The Pocanhontas Theory

After watching the disney movie, Pocahontas, many people have found a large amount of historical inaccuracies in both the setting, and the characters portrayed. An example is: the topographic features of Virginia aren't at all like the waterfalls and mountains shown in the movie. Other examples include the fact that Pocahontas and John Smith never actually fell in love, that Powhatan never actually intended to kill John Smith, and that Pocahontas was told to put her head between Smith and the executioners.

But these are just minor details needed to form an opinion on the issue. One must take a step back, try to look at the big picture, get a feel for the importance of these details, and track down the real reason behind the making of Pocahontas. The truth is, this movie was definitely geared to a younger audience. It was made for enjoyment purposes, for the formation of role-models in youngster's minds, and to establish a difference between wrong and right. Maybe even to break down some stereotypes about native americans that might lead to future uneducated social injustices. It is not a documentary meant to be shown in an elementary social studies class to help students learn historical information.

The issue at hand is whether or not Hollywood has the responsibility to portray history accurately. And the definite answer is "No!". Hollywood films are made for the purpose of entertainment: something to do on a Saturday night. If they were meant to be educational films, you wouldn't go to Blockbuster to get them, you would go to the library, and every film would come with a pretty little guarantee on the box that says, "ALL THE INFORMATION ON THE ENCLOSED VIDEO TAPE HAS BEEN RESEARCHED EXTENSIVELY, AND IS GUARANTEED TO BE 100% HISTORICALLY ACCURATE."