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I enjoyed viewing the film Avatar - but have some points I have not seen mentioned so far in the discussion and reviews: 1 - The actress Sogourney Weaver in several scenes in the film smokes cigarettes. This makes no sense to be doing in a laboratory, or where oxygen is limited. It was obviously product placement by the film maker 20th Century Fox, where they received money from the tobacco industry for such product placement - something that is done regularly in large film studios these days. 2 - The film profits will go to Rupert Murdoch, who owns 20th Century Fox films - and not to any progressive movement. I have no knowledge of what and who James Cameron has given his funds to from past films he worked on, or for this one. So while I enjoyed the film, I am also aware of Vladimir Lenin's phrase - the capitalist will sell their own rope - which this film correctly shows - since the film is definitely anti-capitalist and anti-United States military - and the Australian born reactionary Murdoch while a supporter of American imperialism and Capitalism, makes funds from thsi film while promoting anti-corporate ideas. 3 - The film also has no open Gay or Lesbian characters - and thus reinforces heterosexism. The message that besides the bad or good earth people in the film -the Navi people on Pandora only have heterosexuals. The fear to be inclusive of Gays also is noticeable in the lack of any major African actor. It would have been easy to have written in this film story of also an Earth Native Person among the humans, or a Gay human or an African descendant human. The two books that Cameron stole much of this film's story line on - did not limit him to project as he did in this film - a white hetero dominant human population or that the Na'vi had to be only heterosexual. 4 - I also have some reservations about the message around the main human actor who is disabled. While I am glad to see a disabled person (or the portrayal of such) in a major film role, the message could also be transmitted from this film, that it was better to leave the human body behind and go to a totally different unfamiliar life in another world instead of being disabled. I am not fully happy with this message - rather to die - than live as as a disabled human. When the male actor (Sam Worthington) sees the Navi through his eyes and mind - he obviously enjoys the use of his Na'vi legs - but that does not mean he suddenly changes his sexual interests for non-humans who have tails, as was done in this film - or that he wants to adapt to a society without any electricity or other power sources and commodoties (such as films!). This is a stretch in my opinion, by this film's message. I personally rooted for the Na'vi against the Earth humans, but I doubt I would be attracted to Na'vi sexually (yes I admit I am not very liberated and limited!!) 6 - Many humans in the corporate U. S. - which is where the actor (Sam Worthington) originates from, enjoy warm showers and do not want to give that up! And I recognize Many people in our real Earth world, do not have warm showers, but the actor (Worthington) did and other comforts as well, that it makes it hard to believe he would just give all up to ride around on a dragon and sleep in a hamock in the trees. The film promotes this as the better thing to do and give up those nasty things such as electrical or solar based power. It is one thing to choose at times to live in a forest and then return to the comforts of our modern world, as to live only that way for every single future day of ones life! (I am not a Luddite - but I did enjoy both the color and visuals and the anti-corporate, anti-military message.) 7 - Finally a couple of other humans in this film, are also allowed to stay - one of the two other humans allowed to stay on Pandora, has no Avatar or forseeable long term oxygen supply - so I see no reason why he would then stay and not leave as well on the ship returning to earth. This final point is a very small criticism to a great entertaining film. So when can we return to discuss the Fifth International Call made by Hugo Chavez that is far more real and current andmore important - instead of a film by the cprporate 20th Century Fox Film Company owned by the anti-Marxist Rupert Murdoch? There has been much less discussion and interests in this upcoming April 2010 gathering than the Avatar Film - and I wonder why is that - or is something better being offered to marxists on the planet Earth today - to end capitalism in reality? John O'Brien Los Angeles > > > http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/the-left-debates-avatar/ > ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: [email protected] Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
