Pocahontas (1910)

Interesting facts

Pocahontas is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The scenario was written by Lloyd Lonergan based on Lydia Sigourney's 1841 poem Pocahontas. The film is a retelling of the well-known story of Pocahontas, played by Anna Rosemond who saves the life of Captain John Smith, played by George Barnes. She is captured and held hostage by the English, converts to Christianity and marries Rolfe, played by Frank H. Crane. Pocahontas then sickens and dies, spending her last hours wishing to return to her native home. Released on October 11, 1910, the film was met with praise by most reviewers.

Production

Lloyd Lonergan adapted the story from Lydia Sigourney's poem Pocahontas. Originally published in 1841 as part of Pocahontas and Other Poems. Film historian Q. David Bowers states that while the story of Pocahontas was well-known, few people had ever read Sigourney's poem. Lonergan an experienced newspaperman employed by The New York Evening World while writing scripts for the Thanhouser productions.

It is believed that a reproduction of Hendrik Hudson's ship, Halve Maen (English:Half Moon), was used in the film. The replica was originally constructed for the Hudson-Fulton Celebration in 1909. This belief comes from the identification of the vessel by The New York Dramatic Mirror reviewer who states, "One scene shows the copy of Henry Hudson's vessel used in the Hudson-Fulton celebration, and it is supposed in the film to represent the ship t…

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.