I watched Disney's Pocahontas this morning. It's one of my favourite movies of all-time, and remains a special part of my childhood.
After a trip to Wikipedia, I was amazed to find out that many parts of the movie were based on real life events (or at least, accounts of supposedly real life events - there are some grey areas).
- John Smith was a real explorer and English colonist, who landed in Virginia in April 1607.
- His company built a fort there by the James River. They had several encounters with Native American people, led by Chief Powhatan.
- John Smith was captured while exploring the Chickahominy River (the name of the river that Pocahontas teaches to John Smith in the movie. Smith is also taken captive in the film, but for the crime of killing Kocoum.)
- In Smith's records of his capture, he recounts having a feast and a long talk with Powhatan. (In the movie, Pocahontas wants Smith and her father to speak with each other. Powhatan agrees that he would listen if a settler wanted to speak to him, but things go awry with John Smith is captured for the murder of Kocoum. At the end of the film, Powhatan eventually agrees to lay down his weapons and chooses a peaceful course of action.)
- Smith describes an event in which Pocahontas saved him from execution by her father. As Smith writes, she threw himself across his body "at the minute of [his] execution." Pocahontas "hazarded the beating out of her own brains to save [his]; and not only that, but so prevailed with her father, that [he] was safely conducted to Jamestown". (Smith, Letter to Queen Anne) This is very similar to how events unfold in the movie.
Here's more historical writing from John Smith's Generall Historie, in which he describes himself as a character in the third person: "Two great stones were brought before Powhatan: then as many as could layd hands on him [Smith], dragged him to them, and thereon laid his head, and being ready with their clubs, to beate out his braines, Pocahontas the Kings dearest daughter, when no intreaty could prevaile, got his head in her armes, and laid her owne upon his to save him from death ..."
- Pocahontas, the daughter of Powhatan, became friends with John Smith and the other settlers. She also aided them when they were starving: "every once in four or five days, Pocahontas with her attendants brought him [Smith] so much provision that saved many of their lives that else for all this had starved with hunger." (Smith, General History, p. 152.) In the film, Pocahontas introduces Smith and the settlers to corn; they are thrilled at not having to live on hardtack and gruel anymore. At the end of the movie, Pocahontas and a group of villagers bring baskets of food for the settlers to take back on their voyage home.
- Smith was forced to return home for medical care in 1609, when he was injured by exploding gunpowder. The film-version of Smith also returns home for medical care, but his injury comes from diving in front of Chief Powhatan to save him from a settler's gunfire.
- The romance between Pocahontas and John Smith is not generally thought to be a real event. However, a romance was written about them in the early 1800s, before Disney was even formed - could it have been inspiration for the 1995 film?
- The name Pocahontas means "Little Playful One." In the movie, Pocahontas has a fun and playful personality. Her first remark about Kocoum, her fiance-to-be, is, "He's so serious." This is later echoed by Grandmother Willow.
- Pocahontas, like other girls in Tsenacommacah, would have learned to forage for food and farm - activities seen in the movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment