Pocahontas Film Review

The title of the film is Pocahontas and was released in the year of 1995.

•  Pocahontas has a lighter skin tone than the rest of the Native Americans in most parts of the movie.
•  Animals follow Pocahontas to a talking willow tree that guides her to follow the wind.
• The soldiers from London refer to the Native Americans as savages, natives, filthy heathens, indians, murderous thieves, and dirty freaky devils.
• The governor actually referred to the Native Americans as natives, but in the same sentence called them filthy heathens.
• The British men arrive ready to fight and steal land from the Native Americans.
• The Native Americans sit around campfire smoke. One of the Native Americans tells the future of what will happen to the village with these men arriving and refers to them as pale face.

•  The governor sings this song “Mine, Mine, Mine!” which represents his greed:

“And the gold

Is ...

Mine!

Mine!

Mine!

Mine!

[English Settlers]                                                        

So go for the gold

We know which is here

All the riches here

From this minute

This land and what's in it is

Mine!

[Ratcliffe]

Dig and dig and diggety-dig!

Hey nonny nonny nonny it's mine! (www.stlyrics.com)”

•  The governor tells a male, “A man is not a man unless he knows how to shoot.”
•  John Smith is talking to Pocahontas when he says, “We will show you people how to use this land properly… and build decent houses.” Pocahontas is offended and responds by saying, “Our houses are fine!” John Smith sincerely replies, “You think that only because you don’t know any better.” 

• Pocahontas sings the song “Colors of the Wind:”

          “You think the only people who are people

            Are the people who look and think like you

            But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger

            You'll learn things you never knew you never knew

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?

Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains?

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?... (www.stlyrics.com)”

•  The governor instructs the soldiers, “If you see one [savage] do not ask questions just shoot.”
• The “warriors” arrive to the Native American village to help aid them for the battle against the British soldiers. The warriors were wearing red and orange feathers on their head and/or clothes. Kocoum says to Pocahontas as the warriors arrive, “… look at them [warriors], now we have enough warriors to destroy those white demons.”
• Kocoum and John get into a fight. Kocoum is seen with a sharp, silver knife pinning John Smith to the ground trying to kill him. Pocahontas tries to stop them from fighting and Kocoum pushes Pocahontas to the ground.
• Kocoum is shot by one of the British soldiers. It does not show the bullet hitting him or any blood, but it shows the solider shooting the gun and then Kocoum falling back into the water, limp. Pocahontas screams, “He killed him!"
• The most grueling song lyrics in the movie is called “Savages”:

          This is what we feared

          The paleface is a demon

          The only thing they feel at all is greed

          Beneath that milky hide

          There's emptiness inside

          I wonder if they even bleed…

          Savages! Savages!

          Demon

          Devil

          Savages! Savages!

          What are we waiting for

          Destroy their evil race until there's not a trace left

          We will sound the drums of war

          (How loud are the drums of war)

          Now we sound the drums of war (www.disneyclips.com)”

          Attached is the video of the song “Savages” from YouTube:

         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlzuWbDHZrU

I looked up stereotypes in Pocahontas and I came across and an article called “The Pocahontas Conspiracy” by Lynn Dukette and Dani Frisbie on Reel American History. In the article, paragraph 11, they concurred that “the Powhatans all possess the same skin color, except for Pocahontas who is a few shades lighter.” One of the first things that I noticed in the film was that Pocahontas looked a lot lighter than the rest of the Native Americans.

Another article that I found is from Disney Movies and Racism called “1 Pocahontas” by Veronica Nunez. She talks about the use of the word savages in the film and how Disney had a “…lack [of] cultural sensitivity and [they] are incredibly detrimental to Natives Americans.” Savage is defined as uncivilized, and the film uses this countless times to describe the Native Americans, they even made a song called “Savages” for the governor to sing in the film.

 I can agree with most of the articles that I found. In the article “The Pocahontas Conspiracy,” I found that they also see that Pocahontas had a lighter skin tone. In the article “1 Pocahontas,” she agrees that the word savage is stereotyping the Native Americans. I did not see any articles about the solider in the film that was put on the spotlight a few times and pressured to use his gun properly so that he can be a man. I think this was sexist, in that the solider does not have to learn to shoot a gun to become a man.

I believe that children may be absorbing negative stereotypes about Native Americans and sexism. As a child I watched this film all the time with my siblings and I never noticed any of these stereotypes and name calling until now. As a child I remember thinking Pocahontas was a great movie, but I think I mostly focused on the raccoon and hummingbird that followed Pocahontas. If my children watch Pocahontas I think they will learn the stereotypes against Native Americans and see stereotypes on white superior. Not only would they sub-consciously absorb these stereotypes, but they would also absorb the violence that is demonstrated in the movie. I just recently watched this movie with twin four year olds, they were watching it for the first time and their reactions were very surprising to me. One of them became terrified after the scene where Kocoum got killed, and he began to cry, the other child was completely fine with the movie and wanted me to keep playing the movie. I asked the one that began crying what made him so upset about this movie and he replied, “It is scary. That guy has a gun.”

“Mine, Mine, Mine!” song- http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/classicdisney/mineminemine.htm

“Colors of the Wind” song- http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/classicdisney/colorsofthewind.htm

“Savages” song- http://www.disneyclips.com/lyrics/lyrics69.html

“The Pocahontas Conspiracy” article- http://digital.lib.lehigh.edu/trial/reel_new/films/list/1_24_9_8

“1 Pocahontas” article- http://disneyandmovies.pbworks.com/w/page/17905676/1%20Pocahontas