New World...a somewhat pretentious bore

Films/DVD Asylum

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I know many posted praise for this film. But I found it to be a chore to keep watching after 30 minutes. No story, no dialogue, no acting, no context. It lurches from event to event without continuity. It has caricatures instead of characters. The colonists were just part of the set, like the rustic furniture. Much of Ye Olde English dialogue was unintelligible. The simplistic treatment of the Indians as innocents with little to do but keep their faces painted in amazingly complex patterns was trite.
As for its reported cinematic beauty; its on par with an Irish Spring soap commercial but not as interesting. The softness of the Virginia landscape is overdone; some bright sunshine and blue sky might have eased Farrell's ever-pained expression. No offense to Virginians, but its not exactly Yosemite.
Its as if the film with the key scenes was lost and Malick just spliced together all the 2nd Location and background stuff. Even James Horner's music was a disappointment. Usually excellent, here he relied on an unremarkable imitation of the Siegfried Idyll that rose on cue to remind which scenes were "beautiful".
Malick may be good cinematographer, but he shouldn't be a director and his box-office record shows it. Its too bad that the rich potential (C. Farrell excepted) that he had available was squandered.

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Topic - New World...a somewhat pretentious bore - DWPC 12:02:02 05/15/06 (7)

An inevitable result of relying on the visual element to carry a story (likewise the "music" element). - clarkjohnsen 07:26:33 05/16/06 (0)

funny...one man's art is another's pretentious bore...differing opinions...that's what make the world go round! - TWB 20:52:23 05/15/06 (0)

Malick is a bore. Hollywood's answer to Yoko Ono. nt - tinear 14:08:47 05/15/06 (3)

Ono? Oh, no... - dave c 14:50:24 05/15/06 (2)

Badlands I found an amusing - tinear 16:09:45 05/15/06 (1)

Yes - dave c 16:44:01 05/15/06 (0)

The score "rose on cue"... - dave c 13:08:04 05/15/06 (0)

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