying). Pocahontas only runs four times that I counted in this movie: once away from John, once with John, once to rescue John, and once to say goodbye  to John. Their relationship can be summarized just by the running that happened during it. She goes to the cliff to wave goodbye. And he waves Wingapo, which in case you forgot, is hello not goodbye. This is the most beautiful of all. 

Grab your hankies, folks. 

In conclusion, I laughed, I cried, I got chills. This movie made my childhood and is still a huge part of me. There are elements in this movie that make it extremely watchable for both children and adults. It's timeless, the type of story that leaves you craving afterwards. That's all I have for this week, though. I hope I wasn't too long-winded. Please watch Pocahontas if you haven't recently. You won't be disappointed (a man in pigtails, Christian Bale, attractive animated men, gift baskets. Who could be disappointed?)