The box-office failure that critics later called a masterpiece
In short: When Terrence Malick’s The New World arrived in 2006, it was met with bafflement and even hostility. Despite a disastrous theatrical run and a low audience grade, the film has since been resurrected by critics as one of the greatest cinematic achievements of its decade.
Released in January 200/6, Terrence Malick's historical drama depicts the 1607 founding of the Jamestown settlement. While the film was a commercial failure—earning a 'D+' CinemaScore from audiences—its legacy has undergone a profound critical transformation. Initially met with a mildly positive response, several critics later ranked it among the best films of the decade. By 2009, Time Out New York named it the fourth best film of the decade, and critic Mick LaSalle even designated it the number one film of the decade.
The film's production was a feat of meticulous authenticity. Malick collaborated with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki to create a visual experience that utilized a reconstructed, extinct form of the Powhatan language, trained by linguistics professor Blair Rudes. The production even utilized footage from England's Hatfield House. However, the film's narrative structure was famously fluid; Malick is known for editing up to the last minute, even altering the 135-minute wide release to speed the plot after a 150-minute version was shown to critics.
While the film presents a sweeping romance between Captain John Smith and Pocahontas, historians note significant discrepancies. Scholars agree that no romantic relationship existed between the two, as Pocahontas would have been only 12 years old in 1608. The film also portrays her marriage to John Rolfe as more socially accepted than the historical reality. Despite these inaccuracies, the film remains a celebrated 'tone poem' for its atmospheric power and visual artistry.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The New World (2005 film)
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