For example, the viewer is presented with elements of Kiowa culture that remain with Johanna in her struggle to find her place. The movie also intermixes glimpses of Kidd’s use of stories to keep him company after his wife passed from cholera five years ago. A strong aspect of this film is its relatability- after all, it is not the action that seizes the viewer’s attention in this movie as much as its zestful exploration of human nature. In the film, aerial and landscape shots of desert scenery combined with close-ups of bustling cities immerse the watcher in Southern life. From sentimental to adrenaline-pumping scenes, the rich, soulful tones of Western and Kiowa music deliver just the right mood.
One might expect Johanna and Kidd's long trip to be boring to watch, but there are numerous action segments present to break up the monotony. The use of jump cuts and shaky camera technique create a more jarring sequence for the viewer as well. Child actor Helena Zengel is well suited for the character of Johanna and reflects both her spirit and her more vulnerable moods she reveals to Kidd. Additionally, Tom Hanks’ acting as he reads truly shows Kidd’s role as both a mediator and someone who can touch the hearts of the people. His interactions with audience members show how his choice and delivery of news stories affected people’s perceptions of the world- the viewer included.
A distinguishing feature of this film is the growing pains of post-civil war life that are encountered. The film cleverly shows this through Johanna’s past: Her German family was killed by Native Americans whose land they had taken, the Native American family that had taken her in were killed by White settlers, and the African American man transporting her to the authorities was lynched. This points out the deep wounds created by this cycle in our American history whose effects remain today.
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And now, in the final scene of the movie, we return to the boisterous audience facing Captain Kidd for a reading. Worn boots kick up dust, and cackles and chatter die down as he begins to speak. The camera cuts to the routine elements of this scene, just another reading, in another town. But then it focuses on a new addition, Johanna, sitting adjacent to Kidd, a reminder to him that to “move forward, first you must remember.” She laughs as she furnishes his humorous story with sound effects using a stick. This final sequence proved News of the World as a movie equal parts heartwarming and crystal clear in its symbolic lens.
As the film draws to a close with this scene, it prompts both the characters and the watcher to continue their journey- to find closure, build stories upon our past, ever engulfed by the changes both around us and within us as we look, eyes forward, to the News of the World.