dapting the story of Pocahontas and John Smith to film isn't anything new. The first version was a silent film, released in 1910. Others were 1924's Pocahontas and John Smith and Captain John Smith and Pocahontas in 1953. And of course there was the recent animated Disney version. Though the previous adaptations were entertaining, they didn't follow the real-life story very closely. Director/writer Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line, Days of Heaven) decided to make the film as authentic to the period as possible in order to tell the tale of the noble young native woman and the ambitious soldier of fortune who find themselves torn between civic duty and their growing attraction. The first decision was to film where the real events occurred, right in and around Jamestown. Casting, however, would present a more difficult dilemma. Pocahontas (which means "playful one") was between 12 and 14 years old when she met Captain Smith. The filmmakers realized they might not find a youngster with the ability to portray the range of emotions needed. She would have to carry a large portion of the film on her shoulders. |
|
They sent out an
audition notice and considered more than 3,000 actresses ranging in age up to
30, holding auditions in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. |