News of the World is Sweet–In a Good Way

 

 

 

NEWS OF THE WORLD (2020)

Directed by Paul Greenglass

Universal Pictures, 118 minutes, PG-13 (cowboy violence, a few swears)

★★★★

 

Say the name “Tom Hanks” and eyes will roll. For those who like movies with grit, snark, and a walk on the wild side, Hanks evokes Mr. Rogers (or, worse, Forrest Gump). But sometimes there is something to be said for wholesomeness. News of the World is one such movie. It is based on a successful novel of the same name by Paulette Giles in which director Paul Greenglass largely parallels Giles’ book, except that the latter was more successful than the money-losing movie.

 

News of the World is a Western that wears its heart on its tattered sleeve. By 1870, the American Civil War had been over for five years, though the South had a long way to go in terms of economic recovery. Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Hanks) eeks out a meagre living by traveling from town to town with a stack of (semi-) recent newspapers. Literacy among white commoners was considerably lower than in the North. Kidd’s job involves reading random newspaper stories to anyone who pays ten cents to hear him. Like a good teacher, Kidd mixes humorous tales with hard news (economics, foreign rebellions, disaster stories) and his dry-wit delivery and public lecturing skills make him popular as long as he keeps moving and doesn’t draw often from the same well.  

 

After leaving Wichita Falls, he encounters a disturbing scene: an overturned wagon and a black man lynched from a tree. He hears rustling nearby and finds a young girl (Helena Zenger) in hiding. She speaks no English and when the U.S, occupying soldiers come by they advise him to take her to an Army fort in Castroville, some 400 miles out of his way. Kidd makes a stop in Dallas hoping that that some old friends will take the girl in, but she’s far too willful. He also stops at an inn run by a former lover, the widow Gannett (Elizabeth Marvel), who tells Kidd that the girl he calls “Johanna” speaks Kiowa and was taken in a raid six years earlier. By all looks and demeanor she is Kiowa, though an occasional German word pops out.

 

The movie is essentially a sojourn across dangerous lands in which Kidd and Johanna learn from each other. It would be hard to exaggerate exactly how dangerous their journey is. They encounter three ex-Confederate roughnecks who offer to “buy” Johanna, presumably for their sexual pleasure. They hightail it out of town pursued by the sleazy horndogs and have a classic shootout in which Kidd and his young charge hide out in a rocky hillside. Johanna’s ingenuous solution to how to compensate for running out of ammunition is a cool scene.

 

There are hostile Native tribes and In Erath County, Kidd sees firsthand how lawless Texas has become. A cattleman named Farley (Thomas Francis Murphy) has set up a rogue state within Texas in which his word, laws, and racist values prevail. In this case, Kidd’s intellect and silver tongue save the day and they leave with an acolyte named Calley (Fred Hechinger) in tow for a few life lessons before setting off on his own.

 

Kidd and Johanna arrive in Castroville only to learn that there won’t be a Bureau of Indian Affairs agent in place for three months, so it’s off to a farming settlement where records indicate her German-speaking aunt and uncle live. To them, though, Johanna is expected to earn her keep on the farm. This sets the table for realizations and a happy ending. In the movie this comes a bit too fast to be completely believable, but it’s in keeping with the novel.

 

News of the World isn’t a classic, but it’s sweet and satisfying. Hanks is very good in the role of a man who saw enough violence to last him a lifetime and is driven to do the right thing, not the most convenient one. Learn the name Helena Zenger, a German-born actress now in her teens. Her translucent paleness serves to accentuate her vulnerability. When being stubborn or throwing a tantrum, her face flushes as if the underside of her skin is afire. Her acting chops are such that she communicates clearly though for much of the movie her words mean nothing to Hanks or the audience–unless you happen to speak Kiowa! Very few people saw this film, but give it a try.

 

Rob Weir