NEWS OF THE WORLD
US, 2020, 117 minutes, Colour.
Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Ray Mc Kinnon, Mare Winningham, Elizabeth Marvel, Michael Angelo Covino, Thomas Francis Murphy, Bill Camp, Fred Echinger
Directed by Paul Greengrass.
News of the World sounds quite a contemporary title. So, it is something of a surprise to find that the setting for this drama, this western, is 1870. And the setting is Texas, Confederacy territory, with bitter memories of the Civil War, the issues of slavery, the consequences of defeat, payment, and the fact that General Ulysses S Grant was president of the United States.
This is a Western and there are many familiar episodes. But, it is a different West. First of all, it is seen from the perspective of Captain Kyle Kidd who had served in the war, had been a printer before the war, had lost his wife to cholera, and was travelling the small towns of Texas, collecting newspapers, small gatherings in the town, everybody paying ten cents, listening to the stories that the Captain would choose, local stories of heroics, of natural disasters, but also stories of Federation which go down badly with the Texans bitter about the consequences of the war.
Tom Hanks plays the Captain, his going to the west for the first time. And, once again, Tom Hanks shows that he is the embodiment of American decency, a confident righteousness, a humanity that can be challenged.
But, what makes the difference to this story is his encountering a man hanged by racists, the carriage overturned, a little girl cowering. While the Captain wants to entrust her to the military, they refuse and order him to go to the authorities for her to be taken back to an uncle and aunt. The documents indicate that her family had been killed by the Kiowa Indians and she had been taken and had lived with them, learning their language, absorbing their culture, but they too had been massacred.
Which means that the film is something of a road film on the American West trails. The Captain and the little girl, Johanna, though she indicates her name from the Kiowa is Cicada, experience a number of Western adventures which keeps the film interesting and at times, frightening and exciting. They go to a town where the owner of the boarding house is able to speak the Kiowa language and tell the Captain something of the girl’s story. There are former soldiers who want to buy the girl and pursue them into the mountains, a subsequent shootout. Their carriage crashes and the horses need to be put down. They have to trek through vast plains.
There is an enormous tornado. There is a strange self-contained community of workers, slaves under the domination of a drunken exploiter. There is an encounter with homeless Indians on the move.
Which means then that the film is episodic but continually interesting as the two begin to bond, despite the limited language, despite the girl’s fears.
And the strength of the film is very much in the performance by Helena Zengel as Johanna. The very young, the actress was acclaimed at the Berlin Film Festival of 2019 for her performance as a wilful young girl in The System Crusher. Here she is able to hold her own with Tom Hanks – and an indication of a successful future career.
And the film has many moving moments – but, a literally happy ending as the captain reads the news but then tells his eager audience and amusing shaggy dog story. Which amuses them – but also amuses us, bringing to a close the couple and their wanderings and our sharing their adventures with them.
1. Impact of the film, acclaim, nominations?
2. The title, expectations? 19th century, pre-audiovisual media, newspapers, citizens and their capacity to read, in the countryside of Texas, the emerging towns after the Civil War, hard-working people, gathering to listen to the news? Capt Kidd and his mission to read the news?
3. 1870, the Texas settings, the vast countryside, plains and mountains, the towns, large and small, Dallas emerging, streets, shops, boarding houses? The small settlements in farms? The separating communities and their lifestyle? Indicating changes in the West?
4. Kids story, Tom Hanks and his screen presence, dignity, righteous, humane? Filling out the background of his life before the Civil War, as a printer, relationship with his wife, leaving her for the war, cholera and her death? His pained memories? His role in the war, service? The Confederacy? His role after the war, collecting the newspapers, the small communities, gathering, the Ten cents, listening to the news, his close-up reading the paper, his delivery, information and entertainment?
5. The overturned carriage, finding the little girl, her reaction, his reaching out to her, lack of verbal communication, the encounter with the soldiers, his finding the documents, the agent hanged, the races? His having to keep the girl, decision to take her to her family?
6. The little girl, her age, the German background, the death of her parents, taken by the Kiawah Indians, growing up with them, the language? The mixed memories? Strong character, he fears, with Kidd, resistance, running away? The trek, communications, gradually saying words? Examining the contents of his cases? The difficulties of bonding?
7. Kidd taking her to the town, his friend and his wife, memories of the war, their kindness, taking the girl in? Their not being able to help her?
8. On the Trail, a 19th-century road film, the mundane details of the trip, food, water, communication?
9. The visit to Dallas, the widow, her memories, relationship with Kidd? Her speaking the Kiawah language, opening up communication, knowledge?
10. The veterans from the war, pursuing Kidd, wanting to buy the girl, their vicious attitudes, Kidd and the girl, the escape, the carriage, into the mountains, hiding, the pursuit, kids military skills, deceits, the girl and the coins for his shot gun, escaping from the enemies?
11. Being surrounded on the Road, Farley and his community, their being taken in, Farley in charge, drinking, the workers, virtually slaves, the invitation for Kidd to read, the local paper, rather his telling the story from Pennsylvania and the workers rebelling? Starting the fight and escaping? Jack Kelly, the enthusiastic young man, listening to the stories, escaping with them? The confrontation with Farley, the guns, the girl and her shooting?
12. The tornado, thinking it was horses, the vastness of the winds and sand, survival?
13. The encounter with the Indians, the sad fate of the Indians, wordless comment on the images, the girl getting the horse, the being able to write to safety after walking through
the desert and the wreck of their carriage, the death of the horses?
14. Finding the girls uncle and aunt, very German, hard-working, suspicious, the background story, Kidd leaving the girl with them? His later return, her being tied up, taking her away?
15. Going to San Antonio, the discussions with his friend, the death of his wife, the visit to the cemetery? Closing the past, opening the future, his return to take the girl?
16. The bond between them, their shared experiences, learning language and sharing, her hardships, his rescue?
17. The happy ending, reading the papers, the crowds enjoying the stories, the jokey story about the man rising from the dead, the girl making sound effects, the applause, bowing, and a very happy and cheerful ending for such a story?
