On Thu, 30 Dec 2010 09:24:56 -0800, Tim Shearon wrote: >Bob Wildbood said: " As the beloved Bobby Burns said, 'Wad >Power but hae the gift to gie us, to see oursels as ithers see us.' >I think that Avatar gives us that gift.' > >Exactly the filmmaker's point- at least that is what they often say. >But I see Michael's point as well- couldn't they put just a *little* >ambiguity or complexity in there! The criticism I had of Dances >With Wolves II, [snip]
Just to develip the last point that Tim Shearon touches on, here is a review that take Avatar to task for using a formulaic approach to the racial issues implicit in the movie; see: http://io9.com/5422666/when-will-white-people-stop-making-movies-like-avatar?skyline=true&s=x Read the comments as well because they are interesting for what they have to say about Avatar and the process of making a hit movie. On the point of having White people go "native" and become the hero of the "native" people, consider this comment by "Zenpoet": |I don't remember the comedian who said it, but it really pointed out |this very idea to me. I don't remember the beginning of the joke, but |his punchline was something to the effect of "coming this fall, |"The Last N*gger on Earth, starring Tom Hanks." | |As a mid-west white guy, I hadn't really noticed this phenominon. |Now that I look back, its crazy how many movies/books are like this. |Last of the Mohicans, the Last Samurai, Dances With Wolves, etc... |Its disappointing really However, there are some surprises to be found in Avatar -- consider the viewpoint expressed in this paper: http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/mirallespaper.pdf Though the surprise may not be what we expect (which, of course, makes it a surprise). It pays to remember that "Hollywood" movies, of which Avatar is a classic example, are products that are supposed to make money. Making a movie that makes money or becomes a blockbuster is an art and few people know know to do so more or less consistently -- James Cameron is part of this group. Using stereotypes is part of the process (NOTE: do we need to be reminded that people who have stereotypes in their minds engage in automatic processing of stereotypical stimuli, thus making following a film or story easier because the processing is less demanding; a non-stereotypical character, situation, or plot makes one engage in controlled processing, making the following of a movie harder and perhaps unplesant for some people -- perhaps someone should do some "need for cognition" research on movies that use stereotypes versus movies that don't or violate stereotypes). -Mike Palij New York University [email protected] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=7557 or send a blank email to leave-7557-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
