After reading the chapter on Native Americans in film in the America on film book, I decided to watch Disney's Pochahontas. While watching the movie for the first time I noticed many things that stood out. Like how the "white" people portrayed the natives as savages and even referred to them as that in the movie. The white people's intentions were to take over their land and the Natives were prepared to protect it. The white people were portrayed as not caring about the earth and land and greedy and evil. Disney tried to portray the Natives as Noble Savages. Pochahontas was connected to the earth on a different level. She was kind to animals and two of her close friends are a raccoon and hummingbird in the movie, she talked to them as if they could understand her and the animals acted as if they understood her in the movie. A few times in the movie she even goes to a tree, grandmother willow, to talk and ask for advice. The tree consoles her and helps her which gives a spiritual feel, and her dreams have meanings to them. All this portrays her as kind, peaceful, mystical and spiritual. It also implies that she has a connection to the earth, that only natives seem to possess.
They also portray Pochahontas as brave and she is portrayed differently than the typical Princess's in other Disney movies. They portray her as more independent, in the movie she spends some time by her self along with her animal friends, she also explores the earth. She jumps off a cliff at one point in the movie, and this shows how she is brave. Also when John, one of the English settlers, comes she protects him from getting killed by stepping in between him and another native american (who she is familiar with) and saves his life. Pochahontas then tries to teach him the importance of the earth, animals, and nature and the beauty it holds.
In the movie it shows natives with dark skin, black hair, markings on their faces, feathers in their hair and no shoes and clothes made out of animal skin. In real life natives didn't really wear head bands like how they portray them to in movies, it started out in old western movies (natives wearing feather headbands) in the 1930's and 40's and then caught on as a trend and this was then seen in other movies. People then started relating feather headbands as a Native American trait and something all of them wear.
This is a very interesting topic because most Disney princess movies have the typical role of the helpless girl being saved by the prince. It's refreshing to see an independent woman who not only takes care of herself, but also saves one of the main charactors.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't like about the movie, as you pointed out, is that it gives off a negative image towards Whites and Indians; white people don't treat animals/the environment right and Indians always seem to wear the typical outfit of a feathered hat, have black hair, etc. Society really needs to pay close attention to what messages they're sending out to young kids who still watch these popular Disney movies even to this day.
yeah exactly, i just watched Avatar for the first time the other day and it was pretty much like pochahontas. I was like "are u serrrious, all the hype and thats it?"
ReplyDeleteNice job Zue. You draw strong connections between the book and the movie. I also like your reference to Tracy Rector's comment about headbands. Some Native American tribes did wear head dresses, often with feathers. But the headband that does straight across the forehead a la Tonto was the Hollywood invention.
ReplyDeleteI love the movie Pochohantus, and I have always felt that even though the stereotype of Natives is strong and they are called Savages by the white intruders, Pochohantus' father and his people called the white intruders also savages. I've always loved how Pochohantus defies the basic Princess stereotype and how she's strong and indepedant and doesn't need saving. I have although noticed that the "other" in the movie is a very feminized man, who takes bubble baths, and has a very close relationship with his little doggy.
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