Pocahontas (1970)

Pocahontas (also known as Captain Smith's Adventure!, New World or La figlia preferita di Powhatan or Powhatan's Favourite Daughter in English) is a 1970 Italian film directed by Umberto Lenzi. It was the last film Lenzi made before starting the then famous, now infamous cannibal genre with the film "Deep River Savages". It is also the film that marks his discovery of actress Me Me Lai. This is not Lai's first film, but it was the film that ultimately lead her toward the cannibal genre where the majority of her acting career took place. It was also the main inspiration for Disney's 1995 Pocahontas, similar to how the 1939 Hunchback of Notre Dame inspired the 1996 Disney version. In spite of this, however, the film, to this day, comes under fire for the use of realistic torture and violence, genuine animal violence and (allegedly) unsimulated sex between Brando and Lai. Brando, until his death in 2004, adamantly denied having actual sex with Lai on the set, however, people began to doubt the sincerity of his denial after it came to light that he anally raped actress Maria Schneider for the film "Last Tango in Paris" and didn't even feel bad about it, citing that it was "just a movie" even though the act traumatised Schneider. Lai, on the other hand, has avoided and continues to avoid any discussion of her time on set with Brando. On the other side of the coin, there was a scene where Lai's character was raped by Renato Salvatori's character, and no controversy or accusations of genuine rape exist over it.

Lenzi specifically requested Marlon Brando for the role of Captain Smith after seeing his performance in the 1969 film Burn! and Brando allegedly turned him down twice, only agreeing after being asked a third time when Lenzi agreed to remove the scene where a litter of newborn pugs were supposed to be drowned, which would have been done genuinely. The pugs that were adopted specifically for this purpose were sold off and Lenzi managed to successfully sell all but one, whom was adopted by Renato Salvatori after he developed a fondness for the pup, and portrayed the role of Princeton, Governor Ratcliffe's pet.

== Cast ==

* Me Me Lai as Pocahontas

* Marlon Brando as Captain John Smith

* Renato Salvatori as Governor John Ratcliffe

* Stacy Keach as John Rolfe

* Todd Armstrong as Kocoum, Pocahontas' husband

* Marie Versini as Nonoma Winanuske Matatiske, Pocahontas' mother

== Plot ==

In 1607, Captain John Smith sets out for the new world with his crew under the watchful eyes of Governor Ratcliffe, who has expressed wishes to trade with the Virginia natives.