1998, Walt Disney Pictures
Animation
Rating: G
Approx. 73 mins.
THE STORY:
Once again, Pocahontas is compelled to ease tensions between her First Nations community and the European settlers. This time, however, most of her battle takes place at the court of the English king, whom she tries to convince of the need to respect rather than annihilate her people. Aided by sympathetic white man John Rolfe (Billy Zane), she adopts European airs in order to prove she is not a savage. In the end, however, it is only by being true to herself and her culture that she reveals exactly which side is uncivilized.
QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:
QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:
- none
VIOLENCE:
- 1 fight scene with no death/ significant injury
TEACHING POINTS:
- be true to yourself
- don't expect others to respect you if you don't respect yourself
- starting point for discussions about stereotypes, assumptions about others
THE UPSHOT:
The grown ups in the room didn't particularly enjoy this one, but the 5 year-old in the room liked the princessy, cult-of-Disney elements.
One of my main issues was the typical black and white, pure good vs pure evil aspects of the story that are so typical of Disney films. Boring and unrealistic.
I also have some issues with the way the romantic relationship is presented. In the first installment, Pocahontas fawned over John Smith, the sympathetic white man who had to return to England. Here, she fawns over John Rolfe, the sympathetic white man who returns to England with her. Presumably to indicate that she is not fickle (or promiscuous), John Smith is turned into a self-absorbed fop, completely legitimizing his replacement with a new and improved suitor. Easy peasy, just like real life... not.
There are some positive lessons to be extrapolated about what it means to be 'civilized' and the biases with which we approach the unknown. Plus, it is harmless enough. If I were to rate this purely as a movie, I would give it a 1/5, but as a kid's movie and taking into consideration the 5 year-old in the room's response...
One of my main issues was the typical black and white, pure good vs pure evil aspects of the story that are so typical of Disney films. Boring and unrealistic.
I also have some issues with the way the romantic relationship is presented. In the first installment, Pocahontas fawned over John Smith, the sympathetic white man who had to return to England. Here, she fawns over John Rolfe, the sympathetic white man who returns to England with her. Presumably to indicate that she is not fickle (or promiscuous), John Smith is turned into a self-absorbed fop, completely legitimizing his replacement with a new and improved suitor. Easy peasy, just like real life... not.
There are some positive lessons to be extrapolated about what it means to be 'civilized' and the biases with which we approach the unknown. Plus, it is harmless enough. If I were to rate this purely as a movie, I would give it a 1/5, but as a kid's movie and taking into consideration the 5 year-old in the room's response...
3/5
No comments:
Post a Comment