Truth And Fiction In The Film 'Pocahontas'

The Truth and Myths of Pocahontas Pocahontas is a character in a film with the same name that debuted in 1995 and won many accolades for observation of American Indian cultural heritage, and originality. In the film, Pocahontas plays the lead role, a high-spirited young woman that encounters English settlers and proceeds to act as the bridge between them and her own world. In the process of creating a story whether fictional or real, aspects of reality are normally inserted. This may be purely for entertainment purposes, or to insert elements of historical accuracy. The analysis of the extent of truth and fiction in the character and film Pocahontas presents a clearer understanding of the authentic nature of film. From the onset, it is apparent
that there are a myriad of errors and inaccurate portrayals of the Powhatan community, their traditions, as well as their contact with English explorers. The main character in the film was called Pocahontas or “the naughty one”. However, this name was purely fictional as the real name of the girl was Matoaka. Consequently, it would have been impossible for Pocahontas or Matoaka to pose any significant resistance to the English band because she was probably between 9 and 11 years of age. Her exact description was probably a rough, determined, self-promoting mercenary warrior. Furthermore, the portrayal of the Indians as a savage and resistant community was grossly manipulated to justify the needless war against them. In fact, the conflict between the English and American Indians had a deep economic foundation that was triggered by the assumption that gold was available in the region. Earlier accounts of John Smith’s travels across Indian Territory contained elements of first class hospitality in the hands of Powhatan and his clan. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the Pocahontas experience was accurate (Rountree 67). The conclusion of the Disney film was also altered in a way that changed the actual events that took place. At around the age of 17, Pocahontas was abducted while on her visit to England and imprisoned in Jamestown. Later on, she was released on the condition that she would marry one John Rolfe in 1614 and change her name to Rebecca. Lastly, after the death of Chief Powhatan, Rolfe and Smith together with other settlers ultimately took over the Indian resources and decimated the remaining members of the tribe. This signified the start of a trend that replicated itself throughout the continent. However, in the Disney film, the story ends with the chief and the English explorers making peace with each other and reconciling their differences. This difference in version is responsible for teaching a whole generation of American that have a corrupted idea of their history. In 1992, the year when the film was produced Disney mentioned in their pre-launch documentary that the upcoming Pocahontas film would be based on the myths and folklore enveloping Pocahontas, given that even historians and sociologists failed to come to a consensus concerning the actual events that transpired in that period. Nonetheless, since they were aware of the extent of fantasy that was being published and filmed, the entertainment company preferred to offers a positive portrayal of the American Indians. This was achieved through enlisting the expertise of American Indian activists, such as Russell Means, to ensure that the film reflected a high level of historical and cultural accuracy (Rountree 16). Means was in charge of introducing all the elements of American Indian and early English presence in the film and even made remarks applauding the level of accuracy in the film. In the face of such a restricted and biased source of information, it would be impossible to expect Disney to release an accurate reenactment of the events. The most prominent accounts of what transpired originate from Captain John Smith himself, through his publications such as A True Relation (1607) and The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles. The last text contained a far-reaching account that was authored many years after the Pocahontas event and during an explicit war between the Powhatan and the English. Therefore, prejudice and misinformation have contributed greatly towards shaping the accounts. Similarly, when some elements of John Smith’s accounts are compared against the cultural traditions among the Powhatan, a significant part of them fail to make sense. These gaps in explanation serve to increase the dubious nature of the sources as well as the film that was based on them (Rountree 34). The Disney version of Pocahontas was also responsible for painting the protagonists in a manner that would be appealing to the target audience.
First, they increased the age of Pocahontas by more than 10 years and then promoting Ratcliffe to become a villain. It was commendable enough to note that Disney rarely strayed from the actual characteristics of the real people. Smith was still portrayed as a man with excellent leadership qualities and made a significant effort to correspond with the native Indians while Pocahontas was still mischievous. The directors of the film also sought to reduce the amount of details and shorten others with the intention of fitting the plot within an acceptable time limit. For instance, the film has a lower number of scenes, props, and individuals when compared to the actual population and situation. While this can be attributed to the restricted budget and the limitation of the recording platform, it still contributes towards the difference between the real event and the
reenactment. The first encounter between Pocahontas and Captain John Smith is perhaps one of the most captivating moments of the Disney film.
In the scene, Pocahontas slowly follows the handsome captain until they meet in an awkward situation where the captain points a weapon at her only to be struck speechless by her beauty (Rountree 24). The pair immediately launch into a discussion about the need for the Indian civilization to adopt a modern lifestyle and the need for land exploitation. The two carry on with their secret meetings until they fall in love and live happily ever after. However, the historical version is far more different. For one, there was no clear romantic involvement between the two even during their first and subsequent meetings. Variations of the account by Mossiker include an aspect of a romantic affair but even this author aged Pocahontas to make the relationship seem more appropriate. The Disney producers also made an oversight concerning the language barriers (Custalow and Angela 45). It is evident that Captain John Smith would have been unable to speak the Indian language having been an explorer to the region for the first
time. The following conclusions can be made concerning the authenticity of the Disney film, Pocahontas. One, while it borrows heavily from the actual Pocahontas account that happened around 1612, it uses the information in a biased manner (Rountree 52). Within the film, the characters shared similar names and roles. However, the plot was twisted in a way that achieved a specific end rather than directly replicating the historical events. Two, the directors of the film included a secret agenda that painted the efforts of the English explorers are genuine and beneficial. In reality, the exploitative relationship of Captain John Smith and his men was the core reason for the disintegration of the Native American Indian. However, in the film, Disney painted the entry of the Englishmen as a sign of civilization unfolding before the American Indians. Lastly, the inclusion of modern elements such as romance, investment, and politics served to alter the true story of Pocahontas, Captain John Smith and the Powhatan tribe.