Well look at the crew when we first meet them. Everyone is in bland colors except Governor Radcliffe (David Ogden Stiers). He wears purples and blues with beautiful rings. His colors reveal his status.
Also, the colors of nature are so profound with the Native American. The colors of the animals, river, and vegetation shine. However, when the crew shows up, they tear down the trees and make everything brown instead of colorful.
And of course we cannot forget the great song “Paint with All the Colors of the Wind”. Have you ever really thought about wind having colors before this movie? The leaves, the sand, lots of things go into the wind that has color (especially in this movie. Pink leaves...).
Then there is the whole gold issue. When John Smith (Mel Gibson) asks Pocahontas (Irene Bedard) about gold, she gives him corn. She has no idea what gold is or why it is valuable.
Of course, the ultimate issue with color in this movie is skin color. It is the “white demons” against the brown “savages”. Both hate each other and focus on skin color constantly.
Maybe it is the opposition in societies represented. The Native Americans embrace the color of nature. However, the “pale faces” destroy the color and beauty to”make the most of” the land. Each side sees value in different things (gold and earth). Color is being used to represent opposites.
While I was writing this, I also noticed a lot of duality doing on. Opposites in thinking, action, and appearance are everywhere. I would encourage you to think about this past the two different races. Where else do you see two options or ideas presented? I’ll leave that for you to think about.
For another look at this movie, this article talks about the real story of Pocahontas as opposed to the Disney movie. It also looks at the usage of the term “savages”. Not sure I agree with everything written, but still interesting thoughts and information.
Here is a paper that takes a feminist look at this movie. I, honestly, did not read the whole 21 pages, just the abstract. But if this is your thing, let me know how it is.
Come back next week for our last HP monthly (tear)!