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
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
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