Playing Favorites: Thomas (Christian Bale--Pocahontas, 1995) Part One
Note I wrote this before the other one. This turned out to be one of those cases where at first I can't think of what to say, and then when I get rolling, I have more to say than I thought, which is why this Playing Favorites is being separated into parts.
The second character in Playing Favorites is a fairly recent addition, from the Disney movie most people cite as the one responsible for ruining the Disney Animated Renaissance from the early '90s, the one hardly anyone seems to have a good word. Do I agree with the naysayers? On some things, yes. On others, not so much. I'll be discussing those points, plus why I like Thomas and think he has the makings of a Disney hero.
Pocahontas (1995)
Personal History
My personal history with this movie is a bit interesting. I first found out about it when I wrote to Disney's Feature Animation Department in the summer of 1994, shortly after I saw The Lion King. Thinking about it now, it seems so quaint to be happy to find out about a movie a year in advance, what with the Internet and IMDB.
After doing more research into the life of Pocahontas and the Jamestown colony, I was pretty excited to see what would happen. I had a right to expect good things from Disney, after their track record of producing entertaining movies. This was back when Disney cared about the animated features they were producing Not to mention that they were hyped up so much; it was hard for kids not to be at least a little anxious. I was even more psyched in May of the following year when I found out that my new favorite actor was playing the role of Thomas.
The Plot
In 1607, British soldier John Smith and Pocahontas fall in love amid tensions between their people.
Christian Plays
Thomas, a young peasant settler and friend to Smith.
We begin in London, as the Susan Constant is about to set sail. Thomas is the first character that we get a good look at (Technically, the first is Lon, another settler, but it's a split-second shot). We see him saying good-bye to his family. I'm assuming that's his mother on the left, rather than a girlfriend or wife, since the interaction doesn't support it, even though she does look a bit young.
When he boards the ship, he learns the fortunate news that they will be accompanied on the expedition by none other than Captain John Smith, an adventurer and skilled killer of various indigenous peoples. During a storm at sea, John proves just how daring and courageous he is by diving in to rescue Thomas after he is swept overboard. It is during this scene that we learn that John and Thomas are friends, closer than the other settlers, since Thomas (and later Pocahontas) call him by his first name while everyone else uses his surname.
Thomas' goals are simple: He wants to find a lot of gold and build a big house for his family, and he'll kill anyone who tries to stop him from achieving said aspirations. Smith tells him to worry about his fortune and to leave any killing to him.
Soon enough, the settlers arrive in Virginia, and are awed by its natural beauty--a beauty that doesn't last long, since the trees are felled to make room for them to dig gold...and also to build a fort and settlement. Part of this plan backfires, as Thomas and the settlers discover to their frustration that there isn't any gold in the areas in which they're digging.
The settlers are ambushed by the natives, and a battle ensues. Thomas, attempting to get in on the action, trips over a log and misfires, earning him the wrath of Governor Ratcliffe, someone Thomas feels intimidated by. He tells the boy to learn to use his gun properly, that "a man's not a man unless he knows how to shoot," leaving him humiliated and dejected.
A few days pass. After completing the construction of the camp's fence (tired, hungry and in the rain), he notes that John has been quiet lately and asks if anything is the matter. John--fortunately or not--doesn't get a chance to lie or calmly explain that he's befriended totally spirited and totally beautiful native Pocahontas.
He later goes to practice shooting around the edge of the settlement, when he almost kills John coming back from meeting Pocahontas. John advises him to keep both eyes open when he shoots so he can see his target better. This information will come in handy later.
Ratcliffe demands to know where John has been, since they haven't seen him all day and the two men who set out to look for him were unable to find him. (They were right next to him, as it turned out, but were scared off by Grandmother Willow, a tree containing the spirit of one of Pocahontas' ancestors. Yes really.) John says that he was out scouting the area. Ratcliffe is pleased with this, and says that they'll need that information for the upcoming battle to eliminate the natives. It should be noted here that Ratcliffe believes that, despite no gold being found anywhere, that the natives are somehow hiding it from them. An angry John resists this plan, saying that they don't have to fight the natives . He's met one of them, they can help the settlers navigate the area, and that there is corn for them to eat. The settlers are angry when they find out that John has befriended a native, but they are curious about the corn. When he tells them what they should already know-- there is no gold-- Ben and Lon are absolutely gobsmacked by this. Ratcliffe, greedy and idiotic as he is, is having none of it, that the natives are lying bloodthirsty savages and that there is too gold, and he's still going ahead with the battle. He adds as a coda that anyone who doesn't shoot a "savage" on sight will be hanged for treason.
Later that night, Thomas and a few men are sitting around a campfire discussing whether the natives really have gold or not; Lon thinks they might, Ben thinks they definitely have it, and one guy--probably one of the smartest characters in this movie--says that Ratcliffe has been lying to them since they left London. Thomas doesn't give his opinion--he's slumped down on a tree stump, probably depressed thinking about his future or lack thereof; either way he's doomed. He can't shoot well, so he'll either be killed in the upcoming battle by natives or afterwards courtesy of Ratcliffe. He must also be worried about his family, since having a treasonous relative would damage their reputation and put whatever little social standing they have in jeopardy.
He spots John sneaking out of the camp, and leaves the men to investigate. He gets as far as the fence when he in turn is spotted by Ratcliffe. The governor tells him to follow John, shoot any indians he sees (said while tossing him a rifle), and--since Thomas has been "a slipshod sailor and a poor excuse for a soldier"--not to disappoint him again. Feeling nervous about the consequences said disappointment, he leaves the settlement to go after John. Of course, he would have made better time if he hadn't been stopped...and told to follow John.
He gets to his destination and is shocked that John's "little Indian friend" is a not-so-little, gorgeous female friend, and that their friendship has turned to love, as he sees them in a passionate embrace. From the bushes, opposite to where Thomas is hidden, Kocoum, Pocahontas' overly serious fiance and the a great warrior within the tribe, angrily rushes out and immediately tackles John and the two start fighting. Thomas doesn't ready his gun until the fight gets more serious. Kocoum eventually pins John and is about to kill him, when Thomas quickly loads his rifle, aims ("Both eyes open..."), and shoots the warrior dead. Where he shoots him, we don't know, because there's neither blood nor a wound shown. Maybe it was in the soul, as the Nostalgia Chick guesses in her review.
Thomas, feeling at once the shame and impact of what he's done, gets yelled at by John (out of surprise, mostly) and Pocahontas (out of anger). The three then hear a band of warriors approaching, and John urges him to run away. He hesitates at first, then obeys, running all the way back to camp in a panic. He awakens the settlers with his shouts. He's desperate to do something to save John's life, but any sort of peaceful resolution backfires when Ratcliffe comes out and stirs them to war, much to the young man's chagrin. He doesn't want to go off to war after what he's done; he goes because he feels he has no choice.
The two sides finally meet on a high bluff (because it may not be geographically accurate, but it sure looks cool), with John getting ready to be executed by Powhatan, the tribe's chief and Pocahontas' father. The sides aim at each other, bows drawn, rifles ready to fire, when Pocahontas runs up and throws herself onto John. She says she loves him, that if he should be killed, then so should she. She continues to say that hatred has led them to this point. After a few minutes of meditation, her father relents and lets John go, saying that while everyone else has come in anger and hatred, his daughter comes with understanding and wisdom; if there is any more killing, he won't be the one to start. John is freed and the lovers are reunited...
...but not for long, since Ratcliffe sees this as an opportunity to attack. "No," Thomas says, finally getting angry at the governor. Then, in a tone of exasperation he should have used earlier: "They let him go." Ratcliffe, angry, snatches a rifle from someone, and aims to shoot Powhatan, but John gets in the way instead. Thomas gets upset and really irate now, and so do the other settlers. He orders Ratcliffe be bound and chained.
A little later, the Susan Constant is finished being loaded; included among her passengers are Ratcliffe and John, going back for medical care. Thomas is in full Leader Mode now, since there was no chain of command set up. He asks if the ship is ready and prepares to send John off. John isn't ready and is waiting for Pocahontas. She arrives, along with a group carrying baskets of food. She and Thomas silently make up before she goes to tell John good-bye. Our last shot of Thomas (and the final piece of dialogue in the movie) is him doing the same.
Part Two